Despite the name you see above, for the most part, I don’t believe in the assumption that movies can be that bad, they’re good. If a movie is good, it’s rarely just. . . good? However, there is no doubt that films can succeed even if they fail.
Ed Wood is an extreme but highly productive example of a filmmaker who never achieved exactly what he set out to do with any of his films, but who nevertheless created cinematic magic out of enthusiasm, unapologetically and largely from illusion. This kind of thing is greater than a forced attempt to create the same effect. Think of Sharknado, a funny movie, but one that works so hard to achieve silly things that you can see failure sweating. The most productive “so bad they’re good” movies take place there by accident. Personally, I’d almost rather see an attractive failure than boring good luck, infrequently because the hobby is contagious, and also occasionally because a true WTF points debacle is a rare and excellent thing. Here are 35 of them.
In the not-too-distant term (2010 AD), Jason Voorhees has been captured by the United States government, but they have been looking to kill him for years, to no avail. That’s why they do what the United States does best: leave the challenge to the next generation. They freeze the big guy, which is then discovered about five centuries later through a team exploring the now-uninhabitable Earth. They wake him up, which, as you can imagine, is a bad idea: he’s embarking on a killing spree. But in space! The film, long ridiculed, is incredibly entertaining if you’re willing to settle for the over-the-top premise. He was given all the gruesome murders you’d expect in a Friday the 13th movie (including a memorable part involving liquid nitrogen) and, more importantly, a sense of humor about himself. This lighthearted tone and a cool redesign by Jason make this a delightfully quirky piece of sci-fi horror.
Where to stream: Digital rental
Imagine a crazy, mind-blowing film against the LSD counterculture directed through one of classic Hollywood’s leading figures and starring mostly older actors with names like Jackie Gleason, Carol Channing, Mickey Rooney, and Groucho Marx (in the role of a gangster named “God” who may also be God).
It’s. . . well, okay, I’ve noticed it at least 3 times and I have no idea what it is, however, after a few heists and a handful of acid trips, it culminates with Channing’s character (in a sea mischievous). admiral movie). uniform) leading a flotilla of hippies to attack God’s yacht before Harry Nilsson (the film’s composer) sings all the closing credits. Some would say that Anatomy of a Murder or Laura are director Otto Preminger’s masterpieces, however, it is an absolute triumph of weirdness.
Where to stream: Plex
Clearly the Battle filmmakers were involved, at least to some extent. After all, one of the film’s iconic models is “Nell,” a biological spaceship that looks, very deliberately, like a pair of breasts attached to a set of ovaries.
However, the area opera produced by Roger Corman is a complicated combination of ridicule and seriousness, with an impressive cast (Richard Thomas, Robert Vaughn, George Peppard, John Saxon, etc. ) giving it their all to give an edition of Star Wars that the film partly participates in. This tension, however, is a characteristic of the genre “so bad is good”.
Where to stream: Peacock, Tubi, The Roku Channel, Shout Factory TV, Prime Video
This 1986 adaptation of Steve Gerber’s comic book was a hobby commission from George Lucas for over a decade. It was also the first time a Marvel character had appeared on the big screen, at least since a 1944 Captain America series. Has the Marvel Cinematic Universe been revived a quarter of a century before Iron Man?Unlikely, but it’s a tempting prospect given that it could have resulted in a much more impertinent series of films. A box office bomb that drew ridicule from critics and 4 Razzies, it stars Lea Thompson as the human woman she first meets (and ends up sleeping with) the Duckworld guest. The film is full of wild, daring, and not-quite-successful decisions, however, the committed performances of Thompson and company have given the film cult status.
Where to stream: Prime Video
I’ve yet to find a convincing revisionist interpretation that Batman and Robin is some kind of misunderstood masterpiece; It’s a tempting interpretation. The daytime glow flavor and notoriously pronounced nipples suggest a misunderstood queer harvest in perspective, but it’s either too much or not enough.
Despite everything that happens, the film still manages some boring sequences and the comic-book-inspired palette has a tendency towards the reasonable and the ugly. And yet! It’s a desirable failure and serves as a throwback to a time when a major studio spent massive sums on something so idiosyncratic. And, although it doesn’t work out in the end, it’s the last time Batman on the big screen comes close to being fun.
