The horror movies Roger Ebert “hated” the most
While many talented scholars have contributed to the vast history of film criticism, Roger Ebert will always be one of its most popular voices. Along with his partner Gene Siskel, Ebert helped bring film criticism to the mainstream consciousness and popularised the act of discussing and dissecting movies as a form of intellectual entertainment. That’s exactly why the current trends of social media film discourse are deeply indebted to Ebert’s platforms.
During the emergence of the New Hollywood movement, Ebert played a major role in championing bold artistic visions such as Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde. However, he also developed a strong reputation for penning acidic put-downs of popular films. Many horror movies failed to escape Ebert’s wrath, especially at a time when he was evaluating the genre’s contributions to the various cinematic landscapes of their eras.
One particularly beloved Keanu Reeves movie that ended up on his selection of “most hated” is Constantine: “The forces of hell manifest themselves in many ways. One victim is eaten by flies. A young girl is possessed by a devil, and Constantine shouts, ‘I need a mirror! Now! At least three feet high!’ He can capture the demon in the mirror and throw it out the window, see, although you wonder why supernatural beings would have such low-tech security holes.”
Ebert didn’t spare William Friedkin either, criticising his 1990 effort The Guardian as a weak addition to his impressive body of work. He wrote: “Of the many threats to modern man documented in horror films – the slashers, the haunters, the body snatchers – the most innocent would seem to be the druids. What, after all, can a druid really do to you, apart from dropping fast-food wrappers on the lawn while worshipping your trees?”
Another unintentionally hilarious horror flick that ended up on Ebert’s list is Critters 2: The Main Course, a strange sequel to the 1986 original. While attacking the work, the renowned critic described it as “a movie about furry little hand puppets with lots of teeth, who are held up to salad bars by invisible puppeteers while large numbers of actors scream and pronounce unlikely dialogue.”
Check out the full list below.
The horror movies Roger Ebert hated:
- Ben (Phil Karlson, 1972)
- Deathmaster (Ray Danton, 1972)
- The Devil’s Rain (Robert Fuest, 1975)
- Halloween III: Season of the Witch (Tommy Lee Wallace, 1982)
- Hellbound: Hellraiser II (Tony Randel, 1988)
- Critters 2: The Main Course (Mick Garris, 1988)
- Cyborg (Albert Pyun, 1989)
- The Guardian (William Friedkin, 1990)
- Deep Rising (Stephen Sommers, 1998)
- Thirteen Ghosts (Steve Beck, 2001)
- Resident Evil (Paul W. S. Anderson, 2002)
- The Village (M. Night Shyamalan, 2004)
- Resident Evil: Apocalypse (Alexander Witt, 2004)
- Constantine (Francis Lawrence, 2005)
Including works by directors such as Paul W. S. Anderson and M. Night Shyamalan, Ebert’s list definitely contains a lot of stinkers. Anderson’s 2002 video game adaptation deserves the negative reception it received, proving once again that translating the dynamism and interactivity of the medium to cinema is easier said than done.
Ebert wrote: “Resident Evil is a zombie movie set in the 21st century and therefore reflects several advances over 20th century films. For example, in 20th century slasher movies, knife blades make a sharpening noise when being whisked through thin air. In the 21st century, large metallic objects make crashing noises just by being looked at.”
