Top 24 Worst Horror Movies of Each Year (2000 - 2023)
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the worst horror movies to be released within the parameters of the year 2000 to 2023. We’ll be singling out one film per year, on through the modern day, and also putting up a SPOILER ALERT, just to be safe. Feel like defending any of these horror misfires? Sound off in the comments!
2000: “Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2”
The writing was perhaps on the wall that no sequel to 1999’s “The Blair Witch Project” was going to perform as well as its predecessor. The writing was DEFINITELY on the wall, then, when the studio rushed out said sequel a year later, and decided not to produce it in the same, found footage style. “Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2” feels sickening, with the sort of jarring editing that often plagued horror films during this period. There’s also a complete lack of tension and suspense, and even its meta plot lines about the original “Blair Witch” are trite and forced. “Book of Shadows” was probably better off not attaching itself to the “Blair Witch” name.
2001: “Jason X”
There’s an old rule of thumb when it comes to horror franchises that are starting to run out of ideas: take ‘em to space! It worked for the “Leprechaun,” right? Wait, actually forget we said that, because “Jason X” is yet another example of how interstellar travel isn’t necessarily going to deliver a guaranteed “upgrade” for your slasher movie title characters. Jason Voorhees had already been to Camp Crystal Lake, Hell, and Vancouver-slash-Manhattan by the year 2001, so the “Friday the 13th” franchise took the logical next step, and giant leap for mankind. “Jason X” admittedly does possess one of the best kills in the entire franchise, but the film on the whole looks cheap, acts stupid, and generally offers more laughs than scares.
2002: “FeardotCom”
Fun fact: 2002’s “FeardotCom” served as the only instance where the writer of this video walked out of a movie. True story aside, however, time seems to have forgotten the film even exists, other than the instances where critics recall how much they hated it at the time. “FeardotCom” was so poorly received, in fact, that some have called for its reappraisal as a modern “cult classic.” Perhaps it’s the film’s usage of the Internet as some sort of real life “Videodrome” that drives victims to self-destruction. Or, maybe it’s the nasty and grungy cinematography. Either way, “FeardotCom” is more than a mess, and will probably always be remembered that way.
2003: “House of the Dead”
Director Uwe Boll struck again in 2003 with “House of the Dead,” his cinematic adaptation of the smash video game franchise. Boll’s low-budget, tax-bracket approach to cinema may have served him well financially, but the writing was on the wall for “House of the Dead” almost immediately upon its initial release. This film barely broke even in the United States, and received poor reviews almost across the board. The visual effects are dated even by 2003 standards, the performances are either listless or poor, and the overall sentiment just feels like “House of the Dead” deserved something just a wee bit better than this.
2004: “Exorcist: The Beginning”
Hey, did you know that 2023’s “The Exorcist: Believer” wasn’t the first film to disappoint fans of this demonic franchise? 2004’s “Exorcist: The Beginning” was a last-ditch attempt from production company Morgan Creek at squeezing some Satanic juice from Old Scratch, after they initially scrapped writer/director Paul Schrader’s “Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist.” That film would eventually see the light of day, but the sad truth is that both Schrader and this effort from “Die Hard 2” director Renny Harlin aren’t great. “Exorcist: The Beginning” is more full of bloody cliches than “Dominion,” and as a result feels more like a product; a cash-grab without a soul for Pazuzu to steal.
2005: “Alone in the Dark”
The “Resident Evil” series may be something of an outlier when it comes to successful film franchises that are based upon video games. That’s because, when movie fans do think of such films and their reported lack of quality, they’re usually thinking of dreck like 2005’s “Alone in the Dark.” Notorious director Uwe Boll brought together Tara Reid, Stephen Dorff, and Christian Slater, and couldn’t do a thing with them: there’s just zero chemistry. The special effects are also laughably bad, and the whole thing feels like a bad idea right from the jump. Stay far away from this one.
2006: “The Wicker Man”
On one hand, we perversely admire Neil LaBute’s 2006 reimagining of Robin Hardy’s classic, “The Wicker Man,” for the sheer WTF fever dream it brought to the screen. There’s also the lunatic fringe performance of Nicolas Cage as the lead, with multiple memorable moments of yelling, screaming, and running in a bear suit to fuel meme generators for a light year. However, as a horror film, it fails in tremendous fashion, cutting off the palpable atmosphere of the original at the knees, and relying on cheap jumps to frighten its audience. Take our advice: just watch the seventies original instead.
