Horror fans and critics can usually predict when a movie is going to bomb at the box office. Even with a star-studded cast, like Scream 4, some horror movies are doomed from the beginning. Most of the time, movies that tank at the box office are unwanted sequels or movies that are only loved by niche horror audiences.

Horror sequels and remakes already tend to be risky movies at the box office because not all audiences resonate with their originals or only enjoyed the movie subsequently. Some box office bombs later became fan favorites in the eyes of horror fans. House of Wax grossed over $32 million domestically with a $40 million budget but is considered a campy, classic horror movie. It can take some time for horror movies to resonate with audiences, but some horror movies were doomed from the beginning.

10

Gremlins 2 (1990)

Directed by Joe Dante

It’s hard to compete with the first Gremlins, which became an instant hit with audiences and is known as one of the best Christmas horror movies. Gremlins 2: The New Batch continues Gizmo’s storyline and follows him as the new gremlins wreak havoc in New York City. There are a number of reasons why the sequel tanked at the box office, including the timing of the release. It was released six years after the success of the first movie and audience interest started to fade.

Additionally, it was tonally different from the first Gremlins. It included satire, pop culture references, and had less of a “small town” feel as it was set in a large city. Domestically, the movie made just over $41 million with a budget of $50 million. In comparison, the first Gremlins grossed over $159 million, and the budget was only $11 million. While the monstrous creatures were once loved by audiences, they didn’t show up to watch them create chaos all over again.

9

The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)

Directed by Katt Shea

Released 22 years after Carrie, The Rage: Carrie 2 is about a teenage girl with telekinesis who takes revenge into her own hands after discovering her friend committed suicide and her classmates are responsible. The first movie had such an impact with fans that audiences didn’t want another version of the same teen horror movie. While Carrie is uniquely dark and different from other horror movies, The Rage: Carrie 2 further addresses bullying and toxic high school culture, it’s overshadowed by the fact that it’s under the same тιтle.

With a $21 million budget and only grossing $17 million at the box office, The Rage: Carrie 2 is considered a box office bomb. The movie was written by the horror master himself, Stephen King, along with Rafael Moreu. King’s name wasn’t enough to draw in audiences. It was released the same year as Sleepy Hollow, Blair Witch, and Stir of Echoes, and audiences seemed to crave new horror and turn away from sequels and franchises. Even Candyman 3, released the same year, proved that audiences wanted something fresh, since Candyman 3 is the most disliked in the franchise.

8

Jaws: The Revenge (1987)

Directed by Joseph Sargent

The fourth movie in the franchise, Jaws: The Revenge was released twelve years after the first Jaws. The plot centers around a shark stalking a family. Audiences picked up on the cheesy plot point of a stalker shark with a grudge and decided not to purchase a movie ticket. Horror fans were already feeling shark fatigue, and the box office numbers showcased this.

With a budget of $23 million and only grossing $20 million domestically and $51 million worldwide, it was considered a box office bomb among the other Jaws movies. Going up against other sequels and franchises the same year, with Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ II and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3, the shark movie didn’t stand a chance. While shark movies will always be popular among horror fans, Jaws: The Revenge flopped.

7

Children of the Corn (2020)

Directed by Kurt Wimmer

The 2020 movie is the 11th film in the Children of the Corn franchise. Originally based on the Stephen King book, the plot is centered around a group of murderous children in Nebraska who murder all the adults in their town. While the original 1984 movie is considered a cult classic, it wasn’t exactly a fan favorite at first and received mixed reviews from audiences, but it eventually found its way into horror lovers’ hearts.

Children of the Corn only grossed over $575,179 worldwide with an estimated budget of $10 million. Just like its 1984 version, audiences were still unsure about the movie’s direction, and the movie was released when new, exciting horror movies were taking over. It was released the same year as The Invisible Man and A Quiet Place Part 2. While it’s not the most beloved Stephen King adaptation, Children of the Corn franchise is still loved among horror fans because of the violence and moral messages from the story.

6

Suspiria (2018)

Directed by Luca Guadagnino

A remake from the 1977 movie, Suspiria follows a young woman who trains at a dance academy run by witches. The 1977 version was directed and written by Dario Argento and is considered his most celebrated movie. While most horror fans loved the first Suspiria, the 2018 version wasn’t the remake audiences wanted. Even though it was just as disturbing, it couldn’t draw in audiences.