Where to stream: Max, virtual rental
The Wachowskis have taken ambitious steps in their film careers. Not all of them have been successful, but his films are never boring and this one has his signature sumptuous visual style. Mila Kunis plays Jupiter Jones, who cleans houses for a living before discovering that he has a greater inheritance thanks to the intervention of Channing Tatum, betting on a genetically modified dog. He’s a fun, wacky mix of sci-fi tropes mixed with clever concepts, and who cares? attitude. The MVP here is actually Eddie Redmayne, whose unhinged performance as the main villain is objectively pretty horrible, but entertaining. The actor won an Oscar for The Theory of Everything the same week he “won” the Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor for that film. I’m not a big fan of the Razzies, but this one seemed deserved, in the most productive way.
Where to stream: Prime Video
On the surface, it’s all about heavy equipment: fuel-ignition, abuse, sexual assault, and manipulation revolving around a teenage relationship. All of this is done with such over-the-top taste that it’s almost unlikely that he’ll take it all seriously, until the end of Mark Wahlberg’s In The Movie, Mark Wahlberg’s Hard-to-Kill David might as well be Michael Myers. These elements, along with the soon-to-be-A-list cast of the movie, explain why a movie has the plot of a mediocre movie for life. It has become a minor cult classic.
Where to stream: Paramount, virtual rental
If “camp” can be explained as a lack of seriousness, then Cats is a shining example. The variety of what has been accumulated here is extraordinary, with an Oscar-winning director leading an impressive cast performing numbers from one of the most popular Broadway musicals of all. time. Obviously, everyone was concerned about the idea that they were part of a prestige film designed for awards season.
We hadn’t gotten much further than the release of the first trailer before hopes were dashed, with the suspension of disbelief granted to theatrical-level costumed performers completely disappearing in a valley of digitally enhanced bodies and cat outfits. What was intended to be captivating has become vaguely nightmarish, yet this disconnect between what was finished and the end result is some indication that Cats, with just a little more time, is confident of a position in the canon of deeply mind-blowing cult classics.
Where to stream: Netflix, virtual rental
As with Cats, it was clear from the start that the audience wasn’t welcoming Mommie Dehest as expected. What was intended to be a deeply serious biopic and an exploration of child abuse was instead intended as a high-end black comedy. Paramount temporarily changed course and replaced the film’s marketing to lean into its more outlandish elements, adding string hangers to posters and promising “. . . the greatest MOTHER of all!” As if to assure the audience that he was involved in this, something that in fact had not been the production.
The impeccable old-fashioned production design is a big component of the appeal here, as is Faye Dunaway’s extravagant and perfectly over-the-top functionality. Its commitment to serious functionality is exactly why it’s so brilliantly fun.
Where to stream: Paramount, virtual rental
Speaking of Faye Dunaway, she offers another absolutely charming functionality in this messy spin-off, a first attempt at creating a superhero cinematic universe. Supergirl wisely tries to move away from the sci-fi trappings of the Superman movies and toward something a little more fantasy-inspired, but she plays like a bunch of pieces that never combine to form anything coherent. Still, it’s fun to watch Dunaway and Helen Slater play Kara Zor-El perfectly, even if the movie only works sporadically.
Where to stream: Digital rental
Here’s a pretty effective setup: Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson) is a clumsy paramedic who develops powers of premonition after a near-death experience. When he has a vision of 3 young women killed on a train, he makes the decision to save them. It’s not that complicated! Until we place ourselves with a mother who died a long time ago in the Amazon, 3 Spider-Women, a villain with inexplicable motivations, flashbacks, flash forwards and moments where the action stops dad in his tracks while the characters tell all this to the audience. in vain. Add to all of this an incredibly unsubtle product positioning that makes the film look like a big, clunky Pepsi commercial. If anything, it’s even clumsier than last year’s flop, Spider-adjacent Morbius, earning its position here as a film to be enjoyed more productively under the influence.
Where to stream: Netflix, virtual rental
It’s rude to feature tongue-in-cheek films here, but, since the new critics didn’t seem to get the point, we’ll give them a position here. A reasonable and conscientiously calculated Roger Corman to bring in some of that sweet Jaws money, the crazy vintage horror B is a laugh: a taste of the horror-comedy that director Joe Dante would go on to master. Here, genetically modified piranhas escape a military installation with the help of a few skinny divers (of course) and make their way through a summer camp full of reckless swimmers. John Sayles (Brother from Another Planet, Matewan, Eight Men Out and many others) wrote the script, reminding us that even Corman’s most reasonable films were mini-talent factories.
