The Worst Horror Movie Ever, According To Stephen King
With 67 books and countless short stories under his belt, horror author Stephen King is more than qualified to criticize the horror genre. Many of his works have been adapted for the big screen, such as classics like "Carrie" and "Misery." The author has always been notoriously vocal about which adaptations worked and which ones didn't.
For instance, while many horror fans love Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of "The Shining," King was less satisfied by the interpretation of his story. He's also been critical of his contributions to the horror genre, most notably "The Tommyknockers," a science fiction horror story that he wrote at the tail end of his addiction to drugs and alcohol.
The storied author engages with fans on social media, often talking about the industry, his work, and horror projects he's interested in checking out. On June 29, however, he took to Twitter to ask his followers, "What is the worst horror movie you ever saw?"
So, which horror movie earned the infamous title in King's opinion?
A feast not so suitable for a King
Without further explanation, Stephen King ended the tweet saying, "For me, BLOOD FEAST." The 1963 splatter film may not be on everyone's radar, but it's a significant film for the genre it helped to pioneer. The exploitation film, directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis, follows a disturbed caterer who kills women and uses their bodies to spice up his recipes and for performing sacrifices.
With an emphasis on violence, blood spill, and little else, the low-budget film is synonymous with gore and gross-out horror. However, not every groundbreaking work is well-received. "Blood Feast" was heavily criticized for its bad acting, crudeness, and focus solely on shocking audiences.
Given King's well-documented lifelong love affair with the horror genre, it isn't surprising that he wasn't a fan of a film with little to offer aside from gratuitous stunts. Even Lewis went on to say, "I've often referred to Blood Feast as a Walt Whitman poem. It's no good, but it was the first of its type." At least that's something.
What does Stephen King consider a good horror movie?
If "Blood Feast" is the kind of horror movie that the master of horror himself deems not just terrible but also the worst he's ever seen, what does Stephen King count as a worthwhile entry into the genre? Luckily, it appears King does more recommending than lambasting, and has sung the praises of many horror films over the years.
In January 2017, Bloody Disgusting compiled a list of 15 modern horror movies King has urged others to watch. These include "The Strangers," 2004's "Dawn of the Dead," "The Descent," 2009's "The Last House on the Left," "The Ruins," "The Mist," "Final Destination," 2007's "The Hitcher," "Stir of Echoes," "The Witch," "Event Horizon," "Deep Blue Sea," "Crimson Peak," "The Autopsy of Jane Doe," and "The Blair Witch Project." King loves "The Blair Witch Project" so much, in fact, that in the 2010 reissue of his 1981 book "Danse Macabre," he penned an essay discussing his experience watching the film, which he considers "a work of troubling, accidental horror" (via Bloody Disgusting).
In December 2017, King wrote an article for the British Film Institute, selecting eight of his favorite films of all time and explaining why he enjoys them. They're not all strictly horror, though all of them have horror elements, as King noted that he's "especially partial ... to suspense films." Here's what he went with: "The Sorcerer," "Les Diaboliques," "The Changeling," "Night of the Demon," "Village of the Damned," "Duel," "The Hitcher," and "The Stepfather."
If you take King's word as gospel or are simply looking for a frightful horror movie to sink your teeth into and don't want to take suggestions from random people on the internet, consider streaming one of King's recommendations.