The movie had a budget of $20 million and only grossed $7 million globally. Suspiria had a limited release initially and received mixed reviews from critics, praising the horror movie and others criticizing its lack of scares. Released the same year as The Nun, Halloween, and Insidious: The Last Key, audiences were looking for darker, scarier stories more than stylish, fever-dream horror movies.

5

Event Horizon (1997)

Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson

In this space horror film, a spaceship crew is tasked with investigating the reappearance of another ship that was deemed lost. Event Horizon had a stellar cast with Sam Neil, Laurence Fishburne, and Jason Isaacs. However, audiences were tired of the space fiction storyline and once they learned about the over-the-top gore in the movie, it failed to draw in audiences.

Event Horizon only grossed $27 million on a budget of $60 million, making it a huge box office flop. Event Horizon is a sci-fi movie audiences appreciated later when it was released on home video. The 90s saw a huge wave of sci-fi horror, including the Alien franchise, dominating the big screen. With other big blockbusters released the same year, like Men in Black and The Lost World: Jurᴀssic Park, Event Horizon didn’t stand out.

4

Black Christmas (2019)

Directed by Sophia Takal

Black Christmas is the second remake from the 1970s original horror movie, Black Christmas. It’s about a group of young women in a sorority who are being stalked and killed during the holidays. A slasher movie about college girls is a narrative that audiences have seen before, and they weren’t interested in another movie with the same narrative. While the 2019 Black Christmas takes a different approach to the movie and adds supernatural elements, it wasn’t enough to resonate with audiences.

Audiences didn’t want a Christmas horror movie with a PG-13 rating and a movie centering around toxic masculinity. The 2006 Black Christmas remake was also a box office bomb. The 2006 version had a budget of $9 million and only made $21 million worldwide. The 2019 movie made $18 million and had a smaller budget of $5 million, earning even less than the older version. Horror movies like Midsommar and Happy Death Day 2U were audience favorites this year.

3

The Wicker Man (2006)

Directed by Neil LaBute

Based on the original 1973 movie, The Wicker Man is about a sheriff who is investigating the disappearance of a young girl on an island overrun by a woman’s cult. Starring Nicolas Cage, The Wicker Man was met with negative reviews early on and noted as a darker take from the original. Even though violent horror movies were winning over audiences during 2006, this movie just didn’t connect with audiences.

The original The Wicker Man also bombed at the box office, only earning $528,514 worldwide. The 2006 movie earned $38 million worldwide with a $40 million budget. Other franchises and notable horror movies were taking over the box office, such as The Grudge 2, The Hills Have Eyes, The Omen, and Silent Hill. Horror movies were dominating the big screen, and The Wicker Man faded into the background.

2

The Invasion (2007)

Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel and James McTeigue

In the sci-fi horror movie, an alien parasitic infection takes over the population by controlling their minds and bodies, while a psychiatrist tries to figure out a way to stop the infection from spreading. Starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, The Invasion has the same premise as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, where aliens take over human bodies. Early reviews deemed the movie as problematic and compared it to Invasion of the Body Snatchers, leaving The Invasion to be critiqued unfairly.

The Invasion made around $40 million worldwide with an estimated budget of more than $80 million, and it was a huge box office bomb. Released the same year as 30 Days of Night and Paranormal Activity, alien movies seemed to be falling out of touch if they weren’t attached to the popular Alien franchise. Alien vs. Predator: Requiem was also released the same year and grossed over $130 million worldwide, proving audiences still favored a different type of alien invasion movie.

1

Scream 4 (2011)

Directed by Wes Craven

In Scream 4, the Ghostface killer returns to haunt Sydney 10 years after her first encounter with the original Ghostface. The first Scream movie was released in 1996, and its sequels proved to be huge box office successes. However, the money-making horror franchise slowed down with Scream 4 as audiences wanted a different type of scary movie.

Scream 4 was a box office bomb and made less than other Scream movie in the horror franchise. With a budget of over $40 million, the movie grossed over $90 million worldwide. The number may seem significant, but it made the least out of any other Scream movie. Movies like Insidious and the Paranormal Activity franchise were rising in popularity, leaving older franchises to be removed from the spotlight.