Where to stream: Peacock, Tubi, AMC, Crackle, Shudder Night Flight, Prime Video
The call from writer and director Louis C. K. It no longer has the prestige it once had, and it’s completely okay to feel a little embarrassed by it and its work. Still, the films are so collaborative that it’s hard to know where to draw the line. In fact, mileage will vary. As for Pootie Tang, it’s very silly, with a tongue-in-cheek tone, but the silliness is inspired, parodies 70s blaxploitation films, and is based on performances by some incredibly talented and funny people, like Wanda SykesArray, J. B. Smoove, Chris Rock, Reg. E. Cathey and Jennifer Coolidge (who, as always, steals every single scene she appears in). He’s also incredibly quotable, especially if she dresses him at a wildly impressionable, stoned age.
Where to stream: Tubi, virtual rental
Alex Proyas is the culprit behind The Raven and Dark City, two of the most imaginative films of recent decades. He also directed. . . other films. Proyas’ vision of an ancient Egyptian exchange in which gods walk among mortals is ultimately deeply stupid: being (with the exception of Chadwick Boseman) predominantly white.
All this aside, the paintings manage to reflect Proyas’ impressive mental vision and quirks. In this, at least, it’s not bad as an antidote to our existing glut of more cohesive, but also much more boring, superhero movies.
Where to stream: Max, virtual purchase
The advent of Denis Villeneuve’s two-part adaptation naturally drew attention to the 1984 edition through popular director “Alan Smithee,” a pseudonym used by David Lynch to disavow the film (or at least the longer TV series). He wasn’t wrong to be disappointed: the film isn’t a misunderstood masterpiece, but it’s a desirable interest with moments of genuine strength that captures must-have elements of Frank Herbert’s novel. In the end, Lynch’s vision is probably too different. to make him a smart candidate for this kind of adaptation, and the studio’s interference further compromised a task that was already going to be a tough sell.
Where to stream: Netflix, virtual rental
Feelings about He-Man are hot, we’ve had reason to be informed about it recently, and only less so in the pre-Internet days of the late ’80s. Moving the action from Eternia to Earth and adding some teenage sidekicks was never going to happen. to be the way to please the enthusiasts of the popular cartoon, leaving practically no one to animate a film that deserved to have been a success.
Being an adaptation of the series is its biggest problem, in this case. Considered an indie fantasy film from the mid-80s, it works much better. It’s still incredibly silly, but it’s augmented through landscape-chewing Frank Langella and Jack Kirthrough-inspired character designs that give the film a distinctive visual character.
Where to stream: Tubi
The virtues of the first Grease film are debatable, but it is undoubtedly a megahit that has quickly become a classic among audiences. Honestly, I prefer Grease 2, even though it’s a much less polished film. Musical numbers are everywhere, and many of them seem to have been randomly incorporated into the film (the ode to bowling, for example). Stephanie, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, is, on the surface, the coolest character in both films, but she lacks motivation beyond a badass boyfriend. It’s all pretty sloppy, but the cast is obviously laughing and it’s all so adorable and lively that it’s hard to hate.
Where to stream: Paramount, virtual rental
Staying for a moment in the territory of an ill-conceived sequel, we sign up for John Travolta’s Tony Manero as he continues the quest for dance glory begun on the vintage disco Saturday Night Fever. There’s no plot here to speak of, but there are still some very fun dance numbers and impressive costumes, as well as a seriousness that leads to hilarity if you’re in a good mood.
Where to stream: Digital rental
A disco musical with Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly?What could possibly go wrong?! As it turns out, Xanadu was a flop on almost every single level: the dance numbers are replaced and staged, the effects are pretty awful (even by 1980s standards), and the acting is rarely very good. Largely a plot, it was meant to function as a show, and it didn’t, even inspiring the notorious Golden Raspberry Awards.
However, a film can be a critical and box office failure and still fail to achieve cult status. Its sheer weirdness is an eye-catcher (Gene Kelly? Really?), and it can be a lot of fun if you’re willing to ask yourself “what were they thinking?”for approximately 90 minutes.
Where to stream: Digital rental
Ed Wood, of course, reigns as the patron saint of cult films, a filmmaker with such fondness and seriousness that he doesn’t seem to have learned that he made films that were not only horrible, but so horrible that they achieved immortality. In that sense Plan Nine is his masterpiece, a movie about alien invaders that he hopes we don’t notice that Bela Lugosi replaced mid-production with a much larger chiropractor. The fact is that we have discovered it and love it even more.
