‘So bad it’s good’ movies are entertaining for all the wrong reasons, and the best of the last 100 years are fondly remembered for the pure joy they bring audiences. There really isn’t such a thing as bad movies, only boring ones. Therefore, some of the most notorious cinematic disasters have found new life as an ironic form of entertainment.
Most movies ever made are dull and uninteresting, and only the best of the best or the worst of the worst stick out in the minds of moviegoers. Much in the same way a triumphant film like The Godfather leaves a lasting impact, so too do hilarious movie misfires that try and fail to tell a coherent story.
The key element in all ‘so bad it’s good’ movies is effort. A memorable stinker must come from a good place, and from a filmmaker who is trying to succeed. Movies like Sharknado ape the bad movie trend, but fall flat because the passion isn’t there. While they might be bad, there’s something about them that keeps audiences coming back.
10
Reefer Madness (1936)
Reefer Madness is the oldest ‘so bad it’s good’ movie, and it still has a considerable influence on popular culture nearly 100 years later. The anti-drug propaganda film warns of the dangers of marijuana smoking. Meanwhile, it mixes in plenty of teenage crimewave fearmongering too. As the popularity of pot grew, the film resurfaced as a quaint time capsule.
Reefer Madness is in the public domain.
It has all the classic cheesy elements, from an overwrought sincerity to a cast full of over-the-top performances. At about an hour in length, Reefer Madness never overstays its welcome or gets boring. However, it isn’t as bombastic as many of its other cheesy movie counterparts, and its propaganda is so outlandish that it can be off-putting to some viewers.
9
Birdemic: Shock And Terror (2010)
On its surface, Birdemic: Shock and Terror looks like it’s trying to cash in on the bad movie trend, but it’s entirely serious. An unassuming solar panel salesman must survive when birds begin attacking people in a sleepy California town. Birdemic is a tribute to Hitchcock’s The Birds but with a ham-fisted environmental message thrown in for the modern day.
The terrible acting and writing is only outdone by the abysmal CGI, and there isn’t a single filmmaking element that Birdemic gets right. The entertainment value comes from seeing just how bad the movie can get, and Birdemic tops itself repeatedly. It’s perfect for schlock connoisseurs, but might be so bad that it’s totally unpalatable for casual film fans.
8
Mommie Dearest (1981)
A classic among cheesy cult classics, Mommie Dearest started as a sincere drama but quickly devolved into humorous farce. The film dramatizes the relationship between Joan Crawford and her adoptive children, painting the Hollywood legend as a violent tyrant. The serious subject matter was gobbled up by a scene-chewing performance from Faye Dunaway.
The film received middling reviews, but many critics were simply giving it the benefit of the doubt because Mommie Dearest was a major Hollywood release. It earned ‘so bad it’s good’ status immediately, becoming a beloved cult film for audiences to quote and mock. The “no wire hangers” scene is particularly memorable, and is perhaps the film’s most lasting legacy.
7
Battlefield Earth (2000)
Battlefield Earth is based on the novel by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, and the movie is just as competent as its source material. In the year 3000, a human must defeat the aliens known as the Psychlos who have taken over the Earth. Because the film’s foundation was rickety to begin with, it had almost no chance of succeeding.
The plot is incomprehensible, the dialogue is weird, and the performances make even the most outrageous melodrama seem tame in comparison. Scientology’s big push for the blockbuster market was immediately met with derision, but mostly because the movie is so bad. Battlefield Earth is a curiosity piece for fans of cinematic cheese because it looks like a major motion picture.
6
Miami Connection (1987)
A passion project from start to finish, Miami Connection is perhaps the most endearing ‘so bad it’s good’ movie ever made. A group of friends who play in a martial arts rock band must take on a rival band of ninjas who threaten their peaceful lives. Blending together action tropes but on a less-than-shoestring budget, Miami Connection has heart.
Every performance is bad for different reasons, and it is so sincere that it borders on parody. However, Miami Connection is never boring, and is actually impressive considering what was accomplished under such tight constraints. The stunts are better than most Z-movies, and the variety of Central Florida locations add some flair. It’s so bad, but it’s also so good.
5
The Wicker Man (2006)
A remake of the classic folk horror flick from the ’70s, 2006’s The Wicker Man hilariously missed the mark. Nicolas Cage heads to a mysterious island to find a missing girl, and falls victim to the cult that lives there. Instead of the deliberate terror of the original, the remake opts for goofy dialogue and one cheesy performance after another.
The Wicker Man was memed relentlessly upon release, and the internet helped spread its myth far and wide. It’s generally considered one of Cage’s worst, but he pulls out all the stops with his ridiculous acting. While the whole movie doesn’t live up to its funniest parts, the highlights are so funny that it’s worth watching just for those tidbits.
4
Troll 2 (1990)
Troll 2 couldn’t get anything right, even its own name. A family travels through a mysterious town that is overrun with devious goblins (not trolls) who want to eat people. Though it’s called Troll 2, it has absolutely nothing to do with the first film, which was released back in 1986.
Nevertheless, Troll 2 is superior to its predecessor, but for all the wrong reasons. Woefully miscast and completely absurd, the ‘so bad it’s good’ monster movie has several moments that border on outright comedy. There’s an almost surreal quality to the story, and it plays out like a drunk person describing a movie’s plot to an unwilling listener.
3
Samurai Cop (1991)
1991’s Samurai Cop desperately wants to convince the audience that it’s a snappy action comedy, but the comedy falls flat, and the action is downright comedic. A long-haired cop takes on a gang with the help of his wise-cracking sidekick. Director Amir Shervan clearly saw Lethal Weapon and Beverly Hills Cop, but it’s unclear if he understood them.
Translation issues make the native English-speaking actors sound like bad dubs, and there is an overall awkwardness to every moment. Continuity is thrown out the window and the film bounds from one senseless scene to the next. It’s a bad movie classic for a reason, and exists as an instruction manual on what not to do in an action film.
2
Plan 9 From Outer Space (1957)
Ed Wood is considered the grandfather of schlock, but most of his films are dull. That isn’t the case for 1957’s Plan 9 from Outer Space, the ultimate ‘so bad it’s good’ sci-fi bomb. Aliens arrive on Earth and begin resurrecting the dead to do their bidding. As seen in the biopic Ed Wood, the film’s production was a disaster.
With performances ranging from outrageous to outrageously bad, every new scene offers a surprise. The film’s cheapness is evident throughout, and it becomes a fun game to spot all the cut corners. It has remained a stalwart cult classic for decades, and can be considered the ultimate ‘so bad it’s good’ film from Hollywood’s Golden Age.
1
The Room (2003)
Before The Room, most ‘so bad it’s good’ films were horror or sci-fi, but Tommy Wiseau’s baffling melodrama changed the game. Johnny is a successful banker who finds his life spiraling out of control when his fiancée cheats on him with his best friend. It’s impossible to fully describe The Room and it must be seen to be believed.
The film is part vanity project and part power fantasy, with Wiseau’s Johnny made to look like the ultimate hero in distress. The hilarity comes from the cheesy dialogue and oddball choices that keep the entire project off-kilter. The Room is the ultimate ‘so bad it’s good’ movie, because it was made without a single touch of irony or self-reflection.