Watching a good horror movie can be one of the most intense cinematic experiences a person can have. Horror films can create a visceral experience for the viewer, with levels of fear resulting in increased heartbeat, sweating, and involuntary screams of terror.

Of course, not all horror movies are good. The genre is filled with cheap effects, nonsensical plots, and laughably poor acting – sometimes all in the same film. And while these “bad” horror films will almost always have supporters, they are cinematic torture for the average filmgoer.

24/7 Wall St. looked at user and critic online ratings of horror films to determine the worst of the genre. These are the movies that audiences simply cannot help but voice their utmost displeasure with.

Click here to see the 100 worst horror films of all time.
Click here to see the 100 best horror films of all time.

The horror category is known for its shameless production of sequels to popular films. Sometimes these sequels become hits on their own merits, as is the case with “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2” and “Evil Dead 2.” Generally, however, these movies pale in comparison with the original. Among the 100 worst horror movies of all time, 18 are sequels.

The list also contains multiple remakes of popular films, including the 2009 remake of “Night of the Demons” and the American remake of South Korean film “Addicted” entitled “Possession.” Also included are films that attempted to ride the coattails of similar movies yet failed to leave the same impression, such as 1984’s “Ghoulies,” a movie about small, chaotic monsters like those found in the Gremlins series.

And while the list contains movies going back to the 1940s, the decade with the most entries is 2000 to 2010, when nearly two out of every five films listed came out. The horror genre undoubtedly had trouble finding its footing during this period – most movies were dark and humorless and often relied on cheap-looking computer-generated special effects.

To determine the worst horror movies of all time, 24/7 Wall St. created an index based on each film’s Rotten Tomatoes average critic rating, Rotten Tomatoes average audience rating, and Internet Movie Database average user rating. To be considered, each film needed to have at least 10,000 total user votes between IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, as well as 10 approved Tomatometer critic reviews, and be categorized as “horror” on IMDb. We averaged the user ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, weighted by the number of votes for each. The combined user rating was then averaged with the Rotten Tomatoes critic rating. Domestic box office gross data comes from reporting service Box Office Mojo and is not adjusted for inflation. Films missing box office data either did not receive a theatrical release, failed to gross a significant amount, or did not have data available from their release dates.

Certain films that were considered as being too far outside the genre were removed from consideration.

100. Santa’s Slay (2005)
> Directed by: David Steiman
> Starring: Bill Goldberg, Douglas Smith, Emilie de Ravin
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

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99. Vamps (2012)
> Directed by: Amy Heckerling
> Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Krysten Ritter, Larry Wilmore
> Domestic box office gross: $0.00M

98. Flight of the Living Dead (2007)
> Directed by: Scott Thomas
> Starring: David Chisum, Kristen Kerr, Kevin J. O’Connor
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

97. Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995)
> Directed by: Bill Condon
> Starring: Tony Todd, Kelly Rowan, William O’Leary
> Domestic box office gross: $13.94M

96. The Darkness (2016)
> Directed by: Greg McLean
> Starring: Kevin Bacon, Radha Mitchell, David Mazouz
> Domestic box office gross: $10.73M

95. Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever (2009)
> Directed by: Ti West
> Starring: Rider Strong, Noah Segan, Alexi Wasser
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

94. Twixt (2011)
> Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
> Starring: Val Kilmer, Bruce Dern, Elle Fanning
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

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93. Escape from Tomorrow (2013)
> Directed by: Randy Moore
> Starring: Roy Abramsohn, Elena Schuber, Katelynn Rodriguez
> Domestic box office gross: $0.17M

92. Pieces (1982)
> Directed by: Juan Piquer Simón
> Starring: Christopher George, Lynda Day George, Frank Braña
> Domestic box office gross: $2.03M

91. Riding the Bullet (2004)
> Directed by: Mick Garris
> Starring: Jonathan Jackson, David Arquette, Barbara Hershey
> Domestic box office gross: $0.10M

90. Troll 2 (1990)
> Directed by: Claudio Fragasso
> Starring: Michael Paul Stephenson, George Hardy, Margo Prey
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

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89. The Open House (2018)
> Directed by: Matt Angel, Suzanne Coote
> Starring: Dylan Minnette, Piercey Dalton, Patricia Bethune
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

88. The Objective (2008)
> Directed by: Daniel Myrick
> Starring: Jonas Ball, Matthew R. Anderson, Jon Huertas
> Domestic box office gross: $2.25M

87. Feardotcom (2002)
> Directed by: William Malone
> Starring: Stephen Dorff, Natascha McElhone, Stephen Rea
> Domestic box office gross: $13.21M

86. The Hamiltons (2006)
> Directed by: Mitchell Altieri, Phil Flores
> Starring: Cory Knauf, Samuel Child, Joseph McKelheer
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

