The 13 Worst Horror Movies of All Time, According to Roger Ebert (2024)

In a genre where it's arguably easier to earn a bad review, horror movies face a different level of criticism, especially from respected critic Roger Ebert. A fan of the genre, Ebert appreciated good horror movies, saying, "They can exorcise our demons." However, Ebert was a vocal opponent of horror movies that inflicted violence and gore without reason, often writing about the reactions of fellow audience members and what it said about their relationship to the acts carried out onscreen. In his lengthy list "Ebert's Most Hated," many of those films include horror movies that earned higher than a one-star rating.

Many of Ebert's low-rated or worst horror picks like Hellraiser, Resident Evil, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Lake Placid have become cult classics and beloved among the genre's fanbase. Even spooky season picks like Hocus Pocus earned a one-star rating but are now staples in the Halloween streaming season. The worst horror movies according to Roger Ebert are a combination of remakes, sequels, and originals that lack creative originality, execution, and just plain purpose to deserve a rating higher than Ebert awarded, with one film getting no stars or even the dismal thumbs down.

13 'Halloween III: Season of the Witch' (1982)

Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace

For earning a spot on Ebert's most hated movie lists, Halloween III: Season of the Witch earned a 1.5-star review from Ebert; however, it still landed as one of the worst horror movies. The "low-rent thriller from the first frame" picks up right where the second movie ended as Dr. Dan Challis (Tom Atkins) and a young daughter or a murder victim, Ellie (Stacey Nelkin) uncover the murderous scheme of a mask maker who seeks to invoke a Celtic ritual to mass murder millions of children by convincing them to buy and wear a Halloween mask.

Halloween III continues the fall from the greatness of the original John Carpenter film, this time an even further departure, forgetting the movie monster that made it so iconic. Ebert decides the film is "assembled out of familiar parts from other, better movies" that include obligatory shots and scenes standard and expected with bad horror movies. The seemingly only silver lining of the third franchise installment for Ebert was Nelkin, "She has one of those rich voices that makes you wish she had more to say and in a better role."

Halloween III: Season of the Witch

R

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Kids all over America want Silver Shamrock masks for Halloween. Doctor Daniel Challis seeks to uncover a plot by Silver Shamrock owner Conal Cochran.

Release Date

October 22, 1982

Director

Tommy Lee Wallace

Cast

Tom Atkins , Stacey Nelkin , Dan O'Herlihy , Michael Currie , Ralph Strait , Jadeen Barbor

Main Genre

Horror

12 'Constantine' (2005)

Directed by Francis Lawrence

Ebert never shied away from outwardly disliking a movie audiences loved. Constantine earned a one-and-a-half-star review from the critic while also winding up on his most hated list. Keanu Reeves stars as the titular character, John Constantine, a demon hunter destined for hell who is trying to better his chances of getting into heaven by helping a policewoman investigate her sister's alleged suicide. The pair are sucked into the world of the supernatural and a war between heaven and hell. Constantine co-stars Rachel Weisz, Tilda Swinton, Peter Stormare, Djimon Hounsou, Shia LaBeouf, and Max Baker.

Unwilling to give the film a pass for its technical struggles like the depiction of hell he called a "post-nuclear Los Angeles created by animators with a hangover," Ebert was skeptical of the rough-around-the-edges premise based on the popular DC Comics character. His divisive, sarcastic review made it clear this R-rated horror movie was only a winner with the genre fans able to accept the strange logic of the smattering of fantastical elements produced onscreen.

Constantine

R

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Supernatural exorcist and demonologist John Constantine helps a policewoman prove her sister's death was not a suicide, but something more.

Release Date

February 8, 2005

Director

Francis Lawrence

Cast

Keanu Reeves , Rachel Weisz , Shia LaBeouf , Djimon Hounsou , Max Baker , Pruitt Taylor Vince

Main Genre

Fantasy

11 'The Grudge' (2004)

Directed by Takashi Shimizu

In director Takashi Shimizu's attempt to remake his acclaimed Japanese film into a full-fledged American version, Ebert "lost all patience." The movie stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as she battles a supernatural curse stemming from a malevolent home in Tokoyo that terrorizes anyone who comes in contact with it. The Grudge is a formulaic haunted house horror film that managed to secure a one-star rating from Ebert.

