10 of the Most Rotten Films from 2023 Revisited

2023 was a year of incredible highs and lows for horror. Critics deemed plenty rotten, but was the most savage criticism warranted?

We’ve come to a flawed but useful manner in which we decide which films are worth viewing and which films aren’t.

Who would have guessed that one of the most watched review sites, Rotten Tomatoes, was started by three undergrads from Berkeley in 1998? Twenty-five years later, its humble beginnings are in the past, and it is now partially owned, one quarter by Warner Brothers Discovery, and 75% by NBC Universal, taking it out of the ages of AOL and turning it into one of the most popular review-aggregator sites used to screen media today.

The topic of today is the worst horror movies of 2023 — that is, anything considered “rotten” that ranks below 50% on the tomato meter, meaning it effectively divided critics or viewers enough that there are noticeably two parties, or simply a majority, in favor of the film was no good.

In exploring these films at the bottom of RT’s list, I was surprised to find such major titles falling out of favor. Nine out of the ten films on this list are adaptations (books, video games, historical documents), sequels, or remakes. My theory is that critics, especially, aren’t always game for seeing recycled material, and they don’t appreciate adaptations or biopics that stray too far from the source material or postulate other events within the timeline.

On the whole, though, audiences seem to disagree with critic’s summary judgment and instead seem to enjoy the films for what they are and use them for entertainment value or as another notch on their horror belt.

I’ll be reviewing these “rotten” films and discussing the high and low points while passing my judgment on whether these harsh ratings on this year’s films were deserved. Love it or hate it? Let’s take a second look, counting down from the least to most skewered horror film of 2023.

1o. The Last Voyage of the Demeter

(49% Critic/ 75% Audience)

An adaptation of the chapter “The Captain’s Log” from the 1897 Bram Stoker novel, The Last Voyage of the Demeter was a glimpse into what may have happened on the ship that harbored Dracula all those years ago.

Bringing in the star power of Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones), David Dastmalchian (Suicide Squad), Corey Hawkins, and Javier Botet (Mama), there were plenty of history and horror veterans on the cast to keep this chapter afloat. The story follows a log found in the wreckage of the Demeter, a vessel washed up on land in August traveling from Bulgaria to London. We see that even as the ship is being loaded, locals are ready to flee, saying they must depart before sundown.

As the Demeter’s journey begins, though, they discover a crate with a dragon seal, a bad omen to those on board, and the ship is harboring much more dangerous and intelligent cargo than the crew could ever imagine.

I thought this was a smart Dracula film.

Taking a single chapter that encapsulates a whole marine voyage was brilliant to tease out small details we never thought to include about Dracula, and altered his appearance mostly from the well-dressed count we know him as to the ferocious blood-driven animal he truly is.

The cast is game, and Javier Botet plays an excellent monster. While the pacing can be slow, I view this as a historical horror drama playing to a novel, not unlike The Terror, which takes its time introducing you to new cultures and crewmen as the journey escalates.

Almost reaching fresh territory, this movie’s critics are split in two on this decision, half decidedly rotten, but why?

“Lost at sea, decidedly not scary, no sufficient interest” generally describes critics’ feelings about this piece. The pacing is nothing if not deliberate, and obviously, as it’s a chapter in Dracula, we are waiting for a monster. It seems like critics simply wanted this movie to be something other than it was or to pick up the pace and make the most of an adventure at sea instead of turning it into a claustrophobic film dependent on tone and mood.

However, I enjoyed it and found my patience waiting for the monster to reveal himself in a form I didn’t expect. I was rewarded for my wait, and I give Demeter a rating audiences would likely find favorable but not critics. It’s far from rotten at 4/5.

9. The Pope’s Exorcist

(49% Critic/ 81% Audience)

Arriving in April of this year, The Pope’s Exorcist had plenty of buzz around it as one of the first spring horror pictures to arrive.

