The ’90s seemed to cover all bases when it came to the horror genre, since there was something for everybody. This particular era of film offered slashers (Scream and Candyman), supernatural thrillers (The Sixth Sense), and crime dramas (Se7en and The Silence of the Lambs). On top of that, The Blair Witch Project also unleashed the found-footage sub-genre on cinemas.
There was such an abundance of paranormal indies, creature features, and serial killer B-movies, a few frightfests came and went without leaving a mark. The entries on this list didn’t fare well at the box office, despite the fact each and every one of them was overflowing with creative ideas and genuine scares.
More often than not, the failure of a great horror is down to bad luck. A lack of publicity or an early bad review can kill the best of the best. If the premise is too weird or hard to explain, it’s possible the public didn’t give it a chance, condemning the film in question to the bargain bin.
With that said, these 10 blood-pumping flicks have gone overlooked for too long…
Despite being synonymous with Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero helmed many solid horrors that never got their due, including Martin, Season of the Witch, and Monkey Shines.
And of course, who could forget about The Dark Half? (Actually, a lot of people, which is why it’s on the list.) The Stephen King adaptation follows a novelist called Thad (Timothy Hutton), who writes under the pseudonym of George Stark. When he’s publicly outed, Thad retires his pen name, symbolically burying Stark in a fake grave. To his surprise, the fictional alter-ego comes to life, vowing to destroy everything the author holds dear.
It’s a campy concept, but works brilliantly since the ensemble takes the nutty scenario dead seriously. The Dark Half incorporates elements from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Frankenstein, without feeling like a carbon copy of either. Timothy Hutton plays his dual roles so well, it feels like they’re portrayed by separate actors.
The Dark Half was the last novel King wrote before sobering up, which plays into the story, since there’s an ongoing theme of self-destruction. Romero conveys Thad’s inner turmoil and fractured psyche beautifully, making his downward spiral more disturbing to watch than the violence and gore (of which there is plenty).
The Dark Half failed to break even, but there’s no doubt it’s one of King and Romero’s most underrated works.
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