10 Biggest Halloween Movie Flops Of All Time

The Halloween season is a big time for filmmaking, as horror and autumnal-themed movies often perform well at the box office during these few months. However, films set during Halloween or that use the visual language often seen in these projects can also be considered part of the Halloween canon. Unfortunately, just because a movie is released during this time or using these popular motifs doesn’t mean it’s going to do well in theaters. Plenty of legendary movie directors have made box office bombs, as there’s a variety of reasons why films don’t connect with audiences in theaters.

Many of the most underrated Halloween movies underperformed at the box office. However, they later found cult followings thanks to critical and audience reevaluation. Part of the reason streaming is so popular is that it has allowed contemporary audiences to revisit works that weren’t given enough attention when they were released. However, not every movie that bombed at the box office was misunderstood, as there’s a reason why audiences weren’t attracted to a project. When these movies are watched again, it’s clear that the quality has not improved over time.

10 Halloween III: Season Of The Witch (1982)

Worldwide box office: $14,400,000; Budget: Estimated $2,500,000

The Halloween franchise is one of the most popular and enduring of all time, but at the time of its release, Halloween 3 quickly claimed the spot as the worst performer at the box office. While it made its money back and wasn’t an embarrassment, based on the success of the first two films, it should have made a lot more money. One of the biggest issues with Halloween 3 was that it strayed too far from the original premise, as the film doesn’t feature Michael Myers at all.

Compared to the box office smashes of 1982 like
Poltergeist
, a far more innovative addition to the horror genre, the small sum made by
Halloween 3
was unfortunate.

Compared to the box office smashes of 1982 like Poltergeist, a far more innovative addition to the horror genre, the small sum made by Halloween 3 was unfortunate. When viewed as separate from the Halloween franchise and as a different type of scary movie, there are some parts of Halloween 3 that are interesting. This includes the strong critiques of the contemporary culture of the early 1980s. However, this wasn’t enough to make audiences eager to see the film.

9 Halloween 5: The Revenge Of Michael Myers (1989)

Worldwide box office: $11,642,254; Budget: $5,000,000

Halloween 3 was quickly dethroned as the worst installment of the franchise by Halloween 5 when it was released in 1989. Though the universe had begun to redeem itself with Halloween 4, the studio tried to capitalize on this success too quickly. This meant Halloween 5 wasn’t given the time and energy it needed to find its footing. Receiving even worse critical reviews than the early failures, Halloween 5 could have been good but was too messy and disorganized to stand the test of time.

Halloween 5 remains the biggest box office disappointing of the Halloween franchise and is typically considered one of the worst installments. By the time Halloween 5 had been released, over a decade had passed since the release of the first movie, and much of the spark and interest in the universe had died. The aspects of Halloween that made it stand out from typical horror movies of the time had faded, leaving only the name and memory of a better franchise.

8 Jennifer’s Body (2009)

Worldwide box office: $31,556,061; Budget: $16,000,000

The often-misunderstood and recently reevaluated Jennifer’s Body has only become a cult classic in the past few years. At the film’s release in 2009, critics and audiences didn’t know what to make of Jennifer’s Body, as it was unlike any other horror movie coming out during this period. Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried star in the feminist horror film that’s more concerned with the central relationship between Jennifer (Fox) and Needy (Seyfried), and it is punctuated by the referential style of dialogue from Juno writer Diablo Cody.

Fox and Seyfried weren’t the only great performers in the film, as Jennifer’s Body is now remembered as one of Adam Brody’s best movies for his slimy performance as a demon-summoning band member. Much of the underwhelming performance of Jennifer’s Body can be attributed to a poor marketing campaign that painted the movie as an exploitation film rather than a critique of how the male gaze affects young women. Thankfully, the project has remained relevant despite its poor box office reception.

7 Practical Magic (1998)

Worldwide box office: $68,336,997; Budget: $60,000,000

With stars like Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock attached to Practical Magic, along with the built-in audience who were familiar with the book by Alice Hoffman, there was reason to believe that the movie would be an autumnal hit. However, Practical Magic didn’t make enough money to justify its budget, making it a disaster for the studio, Warner Bros. While more recent reception of the film has been positive and highlights the good aspects of Practical Magic, this doesn’t change its initial failure.

While the atmosphere and aesthetics of Practical Magic are pleasing, tonally, the movie lacks a cohesive theme. Despite being framed as a romantic comedy with autumnal influences and supernatural elements, the story takes a dark turn that might have been a reason for the film’s inability to connect with audiences. However, there’s hope for Practical Magic 2, which could retrospectively earn back some respect and notoriety for the first movie.

6 Pumpkinhead (1988)

Worldwide box office: $4,385,516; Budget: Estimated $3,500,000

Though not released in the fall or close to October, it’s hard to argue that Pumpkinhead is a distinctly Halloween-adjacent project. From the name alone, it brings to mind visuals of the pumpkins and jack-o’-lanterns that are seen everywhere during the fall months. Had Pumpkinhead been released closer to this time of year, it might have performed better, but the film is still considered a cult classic and a uniquely terrifying monster movie.