Led by Academy Award winner Russel Crowe playing Father Gabriel Amourth, it seems we found both a competent leading man and a new historical figure to learn from. The story seems easy enough as possession tales go: Father Gabriel Amourth is not the average exorcist. Over 98% of his cases are referred to doctors and psychiatrists, but the other remaining percentage, he refers to as evil. Using faith and sometimes theater, Father Amourth was able, over decades, to perform an absurd amount of exorcisms.

With a strong cast, a fresh devil to face, and clean production down to the soundtrack, what went wrong that this film couldn’t find critical traction?

The problems started small with critics. Clichés and tropes flew around the film, and it was enough for some critics to say it was yet another tired entry into the possession genre. The praise in between the harsh judgments was mostly for Crowe’s glimmering performance, which is slated to return as this film has already green-lit and begun production for a second installment.

The other criticisms, unfortunately, named this film “dangerous,” and I can see their point.

The idea that a demon inspired some of the crimes of the church was a risky move to insert into the film and made this more of a political statement than an artistic one, inserting supernatural excuses for real-life action.

I wonder if this trail of holy excuses will follow into the next film as well.

Did this film break new ground? No, not really. This was certainly another well-done exorcist film that was mostly played by the books. Did it deserve this rotten of a score? That depends on what sin is your greatest for the film.

The Pope’s Exorcist is, in its worst moments, a bit dull and, in its most controversial moments, a bit frustrating. However, Crowe’s performance and devilish storyline could open the door for more Vatican tales from one of its most prolific exorcists, which could leave room for the redemption of this first film.

As a critic, this gets a fresh rather than rotten rating for me, 3/5, and a wake-up call about which portions of a film can truly make it damning.

8. Insidious: The Red Door

(37% Critic/ 70% Audience)

The fifth installment of the Insidious series and the timeline sequel to the third film involving the Lambert family, Insidious: The Red Door arrived this summer to give us more of James Wan’s series with the family that started it.

With a generally low critic score and a satisfied audience score, it looks like these movies have fallen out of favor. This entry follows Josh (Patrick Wilson) as he tries to reconnect with his now college-aged son Dalton (Ty Simpkins). While Josh has memory issues that are tied back to his traveling, Dalton is rediscovering himself at school and through his art, piecing memories back together through his passion since childhood, sketching.

It’s clear when spirits and visions start manifesting that some portal is still open to the Lambert men, and their travels aren’t quite finished.

For audiences, it was dubbed an ending most could settle with as the franchise closed its doors, but for critics, this ended with a whisper, not a bang. “Standard, lamentable, disappointed, uninspiring” were some of the words attributed to this sequel that seemed to have critics snoozing in their chairs.

Even with the use of Insidious’ classic jump scares and masterful makeup and art department, we didn’t have as many “gotcha” moments as we have had in the past.

The first Insidious movie is known for one scene in particular that still haunts us every now and again with its howling red-faced demon.

Even for a directorial debut, critics were fairly unrelenting at the general plainness of the film, which followed from calls of boredom to calls that the series “put its demons to rest” for good.

I’m probably with the critics on this as a whole; this movie came from greater installments before it and wasn’t able to even get my spine tingling with the use of the classic Tiny Tim’s “Tip Toe Through the Tulips.”

For me and many others, this was a satisfactory finish for the series, but as a whole, I would have to agree that it broke no new boundaries and lacked a scare factor that the other films had in spades.

I’m giving this one a slightly higher but still rotten rating of 2.5/5.

7. Haunted Mansion

(37% Critic/ 84% Audience)

The first fact I’ll have you know is that this Haunted Mansion ranked higher than its well-loved predecessor starring Eddie Murphy, The Haunted Mansion. In fact, 2003’s The Haunted Mansion has a 13% critic rating and 31% among audience reviews, making this whole situation a head-scratcher that’s been in the works (and was previously attached to Guillermo del Toro) since 2010.

Why remake a failed movie? Is this now considered a successful remake?

I think there are a lot of convoluted answers here, but ultimately, this remake is a star-studded, heartfelt, and successful attempt for Disney to renew some lost magic.