2007: “I Know Who Killed Me”
The idea behind actors seeking to escape typecasting by gravitating toward horror or thriller roles isn’t a new one, and Lindsay Lohan definitely took her shot back with 2007’s “I Know Who Killed Me.” The movie’s plot is pretty bonkers, with the sort of logic that you might’ve found back in 1970s Italy and their “giallo” brand of violent mystery-thrillers. Lohan’s performance as an abducted woman with identity issues didn’t win over critics, although “I Know Who Killed Me” has amassed something of a cult audience. However, there are likely many more people who call this one of the worst films ever made. We’ll let you be the judge.
2008: “One Missed Call”
Ah, “The Ring:” what hast thou wrought? If it seems as if studios were scrambling to remake Asian horror cinema in the 2000s, that’s because they were, and largely thanks to the success of “The Ring” in 2002. Make no mistake, however: “One Missed Call” is absolutely not in the same company. The film can’t even compare with the American remake of “The Grudge,” it’s that bad. It wasn’t even screened for critics prior to release, and the reception by fans and horror writers after the fact was almost universally negative. We may sound like a broken record at this point, but we’ll say it again: some films just shouldn’t be remade.
2009: “Halloween II”
Every movie out there, no matter how bad, has its defenders. And there are some (including the person writing this video) who will gladly come to the aid of Rob Zombie’s “Halloween” movies. However, there’s no denying the backlash that this 2009 sequel received after it followed up an already divisive “Halloween” from 2007. Fans of the masked Michael Myers didn’t appreciate the imaginative and hallucinogenic dream sequences, nor the fact that Myers walks around without the damn thing for a large chunk of the film. Oh, and Myers also speaks in this one. “Halloween II” swung for the fences and took a big chance, but there will always be a large contingent of horror fans who simply want more of what they know.
2010: “Birdemic: Shock and Terror”
It’s important for fans of genre cinema to differentiate between enjoyably entertaining “bad” movies, and those that are just poorly executed. There’s a level of ineptitude behind 2010’s “Birdemic: Shock and Terror” that’s not cut from the same exploitation cloth as similar films from the 1970s and ‘80s. Instead, what we have is a horror flick that doesn’t possess memorable performances, entertaining sequences, or a legacy remotely connected to anything other than reprehensible CGI. At a certain point, it becomes necessary for us, as moviegoers, to value the finite amounts of time in our lives. That said, do you really wanna waste it watching “Birdemic: Shock and Terror?”
2011: “Hellraiser: Revelations”
The writing was on the proverbial wall when it came to the production of 2011’s “Hellraiser: Revelations.” Heck, the only reason the film was even made was out of necessity, so that Dimension Films wouldn’t lose the creative rights to the franchise. The “Hellraiser” series was already one of diminishing returns at this point, but “Revelations” didn’t even have Doug Bradley returning as the Cenobite Pinhead at this point. As a result, fans got a rush job with horrid effects, laughable performances, and an atmosphere totally unworthy of Clive Barker’s original horror classic.
2012: “The Devil Inside”
It was the horror movie ending that made audiences so steaming mad, that many are still PO’d about it to this day. We’re talking about “The Devil Inside,” and the gall of its creators to end their tale of demonic possession with a text image and an Internet link for “more information.” To be fair, the film’s screenwriters stuck to their guns and defended their decision at the time, but this hasn’t helped “The Devil Inside” rise up from its well of infamy. There have been a lot of demonic possession movies out there that are worth your time; why would you waste it by watching this one?
2013: “The Last Exorcism Part II”
You just know you’re in for a bad time when you’re watching a sequel to a film titled, ahem, “The LAST Exorcism.” To be fair, we appreciate that the filmmakers behind “The Last Exorcism Part II” abandoned the gimmicky found-footage style in favor of a more grounded and serious-minded occult study. Fans largely balked at this sequel, however, as did many critics, although there were a few dissenting voices of positivity. “The Last Exorcism Part II” was effectively a nail in the coffin for this possession franchise, however, despite an ending that left things wide open for a third entry.
2014: “Ouija”
Our next entry is one of the rare instances where a film’s follow-up is far superior to the original. We’re talking about 2014’s “Ouija,” which adapts the classic Parker Brothers spirit board into a feature-length film. There’s a threadbare plot here involving predictable possessions, but “Ouija” fails in the execution. It’s cliché after cliché with this first film, whereas Mike Flanagan’s 2016 prequel, “Ouija: Origin of Evil,” improves upon the original in every way. Our advice? Start with number two, and never look back. All signs point to “no” with the first “Ouija.”
2015: “Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension”
There’s no denying that the “Paranormal Activity” franchise has given horror fans some credible sequels over the years. 2015’s “Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension,” however, is probably not one that comes up too often in discussion. Gregory Plotkin had edited previous entries in the franchise, with “The Ghost Dimension” serving as his directorial debut. This inexperience shows, unfortunately, with most fans abandoning this entry, due to its perceived lack of scares. Found footage films were also largely passé by 2015, and “Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension” wasn’t doing anything to bring them back in favor.
