Five Cult Horror Films That Initially Faced Critical Backlash

Horror aficionados are known for their unwavering devotion, often forming cult followings around their favorite films. Despite critical indifference, horror movies enjoy a remarkable longevity. Thanks to the video store boom of the ’80s and ’90s and today’s streaming services, these films continue to thrive long after critics have moved on. Die-hard fans often resurrect overlooked films, appreciating elements that were initially ignored, and breathing new life into movies once dismissed as flops.

The cult classics featured on this list range from recent box office misses to low-budget films that quietly redefined the genre, as well as shoestring-budget productions that still ignite discussions about their themes. The five films highlighted below have their ardent supporters and detractors, underscoring that it’s the fans, not the critics, who ultimately determine a horror film’s staying power.

When “Halloween III: Season of the Witch” debuted in 1982, audiences and critics alike were taken aback by the near absence of the franchise’s notorious villain, Michael Myers. Unlike its predecessors, which followed Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) in her harrowing escape from Myers, “Season of the Witch” took a different path.

When “Halloween III: Season of the Witch” premiered in 1982, fans and critics alike were surprised to find that the most iconic aspect of the last two movies, killer Michael Myers, was almost entirely missing. While the original films take place back-to-back, following Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) trying to escape Myers, “Season of the Witch” does something entirely different. 

Outside of a brief cameo where Michael appears on television as someone watches “Halloween,” the slasher never shows up, and “Halloween III” instead enters anthology territory, suggesting each future “Halloween” entry would have nothing to do with the last. “Season of the Witch” is about Silver Shamrock, a novelty toy company that produces haunted masks. Thanks to a super-catchy jingle and some mysticism, children everywhere fall under the sway of these frightening cloaks.

Nowadays — decades after the franchise reestablished Myers as its focus — a dedicated fanbase considers “Season of the Witch” one of the greatest horror threequels ever. It’s downright weird, and represents a massive risk most other franchises wouldn’t dare take. Plus, divorced from the baggage of missing your favorite slasher villain, there’s a ton of fun to be had here. Some of the body horror is thoroughly grotesque, while the other special effects have a wonderful charm. Simply put, “Season of the Witch” feels like spooky season.

In the wake of films like “Black Christmas” and “Halloween,” the horror genre exploded with holiday-themed slashers attempting to capitalize on their success. One such attempt was “Silent Night, Deadly Night,” which never reached the pop-culture dominance of its competitors, but nevertheless developed a dedicated fanbase and reputation as one of the most bizarre slasher movies ever made, the kind of thing that was never going to please critics but tickles the fancy of horror-lovers.

The film is about a man named Billy (Robert Brian Wilson) who is dealing with Christmas-related trauma from his childhood. When he turns 18, he snaps, donning a Santa suit and going on a slasher spree that fills a small town with festive fear. Critics and audiences alike despised the film upon its 1984 release, with many turning out to picket movie theaters that dared show Santa as a serial killer. Gene Siskel even insulted the filmmakers, saying on a clip shared by Entertainment Tonight that, “You people have nothing to be proud of.”

“Silent Night, Deadly Night” outlived plenty of other low-budget slashers, though, going on to spawn a franchise beloved by a certain cult of horror fans. The sequel includes the meme-able line — “Garbage day!” — that still serves as a rallying cry for fans, and the 2025 remake even managed to win over critics, sitting at 77% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Jennifer’s Body” premiered in 2009, and viewers were perched to see how writer Diablo Cody would follow up her electrifying “Juno” script. Most were befuddled when the final product turned out to be a teen horror/comedy. “Jennifer’s Body” stars Megan Fox at the height of her post-“Transformers” sex symbol fame as Jennifer Check, a popular girl who nevertheless stayed friends with her childhood bestie Needy (Amanda Seyfried). After a disaster strikes their small town, Jennifer develops an appetite for men that’s quite different than the appetite she had before.

Poor marketing is what Fox thinks killed “Jennifer’s Body,” but the critical response certainly didn’t help. It sits at a mere 47% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with many reviews from the time mentioning its inconsistent tone, Fox’s off-kilter performance, and Cody’s trademark dialogue all working against the movie.

However, just because critics didn’t know what tone the movie was going for, doesn’t mean the film itself failed. Years removed, a cult fanbase understands “Jennifer’s Body” as a deliciously-twisted social satire that intentionally plays on Fox’s over-sexualized star image. She’s entirely in on the joke, as is the movie; it’s not exploiting her, it’s about exploitation. Plus, even if you’re not onboard with its feminist underpinnings, it’s got plenty for gore-hounds to appreciate with its downright gnarly effects.

“I Spit on Your Grave” is by far the most controversial movie on this list, and it hasn’t exactly undergone a complete critical reappraisal the way several others have. This is a grotesque movie, one which got a lot of (very valid!) criticism upon release. “I Spit on Your Grave” is about a woman named Jennifer (Camille Keaton) who is brutally raped at the start of the film. Over the course of the movie, she methodically tracks down her abusers and exacts gruesome, brutal revenge.

Roger Ebert, for example, was not a fan. “It is a movie so sick, reprehensible and contemptible that I can hardly believe it’s playing in respectable theaters,” he wrote. “…This is a film without a shred of artistic distinction.”

Over the years, however, some fans and academics have pointed to “I Spit on Your Grave” as a landmark in the “rape-revenge” subgenre, finding a modicum of feminist empowerment in the way the movie positions Jennifer’s vengeance as morally-justified. In the seminal book “Men, Women, and Chain Saws” — the work that defined and categorized the “final girl” as a famous horror trope – Carol Clover argues that it’s important that Jennifer doesn’t just survive; she gets revenge. Terry Zarchi, son of “Grave” director Meir Zarchi, told The Telegraph, “I personally believe this is a feminist movie. But if people think this is the worst movie they’ve ever seen, they’re entitled to.”

Cult followings often spring up around films with interesting production stories. Fans love to display their admiration by swapping factoids that others might not know. That’s part of what drove interest in “My Bloody Valentine” for decades after its release. When it first hit theaters, critics were befuddled by the Canucksploitation slasher. It imagines a small town that holds a Valentine’s dance every year until a mining disaster drives miner Harry Warden (Peter Cowper) mad. As the legend fades, the town decides to once again hold the dance not knowing that Harry’s back, and he’s not happy.

Critics were unimpressed by its violence. One, in the Edmonton Journal, complained, “All this perverted gore is brought to you thanks to the financial help of the Canadian Film Development Corp. which uses your own tax money to help greedy, talentless producers make a killing.”

When the movie was released, censors reportedly snipped nine minutes from the film. That’s the kind of thing cult fans love to hear; they can speculate about the additional footage, keeping the movie’s reputation alive after it would otherwise have faded from public memory. As it was, “My Bloody Valentine” remained memorable long enough to get a decently received 2009 remake, and the original now stands as one of the most underappreciated horror films of the 1980s.