With LaKeith Stanfield and Rosario Dawson rising to the occasion, we have two fantastically strong leads bolstered by a stellar supporting group, including Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, and Danny DeVito.

Diving a skeptic into a world of special effects haunting and plenty of horror movie references for adults, I found myself charmed by this celebrity haunting. 

Though the original may be a cult favorite, this remake broke through the mold with 21st-century effects and diligent casting to replace former and current industry titans.

However, critics didn’t seem to fancy this reboot and had some select words for it, including, “One of the biggest duds of the year, having no central theme, yet another Disney movie based on a ride, and unrelentingly flat.”

It seems remakes aren’t welcome here, even with this moving story. However, I found some humor and heart in this retelling.

To be fair, though, I wasn’t a fan of the original, and I welcome a new group to this potential cash grab of a ride for a decently told story boasting plenty of heart and flair. It does not feel rotten at all and deserves a more generous score of 3/5.

6. Nefarious

(33% Critic/ 96% Audience)

What a cavernous divide we have for this film between audiences and critics, with a remarkably low critic score rounding out this dialogue-heavy chamber piece rooted in theology and the demonic.

This film was released in April of this year, and its screenplay was based on Steve Deace’s 2016 novel A Nefarious Plot. Starring Jordan Belfi as Dr. James Martin, his job is to evaluate death row inmate Edward Wayne Brady (Sean Patrick Flanery), believed to have murdered nearly a dozen people and whose previous doctor committed suicide after their work. They warn that Edward is manipulative and smart, but Edward offers a different version of the tale, another diagnosis: he is possessed by a demon, and by today’s end, James will have committed three murders.

I truly enjoyed the acting in this film. Belfi is as sure of himself as any doctor, dismissing things that don’t fit into his ideology while bending the way things look to ensure his world and his actions in it don’t look evil.

Flanery pulls double duty, playing both a terrified and confused Edward trying to stumble through his last day on earth and the demon Nefariamus — blinking quickly, speaking strangely, almost as though that truly isn’t his body.

The criticisms come in interesting flavors, but I completely understand the root of them.

“Heavy-handed, indoctrinating, propaganda piece, etc.” were thrown around in the criticisms of this film, which does have intensely strong moral messaging and takes its political stance on some issues obviously and firmly.

I don’t think people go to the cinema expecting a moral lesson and a 90-minute attempt to reorganize what our definition of sin is.

I can see the pro-life angles of this movie, along with the idea of “evil,” seeming as though it were pandering to audiences that couldn’t tell good or bad from one another, turning hot-button issues into theological struggles. If you stick to your own moral compass, though, and don’t let the movie sway you, and instead, take on some of the interesting new theological ideas created by the book and screenwriters, you might find yourself drawn into the cat-and-mouse game between doctor and patient, life or death on the line.

While Nefarious does assert itself strongly onto audiences and relies heavily on its casting and dialogue, I wouldn’t have hit it with such a low rating.

Despite disagreeing with some of its central messaging, I can set my own beliefs aside and say you don’t often find chamber pieces this well-acted and interesting; I give it a solid, decidedly non-rotten rating of 3.5/5.

5. Five Nights at Freddy’s

(31% Critic/ 87% Audience)

Another huge jump between viewers and critics, Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNaF) was one of the most highly anticipated films of the year, debuting recently in October.

Based on the games of the same name that rely on a series of mechanics and intense jump scares to generate tension, the film starred Josh Hutcherson (Hunger Games), Matthew Lillard (Scream), Elizabeth Lail (You), and Piper Rubio. The tale follows a down-on-his-luck, Mike, struggling to find a job and landing at the decrepit, run-down Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria.

There is, however, an old legend of heartbreak and terror that haunts the friendly walls and ball pits of the restaurant, and that was the children who went missing and were never found even after the police tore the joint apart.

Now Mike is guarding its happy animatronics and watching the building at night, unknowingly being watched himself.