2016: “Cabin Fever”
Fans of Eli Roth often point to his 2002 film “Cabin Fever” as one of the director’s best efforts. The 2016 remake of said film, however? Not so much. The end results of this effort from director Travis Zariwny are largely seen today as extraneous to need, a remake that probably never needed to get off the ground. Much of the black humor present within Roth’s original film has been excised, in favor of a tedious and by-the-numbers attempt at body horror that limps along to its final conclusion. “Cabin Fever” 2016 even earned itself that dreaded zero percent on Rotten Tomatoes, with basically everyone agreeing that this was a bad idea, right from the jump.
2017: “The Bye Bye Man”
There have been a slew of horrendous supernatural horror films haphazardly produced in the 21st century. “The Bye Bye Man” may be among the very worst, to boot. You’d think that film studios might be able to avoid genre pitfalls like this in 2017, but nope: here we are with another supernatural stinker. Nothing ever clicks with “The Bye Bye Man,” from its poor acting and unoriginal script to confusing editing choices and a complete lack of focus. This one’s not even good enough for the bargain bin. Forget goodbyes; don’t even say “hello” to this one.
2018: “Slender Man”
The odds are probably good that there will be one great, defining horror film produced someday that takes its inspiration from a creepypasta. 2018’s “Slender Man,” however, is not that movie. Its box office drop-off was huge after an eleven million dollar debut, and the film largely left critics and audiences cold. “Slender Man” could’ve perhaps blazed a trail for a new generation of horror films based upon modern Internet mythology, but the film instead comes across as half-baked, cliché, and not even all that scary. If you’re thinking about checking out “Slender Man,” you’re probably better off just researching the source material.
2019: “The Haunting of Sharon Tate”
Every now and then, a movie comes around with a premise so strange that you can’t help but scratch your head and take notice. Unfortunately, that doesn’t necessarily mean a flick like “The Haunting of Sharon Tate” is fresh with its tale of the doomed actor who would perish at the hands of the Manson Family. Instead, this film borders on the distasteful and exploitative, a sad and depressing affair that takes real-life events and presents an alternate reality with an almost perverse twist near the end. “The Haunting of Sharon Tate” is just a mess; an ugly and offensive film that takes no joy in its story, and probably shouldn’t be viewed by anyone.
2020: “Children of the Corn”
You’d be forgiven for not even knowing that yet another adaptation of Stephen King’s “Children of the Corn” hit theaters back in 2020. This was, after all, a franchise whose entries primarily tended to be direct-to-video affairs of varying quality. What both audiences and critics agreed upon, however, was that “Children of the Corn” 2020 didn’t beat the 1984 original in any department, from the acting to the effects, pacing, or atmosphere. Writer/director Kurt Wimmer feels lost adapting King’s story and fails to capitalize upon what possibly could’ve been a good opportunity to update the “Children of the Corn” franchise for the modern day. What a shame.
2021: “The Unholy”
2021’s “The Unholy” had the initial potential to be a good, or at least interesting, adaptation of the 1983 novel “Shine” by author James Herbert. The inexperience of first-time director Evan Spiliotopoulos, ahem “shone” through, however, with the final product. The traditionally Christian worldview adopted by the film’s plot didn’t make all moviegoers of faith happy, nor did the tired scares make old-school horror fans content with what was on their screens. What we had at the end was a mish-mash of demonic tropes and Satanic shenanigans that felt tired. Not even the name-recognition of Sam Raimi as a producer could save “The Unholy.”
2022: “Firestarter”
We’re not going to necessarily poo-poo the idea of horror remakes across the board. After all, movies like “The Fly” proved that success was more than possible… with the right creative people on the job. “Firestarter” did NOT live up to that lineage, unfortunately, with both fans and critics snuffing this one out before it could even ignite a spark. The 1984 original is fondly remembered by moviegoers today, and some of the characterization in “Firestarter” 2022 does attempt to connect with its audience. The film quickly loses steam, however, and drops these attempts in favor of bad CGI, uneven pacing, and a general lack of tension or scares.
2023: “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey”
Is there anything sacred left anymore? We doubt it because we’re discussing the 2023 horror film, “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey.” This entry from director Rhys Frake-Waterfield ruffled a lot of feathers with its… let’s say “reimagining” of a classic, childhood hero. It might be one thing if “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey” cared enough to make the titular character a bit more engaging than an actor in a bad suit. However, the film instead chooses the lowest-hanging fruit, adorns them with typical slasher-movie violence and essentially fails to live up to both positive and negative attention.