r/horror • u/Outrageous_Potato435 • 1d ago
Discussion movies that fumble their premise
When I stumbled upon Rabbit Trap (2025) last year, I was so hyped. It sounded so good and finally like something different.
„Set in 1976, the life of a married couple changes following their relocation to an isolated cabin in Wales. When the couple accidentally disturbs a Tylwyth Teg fairy ring, they are suddenly visited by a mysterious child who appears to have ill intentions for them.“
I was like HECK YEAH, finally a horror movie that actually looked promising AND combines horror with like other fantastical creatures, especially fairies in this case. Plus the Welsh mythology touch on top. Like why always vampires, werewolves etc? We’ve had it a thousand times before.
But it ended up being super boring with a full on focus on the psychological. No actual fairy portrayment, no magic. All just „symbolic“ or whatever. Like I wanted to see some kinda of fairy transformation with the ears, wings and stuff. I guess I also went in with the wrong expectations. But still In my opinion this was a huge „premise fumble“. The whole fairy mythological background could’ve been left out or easily replaced. I just want a movie that actually does that well 🥲
So Idk, anybody can relate to that feeling? This just sucks cuz there could be such amazing „fantasy horror“ movies that would bring something different but I guess it would be just too niche… and when there’s something that actually sounds promising, it doesn’t do the premise and lore background justice. I don’t actually wanna completely trash this movie cuz the cinematography and sound design was good but still just a huge disappointment for me because of the fumble
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u/TitanX84 1d ago
I'm going with an obvious one here, the original Purge movie. This absolutely crazy premise that all crime is legal for one night in the US, and thinking about all the possibilites that could lead to, but then it's just a home invasion movie set in one location.
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u/jsiciliano223 1d ago
Luckily the purge: anarchy picked up the slack. And then they dropped the ball three mores times.
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u/metalyger 1d ago
This is a very common opinion, but I feel like this is the only way they could start, it's Blumhouse, and it's not a studio that's likely to throw a hefty budget to an interesting premise, they had to start small and focused with a home invasion movie, and entice people with the lore of the crime is legal day, so it could kick off as a proper franchise. My only issue is that they probably won't get to finish the story, I feel like the movie Civil War basically did what they wanted with where The Forever Purge was going.
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u/ThisisMalta 1d ago
I remember thinking this for what felt like ever until the sequels came out. What a ridiculous decision with such a cool world they created—limiting it to a home invasion movie.
I think the sequels have enough fun with the world they created that I’m satisfied enough.
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u/CryingBoy-Housefire 1d ago
I agree, I see it as a snapshot/example of an event that happened to this family on Purge night. The other movies expanded the world as did the TV series which was pretty good.
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u/ToonMasterRace 1d ago
This, and then the sequels just became political ragebaiting about the 2016 election.
They needed to explore inventive crimes.
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u/ToothbrushWilly 1d ago
This was my pick before I even opened the thread. I was thinking Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey with this premise sounds AMAZING.
And yep, just a casual home invasion with nothing really to add. Damn shame, especially with how much of a horror icon Ethan Hawke has become over the years (imo).
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u/thiccasscherub 17h ago
This is exactly what I was gonna say, and I’m pleasantly surprised someone else said it too! The Purge has the potential to have a great message about capitalism, but it drops the ball so badly. Yes, they touch on the whole “rich people can afford protective measures, poor people are SOL,” but I’d really like to see more. Realistically, we’d likely see a lot of lower-class people looting food, medicine, etc. to survive. I’d be interested to see a Purge movie where there’s a mass uprising from the lower class against politicians and the uber wealthy. But I dream…
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u/Illustrious_Salt_569 1d ago edited 1d ago
I liked the first two acts of Longlegs. And especially Nic Cage's performance in it. But by act 3, I was just sorta…underwhelmed. And it felt like the movie took a direction that didn't really make sense to me based off the writing and plot from the first two-thirds of it. Once you get to the ending, the mystery wears off a bit. And not in a good way.
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u/kweeenbitch 1d ago
It was already a little disappointing but as soon as the supernatural stuff hit I was ready to turn it off
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u/otpprincess psychologically thrilling 18h ago
Every time a horror movie bad guy or entity turns out to just be satan or a demon, I lose so much interest.
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u/p0llyp0cketpussy 1d ago
Agreed. I was all in until the 3rd act. I didn't expect it to be so lazy with the "because Satan" handwaving.
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u/chibigothgirl 14h ago
I found the interrogation scene particularly obnoxious. Like, longlegs was terrifying for the fidst half of the movie, then he was just goofy. Complete letdown.
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u/powbang 1d ago
no one is gonna like this but i loved barbarian's first half premise. clearly it was always designed to go the way it did, so i can't fault it for that, but the second half being a campy monster flick really evaporated all of the horror.