Its dependency on standard horror applications, like investigating eerie sounds that lead to jump scares revealing it's only a cat, didn't do much to elevate the film or indulge audiences in something they hadn't seen before. Adding to his disappointment, Ebert points out a missed opportunity by making the film entirely English-speaking instead of emphasizing dynamic cultural differences set against a horror movie. Despite being one of the worst horror movies according to Ebert, The Grudge became a franchise that keeps getting attention from horror fans.

The Grudge (2004)

PG-13

Release Date

October 22, 2004

Director

Takashi Shimizu

Cast

Sarah Michelle Gellar , Jason Behr , Kadee Strickland , Clea DuVall , Bill Pullman

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10 'Thir13en Ghosts' (2001)

Directed by Steve Beck

A film that earned a spot on Ebert's most hated movies list, Thir13en Ghosts was "literally painful" for him to watch. It's a remake of a classic horror film that follows the supernatural experiences of a family as they inherit their wealthy uncle's old house haunted by vengeful spirits. It stars Tony Shalhoub, Shannon Elizabeth, Embeth Davidtz, scream king Matthew Lillard, and F. Murray Abraham. In the small moments of praise, Ebert acknowledges the film's well-constructed set, special effects, costumes and makeup, and the film's overall art direction, earning the film a one-star rating.

For Ebert, the screenplay and post-production are where theThir13een Ghosts failed. The inescapable sound design was an attack on the ears while the fumbling dialogue and poor editing targeted weary eyes. Compared to some of Ebert's other worst-rated horror flicks, this remake lacks the violence and scare tactics of its counterparts, earning it a higher rating than most.

Thirteen Ghosts

R

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Release Date

October 26, 2001

Director

Steve Beck

Cast

Tony Shalhoub , Embeth Davidtz , matthew lillard , Shannon Elizabeth , Alec Roberts , jr bourne

Main Genre

Horror

9 'Friday the 13th Part 2' (1981)

Directed by Steve Miner

For Ebert, this dismal sequel felt personal as he screened it in his hometown theater on a Friday night surrounded by teens and college students. His half-star review details how the first two minutes of the experience made him nostalgic of his youth and the onscreen memories of "teenagers who fell in love, made out with each other, customized their cars, listened to rock and roll, and were rebels without causes." The short-lived sentimentality was crushed by the violent slasher deaths of a new set of terrorized camp counselors and the inevitable final girl in Friday the 13th Part 2.

His interest in the sequel stopped as soon as the surviving heroine from the first film was killed within the first few minutes. While his fellow moviegoers were rather vocal and found enjoyment in the slasher flick, Ebert took issue with the deeper meaning movies like this unconsciously portrayed, "the primary function of teenagers is to be hacked to death." It was a sentiment he declared was applicable and could be interchanged with any of the franchise films, making Friday the 13th Part 2 one of the worst horror movies in Ebert's opinion.

Friday the 13th Part 2

R

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Release Date

May 1, 1981

Director

Steve Miner

Cast

Amy Steel , John Furey , Adrienne King , Kirsten Baker , Stuart Charno , Warrington Gillette

Main Genre

Horror

8 'Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter' (1984)

Directed by Joseph Zito

In a heated review session with the iconic Gene Siskel, Ebert tears this franchise installment to shreds, calling it "mindless bloody violence." Miraculously revived, the masked maniac Jason Voorhees escapes the morgue and returns to Crystal Lake to terrorize a group of teens renting a house. Making his disappointment with Paramount Pictures known, Ebert calls out that Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter would not be the final movie, given that Paramount had "taken the bucket to the cesspool four times" and knew the title was a marketing ploy.

Ebert departed from Siskel in his opinion that the fourth installment sent a bleak message to teenagers that the world is hopeless and will kill you no matter what your hopes, dreams, or aspirations may be. Siskel disagreed, telling Ebert he was sounding "a little soap boxy," arguing that the generation's youth wouldn't see the film as a worldview. The pair were in final agreement on a sickening realization that with this franchise, audiences seek out and are entertained by young women being stabbed over and over again.

Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter

R

Horror

Thriller

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Jason Voorhees returns to continue his killing spree, targeting a new group of teens and the Jarvis family. As the body count rises, young Tommy Jarvis discovers a way to potentially end Jason’s reign of terror once and for all in what is meant to be the series' final installment.