85. Shut In (2016)
> Directed by: Farren Blackburn
> Starring: Naomi Watts, Charlie Heaton, Jacob Tremblay
> Domestic box office gross: $6.88M

 

84. The Forsaken (2001)
> Directed by: J.S. Cardone
> Starring: Kerr Smith, Brendan Fehr, Izabella Miko
> Domestic box office gross: $7.29M

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83. Beloved (1998)
> Directed by: Jonathan Demme
> Starring: Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, Yada Beener
> Domestic box office gross: $22.85M

82. Tales of Terror (1962)
> Directed by: Roger Corman
> Starring: Vincent Price, Maggie Pierce, Leona Gage
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

81. Amityville: The Awakening (2017)
> Directed by: Franck Khalfoun
> Starring: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bella Thorne, Mckenna Grace
> Domestic box office gross: $0.00M

80. The Burrowers (2008)
> Directed by: J.T. Petty
> Starring: Clancy Brown, David Busse, William Mapother
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

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79. Class of Nuke ‘Em High (1986)
> Directed by: Richard W. Haines, Lloyd Kaufman
> Starring: Janelle Brady, Gil Brenton, Robert Prichard
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

78. Lady in White (1988)
> Directed by: Frank LaLoggia
> Starring: Lukas Haas, Len Cariou, Alex Rocco
> Domestic box office gross: $1.71M

77. Ted Bundy (2002)
> Directed by: Matthew Bright
> Starring: Michael Reilly Burke, Boti Bliss, Julianna McCarthy
> Domestic box office gross: $0.01M

76. Mother of Tears (2007)
> Directed by: Dario Argento
> Starring: Asia Argento, Cristian Solimeno, Adam James
> Domestic box office gross: $0.06M

75. Survival Island (2005)
> Directed by: Stewart Raffill
> Starring: Billy Zane, Kelly Brook, Juan Pablo Di Pace
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

74. Area 51 (2015)
> Directed by: Oren Peli
> Starring: Reid Warner, Darrin Bragg, Ben Rovner
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

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73. The Alphabet Killer (2008)
> Directed by: Rob Schmidt
> Starring: Eliza Dushku, Cary Elwes, Timothy Hutton
> Domestic box office gross: $0.03M

72. 40858 (2011)
> Directed by: Darren Lynn Bousman
> Starring: Timothy Gibbs, Michael Landes, Brendan Price
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

71. Venom (2005)
> Directed by: Jim Gillespie
> Starring: Agnes Bruckner, Jonathan Jackson, Meagan Good
> Domestic box office gross: $0.88M

70. Toolbox Murders (2004)
> Directed by: Tobe Hooper
> Starring: Angela Bettis, Brent Roam, Marco Rodríguez
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

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69. Hell Baby (2013)
> Directed by: Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon
> Starring: Rob Corddry, Leslie Bibb, Alex Berg
> Domestic box office gross: $0.00M

68. Truth or Dare (2018)
> Directed by: Jeff Wadlow
> Starring: Lucy Hale, Tyler Posey, Violett Beane
> Domestic box office gross: $40.72M

67. Phantom of the Opera (1943)
> Directed by: Arthur Lubin
> Starring: Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster, Claude Rains
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

66. Possession (2008)
> Directed by: Joel Bergvall, Simon Sandquist
> Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lee Pace, Michael Landes
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

65. Haunted (1995)
> Directed by: Lewis Gilbert
> Starring: Aidan Quinn, Kate Beckinsale, Anthony Andrews
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

64. Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort (2014)
> Directed by: Valeri Milev
> Starring: Anthony Ilott, Chris Jarvis, Aqueela Zoll
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

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63. Frankenstein’s Army (2013)
> Directed by: Richard Raaphorst
> Starring: Robert Gwilym, Hon Ping Tang, Alexander Mercury
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

62. Wicked Little Things (2006)
> Directed by: J.S. Cardone
> Starring: Lori Heuring, Scout Taylor-Compton, Chloë Grace Moretz
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

61. Grace (2009)
> Directed by: Paul Solet
> Starring: Jordan Ladd, Samantha Ferris, Gabrielle Rose
> Domestic box office gross: $0.01M

60. Haunt (2014)
> Directed by: Mac Carter
> Starring: Jacki Weaver, Liana Liberato, Harrison Gilbertson
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

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59. The Dentist (1996)
> Directed by: Brian Yuzna
> Starring: Corbin Bernsen, Linda Hoffman, Michael Stadvec
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

58. Boogeyman 2 (2007)
> Directed by: Jeff Betancourt
> Starring: Danielle Savre, Matt Cohen, Chrissy Calhoun
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