Where to stream: Tubi, The Roku Channel, Mubi, virtual rental
We’ll have to mention Troll 2, a notoriously conflicted film that was the subject of a documentary (Best Worst Picture) that explores the reasons for its popularity versus its highly questionable cinematic merits. It’s unclear exactly how funny the film is intended to be, given the language barrier between the writer/director and the Italian-speaking crew and the English-speaking cast, but it does indeed deserve its prestige as a film whose flaws make it that much more entertaining. than it probably would have been if it had been a success.
Oh, and don’t worry if you come out cold, this is rarely a sequel to anything – the makers were just looking to capitalize on the relative popularity of the 1986 film Troll.
Where to stream: Tubi, MGM, virtual rental
The Room, an autobiographical hobby for writer, director, and producer Tommy Wiseau, has its position in the bad cinema hall of fame, alternating incomprehensible monologues and substandard dialogue to porn, while adding some bizarre sex scenes.
The fact is that a hit, The Room, which like everything Wiseau had in mind when he designed this, may not have been more purely entertaining than the finished product. No amount of intentional parody can reflect pure entertainment. The price of trying to figure out precisely what is happening in this movie at any given moment.
Where to stream: Tommy Wiseau posted this on Archive. org.
Road House is my favorite Patrick Swayze movie, especially since it presents a rather enhanced view of the lives of Missouri doormen. It’s almost an opera, with many more explosions than one might expect in typical roadside bar reports and multiple fatal fights. It also includes some really ridiculous discussions and several dead-end plots, but they’re still excellent.
Where to stream: Digital rental
Anaconda pushes itself over the edge here, as it obviously aims to be a little ridiculous, but it also achieves anything thanks to over-the-top acting and questionable special effects that put it above and beyond a more typical jungle monster action movie. For the spoiler, however, watching Jon Voight get eaten by a giant CGI snake is thrilling in itself.
Where to stream: Netflix, virtual rental
Paul Verhoeven is a mystery to me. Although his Starship Troopers are considered to be accidentally funny, I have no doubt that he knew exactly what he was doing with this one. I’m not so sure about this infamous erotic drama; I’m committed to not adding any intentional fields to this list, but I honestly don’t know how much of Showgirls’ forced weirdness is intentional and how much is accidental. Either way, it’s very entertaining.
Where to stream: Tubi, MGM
Joe Marshall (Matthew Karedas, shown here as Matt Hannon) may possibly be a white LAPD cop, but he’s ACTUALLY passionate about Japanese culture and almost qualifies as a samurai, given that he spent time in Japan and knows how to use a sword. . Fortunately, he is available when a rogue Yakuza faction makes their presence in Los Angeles, leading to an extravagant martial arts match in the parking lot of Carlos’n Charlie’s. The fights themselves aren’t bad, however, the sound was done completely in ADR after filming wrapped, and most of the actors didn’t return, so most of the voices are from the same pair of actors, with different height; As a result, most of them look like robots. The photographs were taken in a single office, so the reaction images do not match. It’s the Outer Space Plan Nine of the action movies of the ’80s and ’90s.
Where to stream: Tubi, Night Flight
This one largely depends on your tolerance for the mindless action blockbusters of Roland Emmerich, or in this case, literally Roland Emmerich. His newest stars are Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson, who will have to save the Moon from crashing into Earth. Because it is empty and full of extraterrestrial beings bent on destruction. Or something like that? In fact, the plot is not the point, nor is the clinical accuracy: astrophysicist and professional Neil DeGrasse Tyson said that the film “violated more laws of physics per minute than any film he has ever seen. ” I’ve never noticed it. ” But it’s never boring!
Where to stream: US, virtual rental
Nicolas Cage insists that the comedy in this remake of the ’70s cult film is largely intentional and that the film is just crazy enough to make you believe. “No, not the bees! Not the bees!” (in a scene where Cage’s character Malus is tortured with bees, of course) is quintessential Nicolas Cage, and has preceded the film as a meme. Even bigger is when Malus, dressed as a bear, punches Ellen Burstyn in the face. The movie is also committed to Johnny Ramone, for some reason.
Where to stream: Digital rental
Stephen King’s adaptation genre includes more than its percentage of movie classics and a lot of nonsense. But! Among King’s lesser-appreciated films are some desirable pleasures to blame, none more deranged than the single film King himself directed. While the author’s substance abuse issues in the 1980s need not be taken lightly, King has been quite fair about the extent to which he was “cooked out of the brain during production. “The movie is about a comet that turns devices evil on Earth, leading Emilio Estevez and the company to be terrorized by, say, a vending device that fires soda projectiles. It’s an absolutely petty mess, but also a lot of fun, with a spectacular soundtrack by AC/DC.