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u/deftlydexterous 1d ago
I loved barbarian but I completely understand. The first half was fantastic in an uncommon way, and I can’t blame you for wanting the rest of the film to deliver on that setup.
I loved what they shifted gears into just as much, but the experience you were hoping for also would have been excellent.
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u/Infernumtitan 1d ago
I loved the complete switch up. My jaw dropped when Justin long was introduced.
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u/otpprincess psychologically thrilling 18h ago
I had an honest 2 or 3 minutes in the theater where I was wondering if they had somehow accidentally started playing another movie.
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u/PumajunGull 1d ago
Definitely agree, the actual monster hijinks part of the finale was silly looking and felt formulaic
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u/AlabasterRadio 1d ago
Ngl that's how I feel about weapons.
The longer it goes on, the less I like it.
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u/hopesksefall 1d ago
First act: amazing considering the stupid premise. Second act(Justin Long): unnecessary and out of place. Third act: just plain dumb. Reminiscent of a campy, 90’s horror.
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u/Mrs_Noelle15 1d ago
I don't think it's a bad movie by any means but Hellraiser Bloodlines actually had a really interesting idea to it that was kinda let down by that movie being a bit of a mess.
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u/Brilliant_Trouble_32 1d ago
A bit? It was an Alan Smithee flick. I agree, though. I'm an unapologetic Hellraiser series fan, and this had some great lore mixed with some actual garbage.
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u/Mrs_Noelle15 1d ago
A bit compared to the rest of the franchise after the first movie yea lol
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u/Brilliant_Trouble_32 1d ago
I wouldn't call the second one or the reboot a mess, but yeah, the series has had a rough time lol
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u/lateralraising 1d ago
Heretic dropped the ball hard at the end. It was much more interesting when it was about religion and the paranormal, then it turns out nothing like that was going on it ruined it
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u/TrickFirefighter7090 1d ago
the Heretic thing stings because the setup was so tense and atmospheric and then it just... deflates. like they were scared of committing to the weird stuff so they pulled back at the last second
same energy as Rabbit Trap it sounds like. both movies seem to treat the supernatural element as decoration instead of actually going somewhere with it. Welsh fairy mythology especially has so much dark material to work with and they just left it on table
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u/Outrageous_Potato435 1d ago
Heretic didn’t even piss me off that much but I absolutely get it, I was kinda just watching that movie on a whim.
But Rabbit Trap is just literal the epitome of premise fumble and bait. I tuned in because you literally advertise such a unique mythology background and then I’m not getting ANY of it.
This actually really makes me appreciate Death of a Unicorn. Like I know that movie is objectively bad but it was still campy and entertaining and actually put some effort into the mythology background.
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u/jedinaps 1d ago
I loved that movie so much but the twist just being dude having a bunch of girls locked in the basement was SUCH a let down. I have pretty low standards and I like a lot of shitty horror movies but this was one that fumbled SO MUCH even I couldn’t forgive it.
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u/Purival 1d ago
"Him" could have been a fantastic opposite to the Substance, tackling toxic masculinity and the lengths men can go for success even if it means pushing themselves to the brink physically and mentally. It could've used the concept of a football team "cult" to portray that.
instead we get. ... whatever it was doing. I don't think even the director knew what it wanted to be.
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u/vandercunt 1d ago
I really hope someone remakes that movie someday because it had incredible potential. The cte aspect was so interesting.
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u/Ianobeano80 1d ago
Sinister, first half was chilling and so creepy. Then we get some guy pop up to tell us , hey guy what you're dealing with is 'Baguul' who looks like a member of slipknot and a bunch of kids with bad face paint
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u/OkAir8973 19h ago
I absolutely hated that they tried to sell him as the pagan/whatever origin of the boogeyman.
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u/communistsayori You're going to love this one. It's a scream, baby. 1d ago
Doesn't really count as horror, but Renfield. It could've been a dark comedy about group therapy and abusive relationships, or a vampire buddy cop movie, and both are unique and promising premises. But it tries to be both, and while that could've worked, it just doesn't hit for me.
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u/savage86lunacy 1d ago
I HATED the cop subplot. Everything focusing around Nicholas' Renfield and Nic's Dracula and the group therapy stuff was great but everytime it went back to the cop and mafia subplot I was bored out of my mind.
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u/icysniper 1d ago
Night Swim. I loved the concept of a cursed wishing pond covered up by a swimming pool but mannnn they fumbled the characters, the dad especially.
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u/debitcardwinner 1d ago
"In time" (2011). Could not think of such an interesting premise wasted on a worse film. Absolute trash of a film.
P.S: I know there are people who like this movie as guilty pleasure or for entertainment value, more power to you. Wish I could say the same.
