Hollywood has created thousands of incredible films, which tell iconic stories that resonate with millions, still being enjoyed today. Then, there are some that are beloved for other reasons… even if they’re bad.
These seven bad movies are so terrible in some way or another – whether it be egregious product placement, incomprehensible plots, or dialogue that feels like it was translated to another language and back – that they are considered some of the worst movies of all time. But these movies have devoted followers, who appreciate them for their unintentional comedy. For some of them, like The Room, there are even dedicated late-night screenings where fans come to watch and laugh with other fans.
Who knows, you might just end up respecting the devotion some of these people put into their films, or even find something unironically enjoyable in them.
7. Mac And Me (1988)
“Wanna come over to my house for a Big Mac?” Lines like this permeate this E.T. rip-off. But while E.T. was adorable and charming, the aliens in this film certainly aren’t. The main alien is unappealing both as a character and to look at. Just like E.T., he bonds with a young child, though this time the kid is in a wheelchair.
This film is filled with product placement. The “Mysterious Alien Creature”, named as such for obvious reasons, is only the tip of the iceberg. The aliens, you see, need Coca-Cola to live, so our protagonist needs to keep on getting them Coke. Mentions of McDonald’s are constant, culminating in a dance party at McDonald’s with Ronald McDonald himself making an appearance. Paul Rudd is so obsessed with this movie that he has played a clip from it almost every time he has appeared alongside talk-show host Conan O’Brien.
Watch this if you want to see how E.T. could be ruined.
Found on: YouTube
6. Miami Connection (1987)
Miami Connection is a difficult film to summarise. It’s about a martial-artist band of orphans who fight motorcycle-riding ninjas in Los Angeles and sing about friendship. It was directed by Y.K. Kim, a real taekwondo practitioner, who is also part of the band in the film. There is a lot of fighting, which is one positive for the film; the action is pretty good. However, if you feel squeamish looking at blood, perhaps this film (and the trailer above) isn’t the one for you.
The film as a whole is exceedingly cheesy; there’s certainly a lot of fun to be had with the absurd premise and bizarre plot where defeating this band is extremely important to the criminals so they can “control that area”. Out of the films here, it’s the closest to being unironically enjoyable if you just turn your brain off and go along with it.
Found on: YouTube
5. Plan 9 From Outer Space (1957)
Plan 9 From Outer Space is a B-movie made by the B-movie mastermind of the 1950s, Ed Wood. He produced several cult classics during this period, Plan 9 being the most famous one. This film is about aliens that come to Earth to revive the dead to attack people, not that you can make much sense of their plan.
It notably features Bela Lugosi, who died before filming started and as a result only appears in three minutes of footage taken from another Ed Wood movie (a “double” who is obviously not him portrays the character for the rest of the film).
This is well worth watching for B-movie fans in particular, and is entertaining enough to have left a lasting impact almost 70 years later, still being cited as the worst movie ever made by many. Just as Criswell says in the introduction, “Future events such as these will affect you in the future.”
Found on: Prime Video and YouTube
4. Fateful Findings (2013)
Fateful Findings is an independent film made by writer/director/actor Neil Breen. He has produced six films considered so-bad-it’s-good cult classics, all of which have a similar concept; he is some kind of individual with supernatural powers who fights evil businessmen, politicians and gangsters, who are sometimes all three at the same time. He falls in love with a beautiful woman, and usually undergoes some kind of emotional turmoil.
Fateful Findings has him as a novelist who gains psychic powers that make him good at hacking after getting hit by a car, following which he uses his abilities to expose the corrupt elite. He falls in love with his childhood friend who he apparently met when they were both eight, despite the fact that he looks about 20 years older than the actress.
This film contains a confusing plot, bizarre recurring imagery of laptops getting smashed, and stilted dialogue. This is no doubt worth a watch, especially for people interested in outsider art, though some might find it boring.
Found on: YouTube
3. Battlefield Earth (2000)
This film is based on the book by L. Ron Hubbard, who you may know as the founder of Scientology. The film itself has nothing to do with Scientology; it’s about Earth a thousand years in the future, which has been invaded by a species known as Psychlos, who want Earth’s gold, which is supposedly the rarest element in the universe.
There is an incredible overuse of dutch angles (shots where the camera is tilted) and blue filters, to the point where one might start to think that the Psychlos are meant to be blue. This film is filled with poor writing, cheesy dialogue and the main villain (played by John Travolta) constantly making idiotic decisions to make the plot work. It is one of the best choices for a so-bad-it’s-good film with a high budget.
Found on: Netflix
2. Troll 2 (1990)
Troll 2 is a horror movie that completely fails at being scary. The antagonists are goblins (yes, there are no trolls in the film. It’s not even a sequel to Troll). The film centers on a family who take a holiday to Nilbog, where the goblins are disguised as humans. Our protagonist is a child who is helped by the ghost of his dead grandfather.
This film features terrible acting, yet more abysmal dialogue, and most notably, a bizarre anti-vegetarian message, where the trolls are vegetarians who want to turn humans into plant creatures so they can eat them. This is one film that must be seen to be believed.
Found on: Prime Video and Apple TV
1. The Room (2003)
The Room, two decades after it was released, is still the Citizen Kane of bad cinema. This film, produced by, directed by, written by, and starring Tommy Wiseau, is about a banker called Johnny. His “future wife” Lisa cheats on him with his best friend Mark, straining the relationship. But beneath this simple premise lies complete insanity.
The film is filled with bizarre dialogue and delivery (“Leave your stupid comments in your pocket!”), a baffling plot that constantly changes and can’t keep motivations consistent, and confusing plot points like a character deciding to record all his calls secretly by attaching a tape recorder to the bottom of the table with the phone.
Even the title makes no sense; it was originally planned to take place entirely in a single room, but that was scrapped, leaving the title as a bizarre artifact. If you like bad movies, this is a must-watch.
But a warning: There will be sex scenes that are not pleasant. It might be best to view a censored version (search for “The Room Clean” on YouTube).
Found on: YouTube
So, there you have it! Happy watching!
