Top 10 Worst CGI in Horror Movies

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Worst CGI Effects in Horror Movies.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the most egregious, laughable, and simply unnecessary uses of computer-generated effects in horror movies. We’ll also be including TV miniseries that are essentially whole films edited for television. Warning: some spoilers ahead.

Which horror movie’s special effects ruined the suspense for you? Let us know in the comments below.

#10: Transformations
“Van Helsing” (2004)

This 2004 gothic horror thriller starring Hugh Jackman tried to update classic Universal characters like Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster for the 21st century. The results were mixed at best. That’s not to say “Van Helsing” doesn’t have its fans. While the character designs themselves look convincing, in motion it’s a whole different story. The climax shows monster hunter Abraham Van Helsing and Count Dracula transforming into their animal forms and battling to the death. As the creatures fight, their interactions with the environment are largely unconvincing and the emotional beats of the story are muddled by distracting transformation effects.

#9: The Corn God
“Children of the Corn” (1984)

CGI is a constantly evolving technology. And while there’s certainly a difference between bad CGI and old CGI, “Children of the Corn” is an example of both. This Stephen King adaptation tells the eerie story of a cult of murderous children who make human sacrifices to appease “He Who Walks Behind the Rows,” a bloodthirsty deity said to live among the cornstalks. Things get a little whacky when that deity finally makes an appearance in the last act. Sort of. The only thing scary about this demon is how unimaginative it is. Represented by grainy colored lights and a sentient red cloud, the movie’s final boss is done in by a molotov cocktail and unfortunate special effects.

#8: The Sculptures
“The Haunting” (1999)

Based on a classic in the genre, this reviled remake veered away from the psychological horror that made the original movie - and the novel it’s based on - so memorable. What the original gets done with camera tricks and the power of suggestion, the remake can’t even get done with thirty-six years of developments in special effects. While the haunted house itself is impeccably designed, once the walls started flexing and the crying sculptures made an appearance, it was over. Jan de Bont directed this movie after practically revolutionizing the modern CGI blockbuster with 1996’s “Twister,” but the only thing “The Haunting” revolutionizes is making crying ghost children not scary at all.

#7: Baby Doll
“One Missed Call” (2008)

Considered one of the worst J-horror remakes of the 2000s, clunky storytelling and wooden acting wasn’t the only thing keeping this one from becoming a classic. “One Missed Call” also features many, many bizarre and downright incompetent CGI effects. This one is by far the most memorable… for all the wrong reasons. The makers of this cash-in attempt seriously overestimated the creep factor of a CG baby holding a cell phone. Unsupervised screen time? The horror! Although our glimpse of the baby lasts mere seconds, the lingering shot of its snarling and glowing eyes just adds to the ridiculousness of it all.

#6: Freddy Caterpillar
“Freddy vs. Jason” (2003)

The “Nightmare on Elm Street” franchise has a long history of creative, practical effects, including those where Freddy takes the form of a wormlike creature. So why the heck does this design from sixteen years later look so much worse? Yep, you guessed it: CGI. Narratively, we might be able to buy the explanation that the shoddy rendering is the work of stoner Bill Freeburg’s psychedelics. Maybe. But any suspension of disbelief is further erased when the little guy decides to toke up alongside him. Sure, it’s supposed to be a humorous bit, but it ultimately backfires as the scene turns serious when the caterpillar violently shoves itself down Freeburg’s throat. Yeah, we’re laying off the hookah after this one.

#5: Mask Mix-Up
“Halloween H20: 20 Years Later” (1998)

What would the hopelessly homicidal Michael Myers be without his iconic mask? Apparently, this 1998 sequel required the use of multiple masks, which, as you’d expect, doesn’t do wonders for the continuity department. Rather than reshoot the whole movie, which would’ve been tremendously expensive, certain shots were redone with a new mask. What couldn’t be fixed with reshoots had to be digitally altered. The result is an eyesore of late ‘90s CGI. For a movie that had little-to-no other computer-generated effects, it’s a moment that catches the eye in the worst way.

#4: Possessed Deer
“The Ring Two” (2005)

This unfortunate scene from the lackluster sequel finds original star Naomi Watts and child actor David Dorfman besieged by a horde of possessed deer on a country road. This wouldn’t be so bad, but the CGI deer are so uncanny, so glossy that the only appropriate reaction to them is confusion. It’s hard to take them seriously as a threat, even as they come crashing through the car windows antler-first. Coupled with some truly awful smashing glass effects and naturally confounded performances from Watts and Dorfman, the only thing these deer scare away is any pretense of realism.

#3: The Langoliers
“The Langoliers” (1995)

Yet another Stephen King adaptation, this 1995 miniseries is about a commercial airplane that somehow punches through a time wormhole and ends up stuck in the past. If these seem like the perfect circumstances for pure existential horror, just wait until the title monsters appear. The Langoliers, described as creatures who feast on time itself, give new meaning to the phrase “scenery-chewing.” The only problem is they look more like flying meatballs with teeth than temporal monsters. Although it’s a miniseries, “The Langoliers”' has to be on this list for the sheer audacity of trying to make us believe these balls of CGI badness are supposed to be scary.

#2: Wall Freddy
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” (2010)

CGI-laden horror remakes have a habit of relying on digital technology to scare audiences. But usually, these attempts just make us remember how special the originals really were. Case in point: the 2010 remake of “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” In trying to recreate the iconic scare of Freddy Krueger appearing in the wall over Nancy’s bed, the filmmakers opted for an overstated CGI effect that left little to the imagination and looked hopelessly fake. The original effect was done with low lighting and a spandex wall, proving that sometimes, you just can’t beat practical effects.

#1: Computer-Generated Things
“The Thing” (2011)

While it was a box office disappointment in its first run, John Carpenter’s 1982 gory sci-fi horror opus became a cult classic. This was due in large part to the graphic creature effects created by movie makeup legend Rob Bottin. When a prequel / remake was released in 2011, fans were disappointed that almost all the monsters became computer-generated in post-production. It’s a shame because the movie otherwise isn’t that bad, but without the practical effects of the ‘80s version intact, the cell-replicating extraterrestrials feel way less real and way less scary as a result. This is a case of unconvincing CGI taking away from a good horror movie.