57. Graveyard Shift (1990)
> Directed by: Ralph S. Singleton
> Starring: David Andrews, Kelly Wolf, Stephen Macht
> Domestic box office gross: $11.58M

56. Tales from the Hood (1995)
> Directed by: Rusty Cundieff
> Starring: Clarence Williams III, Corbin Bernsen, Joe Torry
> Domestic box office gross: $11.80M

55. The Zodiac (2005)
> Directed by: Alexander Bulkley
> Starring: Justin Chambers, Robin Tunney, Rory Culkin
> Domestic box office gross: $0.04M

54. All Cheerleaders Die (2013)
> Directed by: Lucky McKee, Chris Sivertson
> Starring: Sidney Allison, Charon R. Arnold, Shay Astar
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

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53. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994)
> Directed by: Kim Henkel
> Starring: Renée Zellweger, Matthew McConaughey, Robert Jacks
> Domestic box office gross: $0.14M

52. XX (2017)
> Directed by: Roxanne Benjamin, Karyn Kusama, St. Vincent
> Starring: Natalie Brown, Jonathan Watton, Peter DaCunha
> Domestic box office gross: $0.03M

 

51. Unrest (2006)
> Directed by: Jason Todd Ipson
> Starring: Corri English, Scot Davis, Joshua Alba
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

50. Critters 3 (1991)
> Directed by: Kristine Peterson
> Starring: John Calvin, Aimee Brooks, Christian Cousins
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

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49. It’s Alive (1974)
> Directed by: Larry Cohen
> Starring: John P. Ryan, Sharon Farrell, Andrew Duggan
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

48. Dementia 13 (1963)
> Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
> Starring: William Campbell, Luana Anders, Bart Patton
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

47. Yoga Hosers (2016)
> Directed by: Kevin Smith
> Starring: Lily-Rose Depp, Harley Quinn Smith, Johnny Depp
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

46. Beowulf (1999)
> Directed by: Graham Baker
> Starring: Christopher Lambert, Rhona Mitra, Oliver Cotton
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

45. Dead Heat (1988)
> Directed by: Mark Goldblatt
> Starring: Treat Williams, Joe Piscopo, Lindsay Frost
> Domestic box office gross: $3.59M

44. Dead & Breakfast (2004)
> Directed by: Matthew Leutwyler
> Starring: Jeremy Sisto, Erik Palladino, Bianca Lawson
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

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43. Madhouse (2004)
> Directed by: William Butler
> Starring: Joshua Leonard, Jordan Ladd, Natasha Lyonne
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

42. Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998)
> Directed by: Don Coscarelli
> Starring: A. Michael Baldwin, Reggie Bannister, Bill Thornbury
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

41. Catacombs (2007)
> Directed by: Tomm Coker, David Elliot
> Starring: Shannyn Sossamon, Pink, Emil Hostina
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

40. Repossessed (1990)
> Directed by: Bob Logan
> Starring: Leslie Nielsen, Linda Blair, Ned Beatty
> Domestic box office gross: $1.38M

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39. Black Rock (2012)
> Directed by: Katie Aselton
> Starring: Katie Aselton, Lake Bell, Kate Bosworth
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

38. Return of the Killer Tomatoes! (1988)
> Directed by: John De Bello
> Starring: Anthony Starke, George Clooney, Karen M. Waldron
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

37. Troll (1986)
> Directed by: John Carl Buechler
> Starring: Michael Moriarty, Shelley Hack, Noah Hathaway
> Domestic box office gross: $5.45M

36. Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (1989)
> Directed by: Michael A. Simpson
> Starring: Pamela Springsteen, Tracy Griffith, Michael J. Pollard
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

35. Prey (2007)
> Directed by: Darrell Roodt
> Starring: Bridget Moynahan, Peter Weller, Carly Schroeder
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

34. Alone in the Dark (2005)
> Directed by: Uwe Boll
> Starring: Christian Slater, Tara Reid, Stephen Dorff
> Domestic box office gross: $5.18M

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33. Strangeland (1998)
> Directed by: John Pieplow
> Starring: Kevin Gage, Elizabeth Peña, Dee Snider
> Domestic box office gross: $0.63M

32. Hideaway (1995)
> Directed by: Brett Leonard
> Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Christine Lahti, Alicia Silverstone
> Domestic box office gross: $12.20M

31. Penny Dreadful (2006)
> Directed by: Richard Brandes
> Starring: Rachel Miner, Mimi Rogers, Chad Todhunter
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

30. Night of the Demons (2009)
> Directed by: Adam Gierasch
> Starring: Tatyana Kanavka, Michael Arata, Shannon Elizabeth
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

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29. Leprechaun 2 (1994)
> Directed by: Rodman Flender
> Starring: Warwick Davis, Charlie Heath, Shevonne Durkin
> Domestic box office gross: $2.26M