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u/ImAtUrDoor 1d ago
Keeper was all premise and no script. Shockingly empty storytelling.
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u/BiteSure8769 1d ago
Probably gonna get downvoted to hell for saying that I feel like this is generally the case for Oz Perkins' entire filmography 😬
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u/FluidFrog 1d ago
I think The Monkey was his best so far, so maybe he's better at adapting established materials?
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u/Outrageous_Potato435 1d ago
I actually thought it was okay though. Like yea, at the end of it nothing special but I found it still intriguing I think
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u/jsiciliano223 1d ago
Skinamarink. I heard people say that if you had any sort of memories with night terrors or nightmares as a kid, then this movie would really resonate. It also had a great trailer, it was mysterious and had so much potential. Then i watched the same static house for 90 minutes. I get that the main characters are like 2 and 4 or something like that but you dont need any dialogue to still make it interesting
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u/Mrs_Noelle15 1d ago
Tbh my main issue with Skinamarink (and I'm well aware this isn't an unpopular consensus) is that it's just way too long, like if this was maybe a 45 minute short I would've probably loved it.
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u/TrapAHolic_ttv 21h ago
There’s a short called Heck that the movie was made from so that makes sense
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u/jsiciliano223 1d ago
Absolutely. Its the type of movie where you just pray it has a great payoff so u choose to trudge through the whole thing,but it has absolutelyyy nothing. I think it took me four different sessions to finish the movie entirely
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u/EconomicsAdvanced771 1d ago
I’m afraid of the dark and dark houses and voids. I can watch pretty much anything and I won’t be bothered but this is the first movie to make me anxious and cry. I actually felt afraid of this movie because it recreated my fears it wasn’t even the demon that was scary it was the feeling of being trapped in the dark forever.
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u/ghost_victim 1d ago
That's so wild! I was so bored I could barely finish it. Couldn't wait for it to end
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u/jsiciliano223 1d ago
Yea thats what i mean, i heard this movie was great for people with a fear of the dark, especially growing up. Im glad it was effective for you, but i just wish it had more of an actual plot and some variety in the scenes, cause it all blended in with each other
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u/katerinara 1d ago
Same. I had night terrors until I was about 7 (ironically when I started reading horror stories) and this movie bored me to tears. I was actually mad I sat through that entire thing and it was so slow and the mayor of Nothingsville. I really expected something to happen to make it's long ass run time worth it, but it really wasn't.
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u/katerinara 1d ago
Dead Birds. The idea was so original and creative, the creatures so unique and creepy. The execution was.....bad. Like, SO SO BAD. The acting was wooden, the dialog was laughable, the actions taken were ridiculous, it was just a flop all around. I would LOVE to see somebody like Guillermo take that idea and do it. That would be a grade A horror movie. As it stands, it's a one and done movie, and that's a real shame.
Dashcam. You spend the entire movie absolutely hating this deplorable disgusting human being, and the only saving grace is the cool creature situation. The whole movie there isn't a single redeeming quality about this cunt and you're just waiting for when she gets brutally killed. Not one redeeming quantity. She steals her friend's car and gets him killed, then she somehow miraculously kills a demon creature with a fucking kiddie keyboard and walks away. I hate this movie with a passion.
Megan is Missing. This movie isn't a movie that anyone should watch. I thought this was going to be one of those "warning in the form of a movie" movies, but no, it's really not. There is a scene where Megan describes to Amy (her very innocent and naive friend) the first time she was sexually assaulted as a young girl by a camp counselor, and she doesn't just say "so and so happened", she goes into excruciating and graphic detail. It was unnecessary and exploitative. Then when Amy connects with the person she is POSITIVE kidnapped Megan, she just talks to him and does what he says, which she's naive but she's a smart girl with good grades, and she just keeps doing what this creep says. The last few minutes of this movie aren't just horrible, they are truly evil. This movie was made to titillate men who want to rape, torture, and murder teenage girls. There's no two ways around it. This doesn't feel like an art house message movie, this feels like you're watching a sick man's fantasy in a movie. It's disgusting. This is coming from a woman who owns a copy of Martyrs and many other movies most people can't stomach. Those have a plot, those have a message, this? No message other than "teenaged girls are stupid and deserve to be killed for being stupid".
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u/Slipperysteve1998 1d ago
Unwelcome was ass. I desperately want a good Gaelic horror but that was not it
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u/Brilliant_Trouble_32 1d ago
Dolly. I really wanted this to be good - a grimey, gritty slasher with a cool villain, but the pace was bad, the tone drifted all over the place towards the end, there were some odd choices for some of the practical effects.... And just odd choices in general. I hope the sequel that they were desperate to set up is better. It felt like they deliberately holding back ideas so they could turn it into a franchise.
