Famous Horror Movies That Got Surprisingly Great Reviews

How many times have you heard a horror director defend their work publicly by claiming they “made the movie for the fans, not the critics”? Too many! Guys, no director makes a movie for the critics. There are only like 12 working film critics left in the world, and they don’t pay for their own movie tickets. Unless you’re aiming to make a movie that grosses $216 total at the worldwide box office, making a movie for the critics is a very stupid idea.

Also: Film critics like movies. This appears to be a tough concept for some moviegoers to grasp, but it is absolutely true. No one goes into the underpaid and overly competitive field of criticism because they hate films. Why subject themselves to hours upon hours of misery otherwise? Unless you’re a masochist who really enjoys being poor, it’s just not a smart career path.

Plus if you look at a site like Rotten Tomatoes, you can see quite clearly that film critics like many movies, including plenty in genres they supposedly despise like horror. And they don’t just favor just the landmark titles made by respected auteurs like Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho or John Carpenter’s Halloween either. No no. I’m talking exploitation films, monster movies, “torture porn,” sequels, prequels, and more. I’ve collected 10 such examples below. And I can assure you: I made this list for the fans, not the critics.