Although one 1999 horror comedy movie was unfairly avoided by audiences upon its original release 27 years ago, an upcoming remake of this underrated movie can redeem its reputation. Horror comedy is a tricky genre blend to get right. While Brendan Fraser’s Mummy movies might have been massive box office successes when they were released in the ‘00s, the genre is also littered with costly misfires. Projects like 2023’s The Haunted Mansion reboot and 2013’s R.I.P.D prove that not every horror comedy can mix scares and laughs effectively enough to ensure a return on investment.
However, some horror comedies can’t be blamed for their failure. 1999’s Idle Hands is a hilarious stoner comedy about a teenager slacker with a murderous, possessed hand that boasts a superb cast including Devon Sawa, Seth Green, Elden Henson, Vivica A. Fox, and a pre-fame Jessica Alba, as well as a supporting role for Fred Willard. The movie even crams in an appearance from The Offspring. However, the terrible timing of director Rodman Flender’s movie meant that Idle Hands not only failed to recoup its $25 million budget but also never even came close, earning a mere $4.2 million.
While Idle Hands was slated by critics upon its release, this wasn’t the primary reason for its box office underperformance. The movie was released the same month that the Columbine shooting occurred, leading the distributor to pull back on advertising and cancel the premiere. An article looking back on the event’s effect on the media saw CNN blame a massive advertising pullback for the box office failure of Idle Hands, but its lack of promotion and critical distaste for a comedy about a teenager involved in the killing of fellow students were also major factors.
Much like Kaley Cuoco’s underrated Killer Movie arrived too early to cash in on the slasher revival and never found its audience as a result, Idle Hands seemed tasteless thanks to the movie’s unfortunate timing and never received its flowers either. In retrospect, Idle Hands is a fun, goofy horror comedy that is too absurd to feel like it is in truly bad taste. Like a missing movie from the Scary Movie franchise, Idle Hands is mostly too busy with off-colour jokes about sex and drugs to offer viewers anything profoundly offensive.
Luckily, the underwhelming original reception of this smoked-out stoner movie classic is set to be redeemed by an upcoming remake. Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard and his Hell of a Summer co-director/co-star Billy Byrk announced a plan to remake Idle Hands in 2024, and their debut proves that the pair have got exactly the blend of slacker stoner comedy and slasher horror chops necessary for a remake. With Ghostbusters: Afterlife director Jason Reitman and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire director Gil Kenan on board as producers, hopefully, the Idle Hands remake can make up for the original movie’s unfortunate timing when it arrives.
