There's a certain art in making a movie that is so utterly, undeniably, and unapologetically bad that it only leaves the viewers with a stuttering 'why?!' that is then transformed into uncontrollable laughter. While it's impossible to take these cinematic failure-masterpieces seriously, they make up for excellent, brain-free, and popcorn-fueled trash movie marathon nights.
Horror, comedy, sci-fi, drama — the 'so-bad-it's-good' movie category transcends genres, but these films are united by one important thing: their creators never meant for them to be awful, and that's what makes them so deliciously good. Ridiculous story, poorly-written dialogues, embarrassing effects and visuals, terrible acting — prepare the snacks, dim the lights, and settle down for the most outlandish, hilarious, masochistically divine experience delivered by these trash wonders.
Battlefield Earth (2000)
Starring dreadlocked John Travolta and based on the book by the Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, this sci-fi epic is so notoriously bad that it made it to multiple lists of 'The Worst Movies of All Time' and won seven Razzies, including Worst Picture, Worst Actor (Travolta), Worst Director, and Worst Screen Couple (Travolta and "anyone sharing the screen with him"). It centers around a story of human rebellion against the alien empire of Psychlos, who ruled the Earth for 1,000 years.
The movie is filled with nonsensical storylines, countless plot holes, awkward dialogues, terrible acting, goofy aliens, and dreadfully poor lighting and camera work. This misguided Scientology-inspired passion project scored a well-deserved 3% on Rotten Tomatoes and is an absolute must addition for any trash movie marathon. Travolta fans, however, should be warned: after watching this film, they might never be able to look at their favorite actor quite the same way.
Zombeavers (2014)
This monster horror-comedy is so deliciously and unapologetically bad that it's weirdly good. It follows a group of college students that stereotypically go for a break in a remote riverside cottage and get attacked by zombie beavers — the movie's title is really not misleading here — which start turning the kids into, yes, beaver-like zombies. The acting is over-the-top, the monster puppets are ridiculously obvious and fake-looking, and the innuendo jokes are terrible.
While it would turn away the lovers of classical or complex horror, trash movie fans would delight in a 76-minute-long gore-imbued, bluntly entertaining, and ridiculous ride that is Zombeavers. The film even manages to sneak in an environmental message — the murderous beavers were created by carelessly discarded radioactive waste. Zombeavers might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it certainly has its loyal audience, proven by a 71% Rotten Tomatoes rating. Without this marvelous, wacky zombie treasure, any trash movie marathon would be incomplete.
The Wicker Man (2006)
Not to be confused with Robin Hardy's 1973 original nail-biting horror classic of the same name featuring Cristopher Lee, this remake stars Nicolas Cage and is so ridiculously bad that it becomes unintentionally hilarious. The movie follows the story of a police officer Edward Malus (Cage), whose investigation of a girl's disappearance leads him to an island with an obviously sinister-looking cult. The Wicker Man is notorious for its bizarre storylines, logical plot holes, and abysmal performances. But somewhere along the way, it crosses the line between bad and funny and becomes mesmerizingly engaging — just like watching an accident, it's hard to look away. Cage's random punching of women and infamous "Not the bees!" became a source of countless memes and left the audience wondering if his bad, B-movie acting was intentional.
While Cage is famous for his 'so-bad-they're-good' movies, The Wicker Man that scores 15% on Tomatometer certainly takes the cake and needs to be seen to be believed.
Plan 9 From Outer Space (1957)
Often referred to as 'the worst movie ever made,' Ed Wood's black-and-white sci-fi magnum opus, Plan 9 From Outer Space, has gained a cult following and is widely considered the original 'so-bad-it's-good' film. A plot featuring grave-robbing aliens and zombies, excessive narration, hilarious effects, curtains used as backdrops, terrible writing, and a mishmashed silent footage of Bela Lugosi (still very much looking like his iconic Dracula), who was replaced mid-production by a much taller chiropractor — all make this movie the immortal king of trash it is today. Most importantly, Wood undertakes this film with such clueless seriousness, dedication, and passion that it can only be admired.
Theoretically, all of the above should have rendered the movie unwatchable and written off from the cinematic history as an awkward mistake. Instead, its utter ineptitude and unintentional ridiculousness added to the film's charm and turned it into a cult classic. Tim Burton's 1994 Ed Wood starring Johnny Depp as the iconic filmmaker himself pays homage to this pinnacle of lousy cinematography.
The Room (2003)
Written, directed, produced, and starring the one and only Tommy Wiseau, The Room is arguably the most famous and beloved 'so-bad-it's-good' movie, and for a good reason. The premise is candidly simple — the main character's (Johnny, played by Wiseau) fiancée cheats on him with his best friend; Johnny discovers the affair, confronts them, and ends up committing suicide. But that's where the simplicity (and coherence) ends. Featuring nonsensical dialogues, unrelated and unresolved subplots, bizarre tuxedo football-tossing games, confusing and out-of-nowhere softcore scenes, clueless characters, and astonishingly bad acting, The Room is truly one of a kind.
This low-budget melodrama seemingly has been made with a complete lack of comprehension of how truly awful it is — and that's what makes it so good. Wiseau, with his mysteriously shrouded background, unintentionally creepy humor, and awkward post-factum attempts at pretending he intended the movie as a parody from the start, adds to The Room's mind-boggling charm. The film still plays at midnight screenings worldwide and has become amazingly successful thanks to its cult following, so much so that The Disaster Artist, based on a behind-the-scenes book and directed by and starring James Franco, became a multi-award-winning movie. In all its awkward and facepalm-prompting glory, The Room is not to be missed.