The film didn’t use the same intense jump scare formulas as the games, but it did use plenty of price power and know-how to insert piles of Easter Eggs and generate accurate, creepy, and stunning animatronics to bring the characters of the game to life. Lillard’s presence drew a lot of attention, but after viewing, we see he is more of a glorified cameo than an all-out player.

The main complaint from reviewers was that this was billed as a horror film, and after all was said and done, not many people were frightened.

“Straining, uneven, and flailing” were all words used to describe how this script tried to balance family ties with a decent set of scares along the way.

As a fan of the games, Matt Lillard, and a person who toes the line between critic and audience member, I’m going to say this wasn’t the homage to the games I hoped for, but it’s not a poorly built film. Relying too much on the family angle and lacking any real scares are genuine points to acknowledge, but the animatronics are fantastic, the music numbers are fun and you should always be watching your back for the yellow rabbit.

Getting put so low was criminal, and with an almost guaranteed sequel on the way, I’ll give this a softer rating so that, hopefully, Freddy, Foxy, and the gang can sharpen their teeth and come back for a terrifying round of hijinks. This one comes in at a 3/5 and does not deserve it’s rotten rating.

4. The Black Demon

(29% Critic/ 79% Audience)

I can see why some people like it, and I can see why many don’t.

I love creature features, but this CGI shark with folklore and political commentary needed to pick a lane, in my opinion, as it tried to juggle heavy messaging with a lightweight concept. The sci-fi thriller movie follows a “Nixon Oil” (get your name reference guesses in now) representative, arriving in a crumbling town that blames his company for misfortune. He is going to an offshore drilling rig off the shores of Baja, California, bringing his family along for vacation.

Arriving in a less hostile boat to see the rig half destroyed and an active oil spill in progress, the remaining workers on-board panic at their arrival, firing flares to warn them of a 70-ton megalodon shark that begins attacking.

After the beast known as “El demonio negro” (the Black Demon) kills the ship’s captain and strands the family on the rig, it becomes a fight for their lives as the shark, which can cause images of death and destruction before its arrival, comes to claim all those left.

This movie is aggressively simplistic, with few scares and several attempts at making its main monster more meaningful than it ends up being.

The old legends that the shark generates nightmares and the fact that this demonic sign is rising up as the earth is being mistreated sends more than a few mixed messages about saving the ocean and ecological balance but from a supernatural perspective.

Acting is generally shaky, with performances not necessarily being the highlight of the film compared to the over-the-top CGI shark attacks.

Dubbed “a small fish in a big pond,” this meg failed to make a splash in the overcrowded shark genre that needs real jaws and teeth to make an impact. Theories of “overthinking, underthinking, and losing a bad bet” were all present as to why a film labeled “laughably bad” was even created.

With no strong acting to hold down the cast and a boatload of underdeveloped thoughts, this is definitely just another high effects/low delivery shark film with nothing to clamp down on, leaving it to sink with a disappointing and certified rotten 2/5.

3. The Exorcist: Believer

(22% Critic/ 59% Audience)

Standing in the shadow of a fifty-year-old behemoth, The Exorcist: Believer set itself up to either be the sequel of a lifetime or lost to history.

Unfortunately, it seems the latter is true, as this piece failed to wow critics and left audiences muddled. Following the story of a man’s horrific choice between losing his wife, daughter, or both, we find two young girls, thirteen years later, who manage to get lost for three days in the woods (supposedly the three days Jesus traversed hell before his return). We find the devil is alive and well and has now taken the souls of these two.

Bringing back Ellen Burstyn from the original to help the two families might have been helpful, but this story lacks so much bite and fervor as the original that even her holy presence couldn’t revive this film.

With little to fear and two child actresses who might have too much to present on their plate, the movie generates few frights and leaves more questions than answers, namely: why would you try and make a second Exorcist?

Earning only points for makeup and effects (as I hoped it would), The Exorcist: Believer doesn’t open up much new story or play on any new ideas.