Release Date

April 13, 1984

Director

Joseph Zito

Cast

Kimberly Beck , Peter Barton , Crispin Glover , Corey Feldman , E. Erich Anderson , Barbara Howard , Ted White

7 'Hellraiser' (1987)

Directed by Clive Barker

A hot take then and certainly one that still irritates fans of the franchise, Ebert awarded Hellraiser a half-star rating as one of the worst horror movies, in his opinion, of all time. With a premise seemingly fitting for a what-did-I-just-watch type of movie, the movie follows Frank (Sean Chapman) after he meets a violent end at the hands of supernatural creatures called Cenobites. When Frank's brother and wife, Julia (Clare Higgins), move into his former home, they unintentionally resurrect what's left of Frank. He convinces Julia to kill for him so he can consume the victim's flesh to revitalize his body and escape the underworld.

Calling it "a movie without wit, style or reason," Ebert chastised Stephen King for praising writer and director Clive Barker. He expressed deep disappointment when he realized it was a full-length feature film, saying it was a movie "you sit through with mounting dread." While Ebert couldn't wrap his mind around the appeal of Barker's body horror film, viewers and critics are staunch defenders of Hellraiser for its unique and imaginative entry into the genre that evolved into a full-fledged franchise.

Hellraiser (1987)

R

Release Date

September 18, 1987

Director

Clive Barker

Cast

Andrew Robinson , Clare Higgins , Ashley Laurence , Sean Chapman , Oliver Smith , Robert Hines

Main Genre

Horror

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6 'The Hitcher' (1986)

Directed by Robert Harmon

While it's a zero-star horror movie for Ebert, The Hitcher earned a positive consensus from critics and audiences. The movie stars C. Thomas Howell as a young driver named Jim Halsey who unknowingly picks up a serial killer hitchhiker John Ryder (Rutger Hauer). After Jim makes a harrowing escape, he enlists the help of a waitress, Nash (Jennifer Jason Leigh), to hunt down John after he frames Jim for a string of murders. To Ebert, The Hitcher touts a showdown of good and evil, but with deeper inspection, it is anything but as it depicts an unhealthy bond.

Ebert spends a lot of time assessing the cyclical fashion of the film from its opening and closing sequences to the character arc and the questionable shared bond between the heroic antihero and the villain. In his divisive review, he calls The Hitcher "diseased and corrupt," saying "It prefers to disguise itself as a violent thriller, and on that level it is reprehensible." While Ebert hated the horror flick, it earned middle-of-the-road reviews from his critical counterparts who praised the menacing performance of Rutger Hauer.

The Hitcher

R

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Release Date

February 21, 1986

Director

Robert Harmon

Cast

Jeffrey DeMunn , Rutger Hauer , C. Thomas Howell , Jennifer Jason Leigh , John M. Jackson , Billy Green Bush

Main Genre

Action

5 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (2003)

Directed by Marcus Nispel

A remake sticking to the formulaic principles of picking off victims one by one, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is "vile, ugly, and brutal" according to Ebert's zero-star review. The 2003 version follows a group of friends as they travel across the rural roads of Texas, happening upon a seemingly abandoned home. They soon become the target of a chainsaw-wielding deformed brute and his deranged family of killers. One of its many faults, as Ebert points out, is its lack of exposition and set-up, making it almost necessary to have seen or heard of the 1974 original to understand what is playing out onscreen.

While formulaic, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre blandly reintroduces the same horror tropes without originality or skillful execution, many of which Ebert dutifully examples in his review. It's a grim, gore-fueled 98 minutes that the acclaimed critic believed "was made by and for those with no attention span."

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

R

After picking up a traumatized young hitchhiker, five friends find themselves stalked and hunted by a deformed chainsaw-wielding loon and his family of equally psychopathic killers.

Release Date

October 17, 2003

Director

Marcus Nispel

Cast

Jessica Biel , Jonathan Tucker , Erica Leerhsen , Mike Vogel , Eric Balfour , R. Lee Ermey

Main Genre

Horror

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4 'Wolf Creek' (2005)

Directed by Greg McLean

A horror movie that almost drove Ebert from the theater, Wolf Creek is a violent, misogynistic display of torture and mutilation of its women characters. The slasher flick follows a trio of stranded tourists in the Australian outback who misplace their trust in a local man offering to fix their car. Their overnight outback stay turns into a nightmare when he kidnaps and brutalizes the group. The film's sad*stic antagonist, Mick Taylor (John Jarratt), and his gruesome acts are based on those of real-life Australian serial killers.

In his review (and many others pertaining to horror movies), Ebert prefaces with his appreciation for horror films while acknowledging that when done skillfully, they are driven by purposeful violence and scare tactics. With Wolf Creek, Ebert writes, "There is a line and this movie crosses it...There is a role for violence in film, but what the hell is the purpose of this sad*stic celebration of pain and cruelty?"Securing a zero-star review and a thumbs down, Wolf Creek is one of the worst horror movies according to Ebert.

