Movies That Are So Bad, They’re Actually Good (Terrible Movies That Are Entertaining To Watch)
Fortunately for audiences, some films are just so awful that they might even be worth a watch just as a source of entertainment. Although some directors make these movies with them intending to be ranked as some of the worst films of all time, others do not. So, if you're looking for a movie that's bound to cause you to laugh or at least lose a few brain cells, you've come to the right place.
Snakes Of A Plane Is Precisely What It Sounds Like
With a title like Snakes on a Plane, the audience should know exactly what they're getting themselves into. Directed by David R. Ellis and starring Samuel L. Jackson, the film is about, you guessed it, snakes that are on a plane after they are released in an attempt to kill a trial witness.
The film built up a large hype before its release in 2006 and became an Internet sensation not long after. With its ridiculous concept, today, there are still few people that haven't seen or heard about the movie.
Encino Man
Les Mayfield's directorial debut, Encino Man, stars Brendan Fraser, Sean Astin, and Pauly Shore, following two teenagers from Encino, California, who discover a caveman preserved in a block of ice.
Unbelievably, the film was a box office success, earning more than $40 million on a $7 million budget. However, the film's glory would not last for long, as critics trashed it with Variety claiming that the "low-budget quickie is insulting even within its own no-effort parameters."
Samurai Cop Was Sliced Up By Critics
Never making it to theaters, Samurai Cop is a 1991 action film directed by Amir Shervan and starring Robert Z'Dar, Matt Hannon, and Mark Frazer. The plot involves the LAPD hiring a supernatural samurai policeman from SDPD to help stop a Japanese gang called the Katana.
A terrible movie all the way through, it acquired a cult following, especially after a particular scene involving a nurse took the Internet by storm. Jim Vorel of Paste commented, "The whole thing looks like a movie aliens would make if they were lacking some sort of crucial understanding of how human beings communicated with one another."
"Not The Bees! Not The Bees!" - The Wicker Man
Although Robin Hardy's 1973 film The Wicker Man is considered to be a classic of the horror genre, the 2006 remake? Not so much.
Nobody expected this version to surpass the original in terms of quality, but now, the movie is generally only remembered for Nicholas Cage's overacting during the scene when his head is put in a cage and filled with bees. Even Nicholas Cage admitted that the film was "absurd," in response to its astoundingly negative reviews.
Staying Alive Was A Sad Excuse For A Sequel
Staying Alive is a 1983 dance musical film starring John Travolta and is a sequel to the successful Saturday Night Fever. Directed by Sylvester Stallone, the film's title comes from the name of a Bee Gee's song that is played in the final scene and reflects Travolta's character's situation as a professional dancer.
Staying Alive received an impressive 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, although some scenes have become famous in the form of Internet memes and videos.
Hobgoblins...The Name Says It All
An independent horror comedy film, Hobgoblins doesn't try to be anything that it isn't. Released in 1988, it is considered a direct rip-off of Gremlins and any other small-creature horror films. Hobgoblins centers on a group of poorly designed creatures known as hobgoblins, a race of mythical creatures.
Widely established to be one of the worst movies of all time, due to its nature, it was featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000, where it became popular among a niche group of audiences.
Road House Is At Least Action-Packed
Road House is a 1989 action film starring Patrick Swayze working as a cooler at a bar who takes it upon himself to protect the small town in Missouri that he lives from greedy businessmen. While the film had underwhelming results at the box office, it did impressively well when it was released on home video.
Rotten Tomatoes commented on the movie stating, "Road House exists right on the edge between the 'good-bad movie' and the merely bad. I hesitate to recommend it, because so much depends on the ironic vision of the viewer."
Mommie Dearest Will Make You Thankful For Your Own Mother
A biographical drama, Mommy Dearest follows the young life of Christina Crawford living with her adoptive mother, actress Joan Crawford, and the abuse that she experienced under her control.
Released in 1981, the film garnered mostly negative reviews, although it grossed $35 million off of a mere $5 million budget. Critics disapproved of Faye Dunaway's acting, which turned the movie into what has been described as an "unintentional comedy." It also managed to take home the second Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture.
Battlefield Earth Is So Comically Terrible The Sequel Was Never Made
Based on the 1982 novel of the same name by the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, Battlefield Earth is a science-fiction action film released in 2000. Unfortunately, it stars John Travolta, Forest Whitaker, and Barry Pepper, and is about a human rebellion against the alien Psychlos, who have controlled Earth for 1,000 years.
]Although the film had high-hopes to be revolutionary, it is considered one of the worst films of all time and was criticized in almost every aspect.
The Happening Had Potential But Missed The Mark
What happens when you bring controversial director M. Night Shyamalan and actor Mark Whalberg together to make a thriller film? The result is 2008's The Happening. Starring Marky Mark and Zooey Deschanel, the film follows a group of individuals trying to escape an unseeable threat that is causing those it encounters to end their own life.