While an admirable attempt to resurrect a classic, the lack of screenplay — and scares — had critics and audiences sour.

“Inept, sacrilegious, disillusioned, and half-baked,” critics didn’t hold back straight up to calling this film outright “trash.”

The question on everyone’s lips was, “Why try and recreate perfection?” and I’m with this question. Some things were done right the first time, and we cannot recapture that lightning in a bottle. Consider it a gift, not a challenge.

With little to invest in, even Ellen Burstyn, I found myself on the critics’ side of things, maybe not as harsh, but still disappointed in the lackluster watch that found no new paths to heaven. For me, it’s a dud with a rotten rating of just 2/5.

2. Children of the Corn

(12% Critic/ 38% Audience)

With so many Stephen King adaptations, now including reboots such as this, it was inevitable we were going to find some common ground between critics and audiences, who both agreed, along with myself, that this was a tragedy.

Shot cleanly like its predecessor but cheapened by poor performances from the adults and child actors, this reboot couldn’t find traction with almost any viewers, it seems. Following the same trodden path of families forced to sell their failing cornfields, it soon becomes clear this is a more mean-spirited version of the original, with adults making fools of children wanting to be included in the town and the children lacking any control once they become slaves to the corn.

Shortened from He Who Walks Behind the Rows to “He Who Walks,” the aggressive band of silly and violent children start sacrificing adults to this bloodthirsty corn entity.

A modern remake that somehow cheapens the already micro-budget original, this film brought nothing to savor in the ways of scares or nostalgia.

Kate Moyer leads the children’s charge as the soulless messenger of He Who Walks, enticing children into some nasty kills and torment of their elders.

With not as much sinister happening as the first film and with a cast of kids that blends together into a messy group of feuding youngsters (quite parallel to their parents), we see this film has no legs, no scares, and no hope.

“Lacking fear and excitement, bland, meandering and lazy” were all descriptors used to paint us a dull picture of what should have been a thrilling, creepy King classic.

I’m forced to agree with the majority here; I found this an underwhelming remake that delivers no frights and remains a nasty second take on an old classic — a dismal and justifiably rotten 1/5.

1. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey

(3% Critic/ 50% Audience)

Rounding out this list with the worst-rated movie of the year, at a staggeringly low 3% approval rating, it would be hard to find someone in the house willing to vouch for Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.

This independent, British slasher film details the life of Pooh and Piglet, first in drawings chronicling their time with Christopher Robin, soon long abandoned in the Hundred Acre Woods as the boy goes off to college. Stranded in winter and forced to consume Eeyore to survive, the group takes a vow of silence and builds feelings of resentment and vengeance towards humanity, eventually spurring them to torment Christopher and a group of university girls once they’ve learned of his return.

I wasn’t surprised this turned out how everyone said it would.

With much pointless gore, generally flailing performances, and a story that seems to have no point other than mutilating some children’s characters for the sake of an ironic villain, I can’t believe I watched this film.

Certainly, a twist on torture porn, these characters take out their childlike tantrum on anyone within striking distance.

With ridiculous costumes and laughable kills and torment I’ve seen in various ways before that weren’t so over the top, this film doesn’t even lend itself to a memorable kill amongst the lack of storytelling and mile-a-minute retribution for these soulless, feral creatures.

With no one to root for, neither victim nor killer, I found myself lost in a thread of pointless executions committed out of… I don’t know… perhaps loneliness? Or maybe it was trauma, as our narrator in the beginning might suggest.

The Rotten Tomato synopsis simply reads, “Oh bother.”

Other critics were more vocal, saying the film “lacked detail, lacked creativity, had a shoestring budget that strained,” and even questioned if you should be sober while watching this.

The only two positive reviews in the bunch said this is “pop culture’s infinite circle” and that if you were recreating these new characters with proper marketing, this film would have had more curious eyes.

Luckily, it didn’t. And this one, my friends, deserves its rotten score. 1/5.