28. The Tripper (2006)
> Directed by: David Arquette
> Starring: Jaime King, Thomas Jane, Lukas Haas
> Domestic box office gross: $0.02M

27. The Moth Diaries (2011)
> Directed by: Mary Harron
> Starring: Sarah Bolger, Sarah Gadon, Lily Cole
> Domestic box office gross: $0.00M

26. Vampires: Los Muertos (2002)
> Directed by: Tommy Lee Wallace
> Starring: Jon Bon Jovi, Cristián de la Fuente, Natasha Gregson Wagner
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

25. The Haunting of Molly Hartley (2008)
> Directed by: Mickey Liddell
> Starring: Haley Bennett, Chace Crawford, Jake Weber
> Domestic box office gross: $13.35M

24. The Driller Killer (1979)
> Directed by: Abel Ferrara
> Starring: Abel Ferrara, Carolyn Marz, Baybi Day
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

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23. The Toxic Avenger Part II (1989)
> Directed by: Michael Herz, Lloyd Kaufman
> Starring: Ron Fazio, John Altamura, Phoebe Legere
> Domestic box office gross: $0.79M

22. Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016)
> Directed by: Tyler Perry
> Starring: Tyler Perry, Cassi Davis, Patrice Lovely
> Domestic box office gross: $73.16M

 

21. Bats (1999)
> Directed by: Louis Morneau
> Starring: Lou Diamond Phillips, Dina Meyer, Bob Gunton
> Domestic box office gross: $10.16M

20. Soul Survivors (2001)
> Directed by: Stephen Carpenter
> Starring: Melissa Sagemiller, Wes Bentley, Casey Affleck
> Domestic box office gross: $3.10M

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19. Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice (1992)
> Directed by: David Price
> Starring: Terence Knox, Paul Scherrer, Ryan Bollman
> Domestic box office gross: $6.98M

18. House (2008)
> Directed by: Robby Henson
> Starring: Reynaldo Rosales, Heidi Dippold, Michael Madsen
> Domestic box office gross: $0.57M

17. Dark Ride (2006)
> Directed by: Craig Singer
> Starring: Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Patrick Renna, David Clayton Rogers
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

16. The Disappointments Room (2016)
> Directed by: D.J. Caruso
> Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Mel Raido, Duncan Joiner
> Domestic box office gross: $2.41M

15. Ghoulies (1984)
> Directed by: Luca Bercovici
> Starring: Peter Liapis, Lisa Pelikan, Michael Des Barres
> Domestic box office gross: $35.00M

14. Bones (2001)
> Directed by: Ernest R. Dickerson
> Starring: Snoop Dogg, Pam Grier, Michael T. Weiss
> Domestic box office gross: $7.31M

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13. Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest (1995)
> Directed by: James D.R. Hickox
> Starring: Daniel Cerny, Ron Melendez, Jim Metzler
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

12. Bride of the Monster (1955)
> Directed by: Edward D. Wood Jr.
> Starring: Bela Lugosi, Tor Johnson, Tony McCoy
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

11. Smiley (2012)
> Directed by: Michael J. Gallagher
> Starring: Caitlin Gerard, Melanie Papalia, Shane Dawson
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

10. The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962)
> Directed by: Joseph Green
> Starring: Jason Evers, Virginia Leith, Anthony La Penna
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

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9. Critters 4 (1992)
> Directed by: Rupert Harvey
> Starring: Don Keith Opper, Terrence Mann, Paul Whitthorne
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

8. Man-Thing (2005)
> Directed by: Brett Leonard
> Starring: Jack Thompson, Matthew Le Nevez, Steve Bastoni
> Domestic box office gross: $0.14M

7. The Human Centipede III (Final Sequence) (2015)
> Directed by: Tom Six
> Starring: Dieter Laser, Laurence R. Harvey, Eric Roberts
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

6. The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005)
> Directed by: Lance Mungia
> Starring: Yuji Okumoto, Marcus Chong, Tito Ortiz
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

5. Howling II: … Your Sister Is a Werewolf (1985)
> Directed by: Philippe Mora
> Starring: Christopher Lee, Annie McEnroe, Reb Brown
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

4. House of the Dead (2003)
> Directed by: Uwe Boll
> Starring: Jonathan Cherry, Tyron Leitso, Clint Howard
> Domestic box office gross: $10.25M

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3. Hobgoblins (1988)
> Directed by: Rick Sloane
> Starring: Tom Bartlett, Paige Sullivan, Steven Boggs
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

2. Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966)
> Directed by: Harold P. Warren
> Starring: Tom Neyman, John Reynolds, Diane Adelson
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

1. Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2010)
> Directed by: James Nguyen
> Starring: Alan Bagh, Whitney Moore, Tippi Hedren
> Domestic box office gross: N/A

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