Where to stream: Tubi, Prime Video
Robert Urich (better known as Spenser: For Hire for under 40) leads a very ’80s cast in this impressive (?) sci-fi that attempts to appeal to Star Wars enthusiasts with a story set in a remote long-term where water is scarce. Start up still only because an organization called the Templars of Mithras is hoarding everything there is to have and destroying worlds with herb reserves to ensure it remains a scarce commodity (it’s smart to know that American capitalism loves us at the same time). Conceived as a box office hit, the film’s budget was cut by more than a portion early in development. So the decision was made to save the production by turning it into a comedy, a change in tone that made the final product sillier and more chaotic than it could be. otherwise it would have been. Bonus: The cast is packed: Dallas’ Anjelica Huston, Ron Perlman, Bruce Vilanch (!), John Carradine and Mary Crosthrough all stars.
Where to stream: Digital rental
Writer-director John Patrick Shanley has won Oscars and Tonys; his play Doubt won a Pulitzer Prize and his screenplay for Moonstruck is moving and memorable. The film adaptation of his much-loved work Outside Mullingar is mind-blowing enough to overwhelm all that goodwill. By translating the story to the screen, the film gets lost in a fake Irish environment emphasized or undermined by Christopher Walken’s horrific Irish prop (just look to believe it). The romantic comedy setup is pretty standard and is about two other people on adjacent farms who remain separated without any specific explanation until they are reunited, and without any specific explanation why. But then comes the surely scathing ending, which I assure you you probably wouldn’t see coming.
Where to stream: Max, virtual rental
This movie is definitely not a copy of the movie E. T. by Steven Spielberg. The alien at all. Here, “MAC” means “Mysterious Alien Creature”, which is absolutely different. This one also has a much smaller budget and although E. T. is famous for doing much of the product placement for Reese’s Pieces, Mac and I’s business instincts are sharper. Sharped: Mac is also a reference to the Big Mac, as in the burger of the film’s main sponsor, McDonald’s, and we can’t forget it. It’s generally a silly diversion, with a main climax in the form of a meticulously choreographed, however, improvised dance number inside a McDonald’s that includes an appearance by Ronald himself.
Where to stream: Tubi
An erotic mystery in the not-so-venerable “hot for the instructor” genre, The Boy Next Door stars Jennifer Lopez as Claire Peterson, a classics instructor in a troubled marriage who discovers herself by making meaningful eye contact with the new guy in the Boy Boy Who Is A Girl Who Finds Herself Making Significant Eye Contact With The New Guy In The Boy That Is A Girl Who Is A Girl T then 27 years old). They bond over a mutual love for The Iliad, which is Noah’s only discernible personality trait (aside from the biceps). The deal is closed when he presents Claire with a COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION. OF THE ILIAD. The two sleep together, but she feels bad, especially after classes start and it turns out that he is in her class. The harassment ensues, Kristin Chenoweth is knocked out and everything is very ridiculous because it seems to be very serious.
Where to stream: Netflix, virtual rental
As discussed elsewhere, the field has rarely been described as lacking in seriousness, which is why the erotic mystery lends itself so much to the form. These films are rarely very serious, but only occasionally do they manage not to lean into parody. Take Zandalee, a profound Nicolas Cage if ever there was one. She is about a young woman who runs a store in New Orleans. She is deeply sexually frustrated by her unsatisfactory marriage to Judge Reinhold, a condition mitigated by the arrival of Cage, who does not hesitate to include a specific form of machismo. You’re involved in a largely absurd mystery that puts you in a love triangle with Judge Reinhold, so why would you? Cage’s appearance aside, she’s just trying to get over the “seductive” (not even seductive at all) discussion with a straight face.
Where to stream: Tubi, virtual rental
Discussions about videos that are so bad that they are clever are incredibly subjective. Many of John Waters’ films have all the superficial hints of bad cinema, but he is rightly considered one of our most important artists. Silent Night, Death Night, Part 2 is bad in the traditional sense. Here, the brother of the killer from the first film embarks on his own murderous attack over the holidays, and that earlier film is summed up to no less than 30 minutes of postponed footage. The film’s direction is amateurish, but Eric Freeman’s core functionality includes so many unforeseen and deeply confusing possible options that it’s never fun to watch. His frantic reading of the phrase: “Garbage Day!”It has even become something of a meme.
Where to stream: Shudder, Tubi, AMC, Prime Video
Former child star turned dog owner.