It's hard to knock classic films or films that have really resonated with people. However, absolutely no movie out there will be for everyone. Film is a form of art and art is of course always highly subjective. Most people know this but still, fans get protective over the reputation of their favorites.
To put it plainly, some beloved horror films are just overrated. Whether it's down to how well they aged or to the substance of a film, it's just the way it is and that's okay. To be clear, no films on this list are blatantly badly made or going down in history as terrible movies. That being said, it's likely not everyone feels they deserve the immense praise that they get.
The Exorcist (1973)
This is a big one, it's important to a lot of people and is potentially the most loved movie on this list. Of course, viewing at the time of release or as a child would probably be very effective. Unfortunately upon rewatch, The Exorcist is mostly just pretty boring.
Often seen as one of the most disturbing films of all time, The Exorcist made waves when it was released. There were many stories of people fainting or vomiting in the cinemas, and it's even rumored that the more intense scenes caused heart attacks and miscarriages in at least one case.
To give the film credit, its most famous scenes hold up very well, and they can be disturbing and scary. Linda Blair gives a stellar performance in the role of the young possessed child. It also deserves credit for its influence on the horror genre as a whole. However, this film is over two hours long. The majority of it is not spent with its most famous moments and the rest of it is somewhat lackluster.
The Lighthouse (2019)
Robert Eggers rose to prominence in 2015 with his film The Witch, a subtle and terrifying horror film that brought folk horror to the forefront. He came around again in 2019 with The Lighthouse, which is extremely divisive. While it has a really high score among critics and is undoubtedly beautifully made, it's a strong style over substance situation.
The Lighthouse looks really stunning with its black-and-white coloring and nearly square aspect ratio. The scenery shots are beautiful, the acting is fantastic, and there are some haunting visuals. But what about a story to get invested in? Ultimately, while there is somewhat of an underlying story, it doesn't stand out as much as the technical filmmaking aspects. It makes the movie kind of boring, and hard to get invested in if the viewer isn't only there for the pretentious aspects.
The Conjuring (2013)
James Wan is a brilliant horror creator, and probably the most important horror director to come out of this century. It feels like everything he does turns to gold. After the success of Saw and Insidious, he really ignited the haunted house genre again with The Conjuring.
This film is a solid watch with some terrifying moments and its ties to real people and allegedly real events are interesting. With that being said, there are too many problems with The Conjuring Universe as a whole and its source material to fully get behind this movie anymore. The quality of this franchise has really declined since its first few additions, and more problematic information has come out about Ed and Lorraine Warren as well as the cases they worked on.
It also hasn't aged massively well because this film now reads as a little generic. While that might not be the fault of the film as it is one that reinvigorated a genre, the market is now so saturated it doesn't seem too enticing to go back to The Conjuring.
Psycho (1960)
This will be controversial because Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is so often seen as somewhat of the birth of modern horror. Groundbreaking at the time and iconic in some short moments, it doesn't necessarily hold up the way it should for new viewers.
The shower scene is absolutely incredible and chilling. The big reveal is also still very effective. There are also of course some plot points that went on to set horror trends and really caught audiences off guard. Was Psycho the first mainstream slasher? Many would say yes. However, it's kind of hard to get into this film.
It's very rare for people to go into Psycho knowing nothing because it's so iconic. Unfortunately, that means, it doesn't usually end up being what new viewers expect-- and often not in a good way. The pacing at the beginning is quite slow, to the point where it almost seems like a different movie altogether. It takes a long time to get to the parts viewers want to see, and it's just not all that scary anymore.
Host (2020)
2020's Host is certainly not as well known or beloved as others on this list, but it did make more waves than one might think. It was released towards the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic on horror streaming service Shudder and is filmed entirely on a Zoom call, which was relatable to people at the time (and probably still is today). It also holds the record as statistically the scariest film of all time, beating out Scott Derrickson's Sinister.
Host doesn't suck by any means, it's a solid story with good characters and some decent scares. But to receive the level of praise and attention that it did feels more like a sign of the times than anything in hindsight. In reality, the film is a little generic and remains forgettable. It's one that comes up in a lot of conversations about the best horror films in the last few years, but there doesn't seem to be many reasons outside its timely setting. Ultimately, this one might not age very well.