Photo by: Adreana Salazar
2018 has had its fill of good and bad horror movies and still more to come. Here are three movies whose Rotten Tomatoes ratings I don’t agree with.
1. “Winchester”
Directedby Michael and Peter Spierig
14% Rotten Tomatoes Rating
This film is based on the historically haunted and whimsical Winchester house. Built as a maze with staircases going nowhere and doors on the second story opening on the outside, this house has been fascinating to me for years. The legend goes that Sarah Winchester, the widow of William Wirt Winchester, felt that she was haunted by the people killed by the Winchester Rifle. She decided to build a house that was constantly expanding and so confusing that it would keep the ghosts at bay. This was a horror movie waiting to happen and I was stoked.
I saw this film in theatres with my mom and we actually really enjoyed it. We were familiar with the house and the legend and left feeling satisfied. I felt that it had an appropriate amount of jump scares, some surprising twists, and an excellent cast. I thought it was a lot of fun to see Sarah Winchester and her mysterious house on screen.
According to critics, this movie was just underwhelming. I agree it definitely wasn’t “A Quiet Place” (which has the highest rating thus far) but it didn’t deserve a 14% rating.
2. “Insidious: The Last Key”
Directed by Adam Robitel
32% Rotten Tomatoes Rating
The Insidious franchise has been one that I have adored since the beginning. The first two movies are about the Lambert family, who resorts to calling demonologists when their son Dalton goes into a coma and demons start trying to take over his body. These demonologists end up being Elise Reiner, Specs, and Tucker, which the last two movies focus on. “Insidious: Chapter 3” explores how the three started working together, while “Insidious: The Last Key” focuses on Elise’s past and how she has to make sure that now no one else gets hurt.
While “Chapter 3” and “The Last Key” wasn’t as original as the first two, it still followed beloved characters and had great scares. It also enlightened us to why Elise had reservations when it came to her psychic abilities.
Critics say it was “uninspired,” but I feel like it was a story waiting to be told and they took the opportunity.
3. “Hereditary”
Directed by Ari Aster
89% Rotten Tomatoes Ratings
All the other movies I had praise for, but this one, not so much. Everyone raved about it when it came out. People were ecstatic. I was so excited to see this movie and decided to take my dad (who also loves horror movies) for Father’s Day. The first thing I said when we walked out of the theatre was “WTF” followed by “I am so sorry that was your present.” I honestly can’t give you a good synopsis other than it is about a really messed up family and Aster focused on shock value rather than suspense to freak people out. The only reason I want to watch it again is that I still have no idea what happened. It honestly was disturbing and had very, very graphic images. They also wrecked the entire Plot Diagram that we all learned in school. All I can say is, as a horror fan, I had no idea what people liked about this movie and it doesn’t deserve 89%.
Anyway, Rotten Tomatoes ratings are usually pretty spot on. For example, “A Quiet Place” and “The Open House” both had accurate ratings in my book. You can check out this list and see if you agree or disagree with any of them yourself.