Calling any movie an “instant classic” is a bit of a cliché at this point, but there are certainly plenty of movies that fit the bill—films that live up to the hype, make tons of money in theaters, and become beloved cultural touchstones for decades afterward. There are a lot of horror movies out there destined to become classics, movies like The Exorcist, Jaws, and Halloween that legions of fans return to again and again because of their visceral scares and blockbuster fun.
Not all horror classics have this kind of immediate undeniable success. In fact, a lot of scary movies considered iconic today were massive bombs in their time, either due to a botched release strategy or the simple fact that audiences just weren’t ready for them yet. It can be difficult to imagine, but your favorite horror movie, the one you watch every October during spooky season, might be one of these, a huge financial disappointment that might have languished in obscurity if it weren’t for a few dedicated fans, or a slow yet inevitable reappraisal.
A lot of these movies did badly because they’re somewhat controversial. Others were simply up against more popular movies that people at the time liked better. And a few of them were simply ahead of their time, full of cultural commentary we only fully understood years later. These movies were nearly forgotten, or might have only been remembered for how much money they lost. Glad we’ve all come around to how great these are.
10 Beloved Horror Classics That Bombed on Release
We didn’t know how good we had it when these horror movies debuted.
Gallery Credit: Emma Stefansky
READ MORE: The 10 Worst Horror Movies of the Last 10 Years
Famous Horror Movies That Got Bad Reviews
These huge horror movies — most of which launched franchises — got bad reviews from film critics.
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