Worst in Show: 2017 Horror (Pt. I of II)

For what has been a mostly stellar year in horror, from big budget masterpieces to smaller indies, there have been a number of misses in the industry this year. So, as the prospects of ripping open some presents begin to take over minds all across the country and much of the world, we're taking a moment to rip open some of 2017's worst horror movies. Like those fantastic releases this year, these terrible horror films come in all shapes and sizes. Sequels, reboots and indies, alike found plenty to groan over. Here are the ones that warrant the loudest noises of displeasure.

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10. Amityville: The Awakening

In Amityville: The Awakening, Bella Thorne continues to jumps deeper down the scream queen rabbit hole and horror fans ask why she's being allowed to. What makes her marketable in these roles? In this film, viewers will continue to wonder. Bland, typical and far less impressive than most haunted house films, Amityville: The Awakening does answer the question as to why it had such a tumultuous release- it just wasn't worth releasing.

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9. 12 Feet Deep  

Winning points for concept, but losing the majority in execution, it'd be easily to believe that 12 Feet Deep would be the claustrophobic thriller of the year. Supposedly about a pair of sisters' fight for survival trapped in an Olympic pool, this movie brings in too many other plot lines in an almost anxious fear of the silent, overarching dread it should have driven (swam?) home. 12 Feet Deep isn't the most offensive release of the year, but it’s certainly one of the biggest let downs.

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8. Darkness Rising

IFC Midnight has been quite a savior for horror in recent years. Distributing some of the biggest names in modern horror, the typically sleek distributors have dealt out some duds, but mostly their releases have been great. Unfortunately, one of their duds - this year's Darkness Rising - is a mark too big to ignore. Annoying, unintelligible and poorly told, Darkness Rising definitely brings the darkness. If only there was something scary within it.  

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7. The Mist (TV Series)

What began as an intriguing recreation of the Stephen King novel of the same name, quickly divulged into a schlocky and redundant piece of bad special effects, mediocre acting and unlovable characters. The Mist isn't a movie and thus it’s difficult to compare to others on this list, but in a way, that makes it almost worse. Given an entire season to bring in the fears and unleash terror on audiences, The Mist serves as a blatant reminder that horror is only good, when all of its pieces work together. Not helping its situation is the previously released feature film of the same name that is far superior.

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9.  Cold Moon

Just yesterday, Cold Moon received a scathing review from HOR(iley)ROR noting it as competition for worst of the year. However, upon reflection, it gets somewhat of a pass in light of movies that are somehow even worse. A mystery thriller with supernatural elements, this film follows the aftermath of the murder of a young woman in a small southern town. Digestible but not much else, Cold Moon feels entirely senseless. The violence? Senseless. The characters? Senseless. And the plot? Completely senseless. In multiple scenes it becomes clear how difficult it must have been to sell this movie to any distributer. There is little rhyme or reason for any of the film's direction and in the end... Well, chances are you won't make it that far.

Review: Ghost House

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Shipping a horror movie to a foreign land can open up the door to a lot of criticism. After all, taking opportunity in the use of others culture, if done so improperly and without accurate depiction and research, is disrespectful and rarely accomplishes its goals. These movies, blinded by their own ambition to create something mystical and dark, fail to have the foresight to make something worthy of using another country as a setting. Following this trend is the inappropriate and worst of all disinteresting Ghost House.


Following a couple on vacation in Thailand, Ghost House has everything you'd expect from a travel abroad horror movie that attempts to capture some supernatural element of a foreign land. From strange rituals to unhelpful and odd locals, the couple gets more than they bargain for when the woman stumbles upon and is possessed by a ghoul. The film stars Scout Taylor-Compton (The Runaways) and James Landry Hebert (Westworld) as Julie and Jim, the couple central to the movie's plot. Mark Boone Junior (Batman Begins) plays Reno, some sort of helpful mystic, and Michael S. New (Crazy Medicine) plays the couples driver, Gogo.


Whether it’s the screechy broken English and lack of self-awareness exuded by every character outside of the main couple or the unfortunately sole instance suggesting that the couple may be neglectful of their views and disrespectful of the foreign land they've entered, Ghost House does little to improve on critically planned films like The Other Side of the Door or Out of the Dark. While it’s a similar film, the redeemable qualities of the aforementioned movies are all but missing from the terribly done, offensively exploitative plot of Ghost House. Its portrayal of Thai people is absolutely unforgiving and the film’s most egregious aspect, but not its only.


Ghost House isn't simply offensive in its setting - mystifying and otherizing Thai culture - it’s also gravely offensive in its cheap ploys and poorly timed scares. Ghost House lacks any of the charm that similarly bad movies have; the characters are unlikeable, the tension is nonexistent and worst of all, the film never gets scary. Each scene plays through with some brief instances where a scare would begin, only to become jolty and poorly done.


While you could pick out pieces from this jumbled mess, like some mediocre camera work, there truly isn't anything to look twice at. From the casual, overly awkward mention of a ghost house to some strangely inserted supporting characters, the film feels poorly put together; its stitching ripping apart from the get-go. Ghost House, like its flat, unenthused title, is exactly as plain as it sounds. Its harsh depiction of a foreign land, schlocky plot and lackluster scares all culminate into something best avoided.  3 out of 10.