The dark and terrifying tone of
Pumpkinhead
, coupled with the tragic ending, make it easy to see why audiences were shocked by and uncertain about the film.

The dark and terrifying tone of Pumpkinhead, coupled with the tragic ending, make it easy to see why audiences were shocked by and uncertain about the film. Centering on the creation of a horrifying monster created to carry out a man’s desire for revenge in the wake of his grief, the creature design of the titular Pumpkinhead is quite memorable. If audiences went into theaters expecting Pumpkinhead to be a traditional horror story with an uplifting ending, that’s not what they would’ve gotten out of Pumpkinhead.

5 Near Dark (1987)

Worldwide box office: $3,369,628; Budget: $5,000,000

Thankfully, Kathryn Bigelow’s failed vampire movie Near Dark didn’t prevent the filmmaker from going on to win the Academy Award for Best Director for Zero Dark Thirty. However, this early addition to her career was a major flop that failed to make back its budget at the box office. Surprisingly, Near Dark still has many positive reviews and was considered a nuanced blend of genres for the late 1980s, but the independent project couldn’t compete with more high-profile vampire projects.

Despite its gothic elements, much of Near Dark is a love story, and the elements of the Western genre are in conversation with many of the prominent films of the 1980s. Near Dark is a great example of a film that’s cultivated a cult following in the years since its release because of how underrated the project was at the time of its release. Its limited release and run also contributed to the poor performance.

4 The Thing (2011)

Worldwide box office: $27,573,078; Budget: $38,000,000

There was no reason to try and recreate the magic of John Carpenter’s 1982 The Thing, and the unfortunate failure of the 2011 iteration proves this. Though it wasn’t the worst horror remake of all time, it hasn’t had the reappraisal that the 1982 film enjoyed. Taking on a remake of a film as synonymous with the story as Carpenter’s work is a risky move, and The Thing couldn’t carve out a unique niche for itself within the box office landscape.

It’s likely that most of the audiences who showed out to support the film were familiar with the 1982 iteration, as name recognition is a huge part of getting viewers into seats. While VFX has come a long way since the 1980s, the practical effects of the 1982 The Thing are still far superior to the CGI used in the 2011 version. If anything, the effects that bring the creature to life in the 2011 The Thing alienate the audience and make the film feel untethered from reality.

3 I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)

Worldwide box office: $40,002,112; Budget: $65,000,000

After the success of the teen horror flick, I Know What You Did Last Summer, it makes sense that the studio wanted to capitalize on the interest from the original film. However, the sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, was as cumbersome and unnecessary as its title suggests. While the campy and silly elements were what made I Know What You Did Last Summer so much fun, the sequel failed to capture any of this joy and was left with a hollow remake.

While there’s still plenty of love for the original, the sequel is overlooked for good reason.

Though Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. returned for the sequel, their characters didn’t have much more to learn and had already finished growing after the first film. After spending a significant amount of money developing the project, the poor reception ended any chance of further installments hitting theaters during this time. While there’s still plenty of love for the original, the sequel is overlooked for good reason. Even with plenty of jumpscares, shock, and gore, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer couldn’t find an audience base.

2 The Crow (2024)

Worldwide box office: $23,900,925; Budget: $50,000,000

Remakes and sequels can either be smash hits at the box office and make lots of money for studios or be unfavorably compared to their predecessors and bomb financially. Unfortunately, The Crow couldn’t live up to the high bar that the original 1994 film set, even though the creative choices behind the project worked effectively to make the 2024 movie feel like a different take on the story. While Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs did well in their respective roles, it wasn’t enough to save the movie.

It wasn’t in theaters for long, as the film was released at the end of August and then pulled from theaters and made available on digital in mid-September. While this was a quick turnaround, it was a wise decision on the part of the studio to avoid losing any more money. Poor critical reception and the shadow of the first movie made it impossible for The Crow to be a success, even though it could have become a fun spin on the superhero genre with supernatural thriller elements for the Halloween season.

Worldwide box office: $18,902,015; Budget: $40,000,000

Feardotcom is very much of its time, as in 2002, the fear and anxiety surrounding the digital age and the increased prevalence of the internet were only increasing. The plot revolves around a detective investigating a series of deaths that are connected to a terrifying website. While this premise isn’t bad in and of itself, Feardotcom didn’t live up to expectations. Not even making back half of its budget, it might be one of the worst-received horror movies of its time.

Feardotcom didn’t manage to strike out into new territory for the horror genre or use its technological themes to connect to contemporary issues. It didn’t help that Feardotcom was a graphic and violent project that didn’t justify its grotesque imagery with strong messages or a compelling script. While some movies deserve to be reevaluated despite their poor performance, Feardotcom is better left behind in favor of more intriguing films that better understand the intersection of horror and the internet.

Sources: The Numbers, Box Office Mojo, and IMDB