It is revealed that the natural disaster is being caused by plants releasing a toxin as a form of self-defense in response to climate change. Yes, that's the twist. Overall film critics and audiences have agreed that the film is a disappointment.
Manos: The Hands Of Fate Was Made By People With Almost Zero Film Knowledge
An independent horror film, Manos: Hands of Fate was released in 1966. From the mind of Harold P. Warren, it tells the story of a family on vacation that gets lost and ends up in the grip of a polygynous cult run by a man called The Master.
Manos was made by a group with little to no film experience and was plagued with production and budget issues. Remaining relatively unknown until 1993, the Manos has developed into a cult classic for those that can stand it.
The Room Succeeded In Its Goal, Sort Of
Arguably one of the most well known "so-bad-it's-good" films to date, The Room certainly lives up to the hype. Written, produced, and directed by Tommy Wiseau, who also stars in it, The Room is about a love triangle mixed in with a series of unrelated subplots that serve little to no purpose to the actual story.
It has been described as the "Citizen Kane of bad movies" but has since turned into a cult classic for its questionable plot and Wiseau's strange performance.
Wish Upon Takes The Cake For Ludacris Dialogue
Wish Upon is a 2017 supernatural teen horror film that follows a teenage girl that is gifted a magic music box. The mechanism provides the opportunity to have seven wishes granted, although in return for someone close to her dying each time a wish is fulfilled.
Despite the majority of the movie being labeled as "bad," one thing that sticks out is its attempt at including what the writers believed was teenage slang. They couldn't have been more wrong.
Jupiter Ascending Was More Of A Decine
2015's Jupiter Ascending falls under the genre of a space opera, and if that isn't a big enough red flag to any viewer, we're not sure what is. However, considering that it was directed the Wachowski's of The Matrix and had a star-studded cast including Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean, and more, it still managed to draw in audiences.
Anticipated to be a hit, the film did not do as well as expected. Critic David Edelstein went so far as to call it "Inane from the first frame to last...it's miraculously unmiraculous."
Miami Connection Was Lost To The Public For Decades
Starring Y.K. Kim, who is also the writer and producer, Miami Connection is an independent martial arts film released in 1987. Apparently, Kim believed that the film was a success, admitting that, "I was so excited, and I had no doubt that we would pack every theater and it would be a blockbuster."
Conversely, that was far from the case. After its theatrical release in select theaters and the following shredding by critics, the film went relatively unseen until Drafthouse Films restored it for re-release in 2012.
Troll 2 Is Exactly What You Might Expect
Directed by Claudio Fragssso under the name Drake Floyd, Troll 2 is a supernatural horror flick peppered with comedy throughout. A sequel to the 1986 film Troll, even though the two have no connection and doesn't involve any trolls.
Unbelievably, the plot centers on a family on the run from vegetarian goblins that are attempting to turn them into plants, so they have the ability to eat them. Needless to say, it's been named one of the worst movies ever released, although it was intended to be comedic.
Plan 9 From Outer Space Is A Total Whirlwind
Plan 9 from Outer Space is an independent science-fiction horror film released in 1959 and written, produced, and directed by Ed Wood. It centers on aliens that are attempting to prevent humanity from building a doomsday weapon that has the potential to destroy the whole universe.
The movie played occasionally on television and was relatively unknown until the 1980s when it was named one of the worst movies of all time by Harry Medved and Michael Medved in their book The Golden Turkey Awards.
John Carter Shot For Stars And Crashed Back Down To Earth
John Carter is a 2012 science fiction film based on the 1912 novel Princess of Mars written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The film features Taylor Kitsch as the title role and is about an interplanetary adventure undertaken by John Carter as he navigates civil unrest in the Kingdoms of Barsoom.
The film was attempted to be adapted throughout the 20th century without success until Disney picked up the project in 2008. One of the most expensive films ever made with a $263 million budget, it flopped, and the planned sequel was canceled.
Excalibur Takes Drama To The Next Level
Based on the legends of King Arthur and the Round Table, Excalibur is a 1981 medieval epic film named after the sword that King Arthur pulls from the stone and wields the king in the Arthurian legends.
The film had the material to make an intriguing period film, and it completely dropped the ball for various reasons. Although it is praised for its visuals, it's mostly regarded as a mess in terms of characters and plot, with some hysterical overacting.
Showgirls Was The First NC-17 Film To Have A Widespread Theatrical Release
1995's drama film Showgirls stars Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, and Gina Gershon, about a woman who finds herself in Las Vegas and works her way up to an esteemed position as a showgirl.
Before the film was released, there was controversy regarding the film's amount of skin and other content, leading it to receive an NC-17 rating. It became the first film with the rating to be released in theaters. Not only did it receive poor reviews and fail at the box office, but its rating limited the audience.
