There’s nothing more fun than getting a good scare from a horror film. After all, the purpose of horror films is to keep viewers on the edge of their seats in anticipation. However, many horror films fail to do the one thing they were made to do – scare people. Here, we have found nine “scary” movies that are so bad that they are somehow comical.
1. Leprechaun (1993)
This movie, about a little green man more typically associated with St. Patrick’s Day, has got to be one of the worst horror films of all time. The film’s plot focuses on a crazy leprechaun who goes on a killing rampage as he tries to find his pot of gold. Interestingly, Jennifer Aniston made her acting debut in Leprechaun, which has (unsurprisingly) been called her worst film.
2. Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988)
This 1988 sequel to the original Return of the Living Dead (1985) must have really failed to scare its audience because it has a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie follows a group of friends attempting to destroy the zombies that were released after a canister fell off an Army truck. The movie is, strangely, targeted at children, with the main plotline being vaguely reminiscent of The Goonies.
3. Death Bed: The Bed That Eats (1977)
We’ve never seen this movie, but we have a feeling that the title gives away the entire plot of the film. The movie is (surprise!) about a death bed that’s passed down from generation to generation and eats the people who come across it. The premise was so bizarre that after the film’s completion in 1977, the movie’s director, George Barry, could not find any theatre that would distribute it. Death Bed was officially released in 2003.
4. The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies (1964)
Next up on our list of the worst horror movies is The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies – certainly a long name for a horror movie. In the film, three friends meet a zombie-making fortune teller at a carnival. What makes this movie even worse than its long winded-title is the fact that it was a “monster musical.” It’s hard to take a horror film seriously when there are singing and dancing breaks throughout the movie.
5. Blood Feast (1963)
Although Blood Feast has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 38%, it found its way onto this list because it’s the worst horror film ever created, according to horror legend Stephen King. The film follows a killer who murders women and collects their body parts as part of a ritualistic blood feast for the Egyptian goddess Ishtar.
Many people agree with King’s declaration of Blood Feast being one of the worst horror films of all time, including Variety magazine who called the movie a “totally inept shocker.” Weirdly enough, the movie was often shown at drive-in theatres in the 1960s, where free barf-bags were handed out to those who dared to watch.
6. The Happening (2008)
Despite having an all-star cast and being directed by the man who brought us The Sixth Sense, The Happening was a major flop. This film stars Mark Wahlberg as a high-school science teacher who becomes the leader of a group trying to survive a mysterious event that makes people suddenly kill themselves. Who is the culprit responsible for this event? Well, believe it or not, it was the trees. Vulture said it best when they stated that The Happening is the “strangest big-budget thriller to come out in the last 25 years. It also might be the worst.”
7. Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000)
Although The Blair Witch Project was arguably one of the most influential films ever created, its sequel fell considerably short of many expectations. Released only 15 months after the original movie, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 is set in the same universe as the original Blair Witch Project. In the sequel, a group of tourists arrives in Burkittsville, Maryland, to further explore the mythology prevalent in The Blair Witch Project when they begin to experience their own spooky happenings.
Despite the initial hype surrounding Book of Shadows, it received primarily negative reviews. Writing for Fiction Magazine, Grant Watson felt that “the film which we are left is arguably one of the most disappointing horror sequels of all time.”
8. Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
The popularity surrounding the Jaws franchise was already fading with Jaws 2, and especially with Jaws 3-D. Jaws: The Revenge, otherwise known as Jaws 4, was the final straw in the franchise. Not only is Jaws 4 one of the worst horror films ever made, but it is also regarded as one of the worst films of all time, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
The movie follows Ellen Brody (the wife from the first two Jaws installments), who is convinced that a great white shark is attempting to get revenge on her family. Weirdly enough, there seems to be some sort of telepathic link between Ellen and the great white shark. The film was made in only nine months and was predicted to be a box-office hit, but only was able to drag in a fraction of the expected revenue.
9. When A Stranger Calls (2006)
More from us: 5 Classic Horror Movies Inspired by Crazy Real-Life Events
The 2006 version of When A Stranger Calls is a remake of the 1979 cult classic with the same name. However, far from being a cult classic, the 2006 remake received primarily negative reviews. The film focuses on a teenage babysitter named Jill Johnson, who receives creepy phone calls at the house where she is babysitting. One reviewer stated that the movie was “a safe dumb film for safe dumb audiences.” Ouch.