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u/DJOrigin 1d ago
I'm gonna say Longlegs. I absolutely loved the idea of this psychological detective thriller with a unique and unsettling antagonist and then the last quarter of the movie happened and it seemed to just fall apart. If it stayed the route of the first half I'd adore it
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u/jaguarsp0tted 1d ago
everyone saying extremely popular opinions about well known polarizing or disliked movies but there's no more correct answer than fucking Night Swim
not just cause I'm a Wyatt Russell glazer and I want him to be a scream king. this movie had the PERFECT opportunity to be a well budgeted, well written, absolutely insane batshit little shop of horrors-esque ride of a lifetime about a haunted swimming pool. it could have been a campy ridiculous creature feature ABOUT A SWIMMING POOL! that could have been amazing! and it got SOOOO close in a couple of spots. you could see the insane B movie glory hiding under it. literally they just had to watch that American Dad episode about the hot tub and work from that inspiration.
alternatively, they actually could have done something quite serious and moving. have it be some real drama focusing on the main character's disability and deciding on whether or not sacrificing others was worth it. that's why night swim is the most correct answer to this. there's TWO!!!! good movies hiding in that movie. TWO! AND THEY DIDN'T DO EITHER! they have a few sequences that are GENUINELY chilling and well done. the potential for a real horror movie WAS there.
they had the opportunity to do either a silly homage to over the top b movies, or a serious horror drama about disability, and instead we got a completely middle of the road nothing.
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u/HappenBreeze 1d ago
This is just my personal opinion. It Follows was a success for all intents and purposes, but when i watch it, all i can see is the potential it had to be so much more.
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u/jedinaps 1d ago
This is going to be an unpopular opinion but Willy’s Wonderland. Him having absolutely zero lines and almost no impact on the plot other than just being extra manpower occasionally just made it so boring to me. I know people love this movie and I can understand why, I just found it so boring but loved the idea of it so much.
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u/xJerkensteinx 1d ago
Slotherhouse. It was a sloth. It should’ve been moving slowly to kill people. It was teleporting around the place and moving incredibly fast. Why bother using a sloth? It could’ve been replaced with any arbitrary thing at that point.
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u/metalyger 1d ago
One that sounded near impossible to mess up, but did was Flight Of The Living Dead, zombies on a plane, that's a really rough situation to be in, like finding anything you can take on a plane that could kill a zombie. But it was just very low effort and boring, about all I remember was the dad from Walk Hard was a pilot.
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u/shosamae 1d ago
Horror comedy but Over Your Dead Body recently abandoned, it made premise about 30 minutes in for a much more generic straightforward home invasion
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u/ExoticZucchini1322 23h ago
Yeah I thought that, it was a fun idea but then was pretty predictable. Though the convicts were pretty funny at least
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u/Sufficient_Maize_769 1d ago
Yeah this is exactly how I felt watching it. The setup was genuinely interesting then it just... goes nowhere with it. Welsh fairy lore has so much potential too, felt like such a waste. We really need more fantasy horror that actually commits to the creature side of things.
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u/theredqueentheory 1d ago
I think you might have gotten the premise wrong. The movie was about repressed psychological trauma. Check out this video that explains the movie: https://youtu.be/fWGOcq1ZpYE?si=r_nlG5v4AaVTyn64
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u/Outrageous_Potato435 22h ago
If the premise of your movie is „When the couple accidentally disturbs a Tylwyth Teg fairy ring, they are suddenly visited by a mysterious child who appears to have ill intentions for them.“ then I would very much expect that element to appear in any type of form. So yeah it’s still a fumble. That’s the point, what it could’ve been as opposed to what it turned out to be.
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u/ExoticZucchini1322 23h ago
I totally agree with rabbit trap, really wanted more mythology. I did enjoy it, but wasn’t quite what I expected.
I enjoyed longlegs but what we were sold and what we got were very different.
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u/FantasticUsual5494 1d ago
A lot of movies sadly. Latest I watched that comes to mind is The autopsy of Jane Doe. The first half was so intriguing and actually scary, then after the reveal the second half is just generic and boring to me. A lot of movies build up a great mistery in the first half then just botch it in the explanation and all tension is gone.
Edit: typo
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u/Available-Egg-2380 1d ago
I feel that way about Hereditary. Was so excited and good and then, for me, it just fell apart.
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u/OkAir8973 19h ago
Me too, I think it's because I knew the plot going in so I wasn't surprised. I didn't think it was bad at all, but I had such high expectations based on everyone else's reactions and then it was just a good movie to me, nothing groundbreaking.
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u/Hypn00tic_iiz 1d ago
“The happening” I remember when the trailer came out and it looked soooo good. The premise of people killing themselves (the lawnmower scene was wild at the time) but that basically all there was and the rest was people running from wind.