Sabienna Bowman
James Franco’s The Disaster Artist scored two Golden Globe nominations and is generating serious Oscars buzz, proving once again that the stories behind bad movies can make great films. In The Disaster Artist, Franco takes on the behind the scenes drama of the cult classic The Room. Tommy Wiseau’s passion project is known as the Citizen Kane of bad movies — a badge of honor the movie’s legion of fans are proud to embrace. If you already have a drawer full of plastic spoons handy just in case someone invites you to a midnight screening of The Room then I’m preaching to a choir of Wiseau converts. However, if your love for bad movies begins and ends with Wiseau’s masterpiece then you’re seriously missing out.
There’s a whole world of spectacularly bad films waiting for you, and The Room is just the beginning. If you’re looking to make your next movie night a true experience, then queue up one of these awesomely bad movies and prepare to fall in love.
Birdemic: Shock and Terror
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-y53CRSF9Q
Ah, Birdemic — a film where the only thing worse than the acting is the complete and utter lack of actual birds in a “romantic thriller” about birds gone wild. Made on a shoestring budget that absolutely shows, this 2010 film is a hilarious alternative to Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.
Plan 9 From Outer Space
Ed Wood was the original king of bad movies, and Plan 9 From Outer Space is his crown jewel. The film stars the great Bela Lugosi in his final performance, making it a bittersweet farewell to the genre actor.
Manos: The Hands of Fate
Mystery Science Theater 3000 helped make Manos: The Hands of Fate the classic it is today. The ’60s Satan-worshiping, road trip gone wrong film is a must-watch with or without the commentary though.
Showgirls
Jessie Spano discovers caffeine pills were a slippery slope in Showgirls, a film with wonderfully insane dialogue and the purest ’90s aesthetic in all the land.
Death Bed: The Bed That Eats
Death Bed was almost lost forever due to a lack of distribution, but thankfully, the film was illegally released in the UK where it found a cult following. That means that you can enjoy the best movie about a man-eating bed whenever you want.
Troll 2
Curiously, the innocent sounding town of Nilbog ends up being home to trolls who have a taste for humans in this bonkers anti-sequel.
The Happening
M. Night Shyamalan’s career has miraculously rebounded from this artfully filmed tale of trees turning on humanity. Anchored by a baffled Mark Wahlberg, this modern bad movie is an absolute delight.
Sharknado
Syfy’s original movie industry reached peak absurdity with the first Sharknado. While the franchise as a whole is entirely too self-aware, the original film is the perfect mix of sincerity and a hurricane full of sharks.
Maximum Overdrive
Stephen King hates Maximum Overdrive, and he’s the director. However, this is one of the rare instances where King is wrong, because his film about evil trucks is cheesy perfection.
Mommie Dearest
Overwrought acting made this Joan Crawford biopic a favorite for fans of late-night, interactive film showings. The wire hanger monologue is a true classic of bad cinema that shouldn’t be missed.