Wolf Creek

R

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Release Date

September 16, 2005

Director

Greg Mclean

Cast

John Jarratt , Cassandra Magrath , Kestie Morassi , Nathan Phillips , Gordon Poole , Guy O'Donnell

Main Genre

Horror

3 'Jaws: The Revenge' (1987)

Directed by Joseph Sargent

Calling the film "a rip-off," Jaws: The Revenge is one of Ebert's most notoriously hated movies. The fourth installment in the iconic shark franchise features Ellen Brody (Lorraine Gary), the widow of Chief Brody, as she flees to the Bahamas to plead with her now-only son, marine biologist Michael (Lance Guest), to stay out of the water. Once there, she begins a relationship with the charming Hoagie (Michael Caine), but the shark who killed her son appears in the waters, causing a reign of terror. Jaws: The Revenge earned a zero-star rating from the acclaimed reviewer and an overall 2% rotten critic consensus.

Changing gears from the franchise direction of a creature feature where the characters are lulled into a false sense of security until the shark strikes, this movie turns itself into a slasher flick, stalking the continuity character until there's no place to hide. With multiple unbelievable (and confusing) sequences and filming fumbles, Ebert doesn't mince words when describing it as "not simply a bad movie, but also a stupid and incompetent one."

Jaws: The Revenge

PG-13

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In the fourth installment of the Jaws series, Ellen Brody believes a great white shark is seeking revenge on her family. When her son is killed, she heads to the Bahamas, where the shark follows, leading to a final, deadly confrontation.

Release Date

July 17, 1987

Director

Joseph Sargent

Cast

Lorraine Gary , Michael Caine , Mario Van Peebles , Lance Guest , Karen Young , Judith Barsi , Lynn Whitfield , Mitchell Anderson

Main Genre

Thriller

2 'I Spit on Your Grave' (1978)

Directed by Meir Zarchai

After a surprisingly filled showing on a Monday morning in Chicago, Ebert "walked out of the theater quickly, feeling unclean, ashamed and depressed," giving the disturbing film and its audience zero stars. The original I Spit on Your Grave features a young woman, Jennifer (Camille Keaton), who while on a remote solo getaway, is repeatedly brutalized by a group of local men. Weeks later, a somewhat recovered Jennifer returns to exact her violent revenge. The 2010 remake that spawned multiple sequels also earned a zero-star review from Ebert.

I Spit on Your Grave is among Ebert's worst-rated horror movies of all-time. The depiction of demented acts of violence toward women was done so without "a shred of artistic direction" or "simple craftsmanship," for which Ebert condemned the film for its lack of purpose for portrayal. For him, this movie is largely defined by the movie-goers who identified with and seemingly enjoyed the sad*stic acts onscreen.

I Spit On Your Grave (1978)

R

Release Date

November 22, 1979

Director

Meir Zarchi

Cast

Camille Keaton , Eron Tabor , Richard Pace , Anthony Nichols

Main Genre

Horror

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1 'The Human Centipede' (2010)

Directed by Tom Six

A movie Ebert acknowledges only caters to the most specific horror audiences who intentionally choose to direct their viewership toward such a graphic premise, The Human Centipede is a movie that Ebert refused to rate. In this body horror film, a mad scientist by the name of Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser) kidnaps and mutilates three tourists by conjoining them into a creature with a single digestive tract. In his no-star (not zero-star, mind you) review, Ebert insinuates that both the viewing experience and the onscreen experience in The Human Centipede are worse than death.

The movie is a nauseating 92-minute ordeal that Ebert points out director, Tom Six carefully crafted, Ebert acknowledging Six's treatment of the "material with utter seriousness." It's worth noting Ebert wrote that he considered his review of the infamous movie a "public service announcement," but it notably did not end up on his most hated movies list.

The Human Centipede (First Sequence)

R

A mad scientist kidnaps and mutilates a trio of tourists in order to reassemble them into a human centipede, created by stitching their mouths to each others' rectums.

Release Date

April 26, 2009

Director

Tom Six

Cast

Dieter Laser , Ashley C. Williams , Ashlynn Yennie , Akihiro Kitamura , Andreas Leupold , Peter Blankenstein

Main Genre

Horror

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NEXT: 10 Unexpected 2000s Movies That Roger Ebert Loved