HORROR TEN SPOT: Top 10 Movies That Got Better With Time

Last Updated on August 3, 2021

The idea for this week’s list is courtesy of site fan Matt Z., who hit me up with the following, “I was watching Predator 2 earlier and thinking to myself how I didn’t care for this film when I first saw it, oh so long ago, but now, I dare say that I enjoy it even more than the original. Got me thinking about the films, which have grown on me over time.”

Not bad thinking amigo! Horror, particularly horror sequels are pretty good at giving us flicks that don’t live up to our expectations for one reason or another when we first see them, but can learn to appreciate over time as what they do well sinks in.
So take a trip down revisionist opinion lane with me friends, and if you’ve got a fav that didn’t used to be, spit bullets and let us all know!

WARNING – NOOB SPOILERS AHEAD!

1. DAY OF THE DEAD

Man I was bored the first time I saw this. Yeah, the gore is off the charts, but overall it was a hyper social commentary even for Romero. What I didn’t realize at the time was that Romero made a horror film with NOTLD, an action flick with DAWN, and then moved into more dramatic territory with DAY. It works, just not on the level that most expected originally. Especially impressive is how well it holds up given that Romero had his budget cut in half because of a refusal to cut the film for an R-rating. We’ve got a very different type of zombie film here, but given Romero’s trajectory it makes perfect sense.

2. PREDATOR 2

Matt Z. was right that P2 grows on you hardcore over time. I’m not ready to go with him to a it’s better than the original place, but there’s no denying a lot of crazy shenanigans are just waiting to had. Danny Glover Action Star may be a tough fit, but he does bring an unexpected intensity to the role. The supporting cast is aces, with Busey and Paxton in particular pulling out all the stops. And I do think there’s a better attempt given to outthinking the Predator in this than in the original, which makes sense since his weaponry is so clearly superior. It also gives us the first glimpse of some AvP action, which has not been satisfyingly borne out yet, but still remains one of the great possible conflicts.

3. THE BURNING

Still viewed as more of a casting curiosity than a legitimate player in the 80’s slasher craze, fans of this flick know that you’ve got a lot more going on here than your average unheralded entry. While not particularly varied, the kills in this are nasty. And the story is fairly typical, but is raised by some surprisingly effective performances. This flick is the kind that big genre fans sometimes use as a litmus test.

4. FRIDAY THE 13TH PART V – A NEW BEGINNING

It’s hard to know if fans were more disturbed by H3 or this, but my money might be on this. Because it is a traditional F13 movie, in fact a particularly brutal and nudity filled entry. All the splash one could wish for really. Right up until we find out the killer isn’t Jason. The genre community’s collective WTF?! was understandably loud. Still, if the killer was Jason this would probably be looked at as one of the strongest in the series. So there ya go. It’s a great F13 flick, if you can just get past that one gigantic issue.

5. BOOK OF SHADOWS: BLAIR WITCH 2

This probably could have a been a great movie, and still would have fallen flat with audiences for two reasons. One, the backlash towards the original film was well underway by the time they actually got this in theaters. Two, for obvious reasons this had to take a slightly different approach than the first which put off some fans. But even though this was a fairly obvious cash grab, it still works well as a head tripping mind bender if you let it.

6. DEEP BLUE SEA

I’m not sure any shark movie since JAWS has ever had a legitimate chance at being effective, because the level of tension achieved in the big J is nearly impossible to recapture. Now this did have a good cast, one great kill, and tried it’s level best to make these giant mako sharks scary. It just didn’t work very well. That said, I’ve come to appreciate the audacity of the concept here more and more as time goes on. Do you think the revenge driven shark in Jaws 4 is laughable. Well how about genetically Einsteined maneaters with the ability to formulate an escape plan that feels like it was put together by Rube Goldberg, or Bobby Fischer. Honestly, I’m not sure how the sharks didn’t end up with frickin’ laser beams by the end, because that’s about the only sense of restraint that Harlin shows.

7. John Carpenter’s VAMPIRES

TWILIGHT fans would probably puke in their mouths at this depiction of vampires, which is reason enough to recommend it alone. When this came out people didn’t quite seem to know what to make of it. James Woods was in full anti-hero mode, the supporting cast at times hurt the eyes and ears, and a couple tweaks to the usual vampire mythos rubbed some the wrong way. But as the dust settles this reveals itself as an effective vampire western with a lead who is truly reckless and wild enough to make us believe he would choose “vampire hunter” as a profession. Yes it’s still a flawed product,, but the overall feel is pretty unique in the sub-genre and deserves respect for it’s uncompromising balls.

8. HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH

As far as disastrous ideas for sequels go, this is one of the worst. In fact, the main disappointment with this was how it gleefully jettisoned Michael Myers for annoying kiddie tunes. Carpenter may have intended to go this route all along, but he lost the right to do so without fan repercussions when he cashed in with H2. So as a part of the franchise this is still a monstrous misstep. But as time passes and one gains the ability to ignore its pedigree, then looking at it only as a stand alone horror flick, it’s actually an entertaining watch. The level of camp and high drama is turned to 11, and mixing that with a gore level that is honestly shocking, especially given the violence is often centered around children, you’ve got a good time at the movies. Just not a Halloween movie.

9. TH13TEEN GHOSTS

Almost identical to the previous entry, this was a promising looking bit of flash that had some awesome kills, yet couldn’t quite capitalize on its interesting concept to make a coherent narrative. That said, once you get used to this as essentially a ghostly freakshow of nightmares run amok, and don’t expect it to deliver a satisfying story, the whole damn thing takes on a new level of fun. Bring on them ghosts!

10. JASON X

I was really psyched for this when it came out, especially with the badass trailers that were getting everybody who saw them pumped. Plus it seemed to have its heart in the right place. But then somehow when I saw it the whole thing fell kind of flat. The characters were thin even for the series, it took a bit too long to get going, and the whole Jason in space deal wasn’t quite as cool as I’d hoped. That was then. Now I love catching this sucker any chance I get. Maybe it just suffered from expectations that were too high, but I now consider this to be one of the most out and out fun entries in the series. It works a little better seeing it in pieces than sitting down for the whole thing, but nevertheless I’ve grown very fond of this one.