A tribute to the greats: Movies that are SO BAD they're good.

It seems like every movie I have seen in the past month since Christopher Nolan's magnum opus of a film, Inception, has been awful. Actually, to be fair, "awful" isn't the proper moniker; I believe "mediocre" is more fitting.

It doesn't matter if I saw it at the drive-in or rented it; whatever it was, was not good. The problem is, I may have "Post-Inception Syndrome" (which is NOT a real term, obviously something I just decided upon), being that in comparison to the sheer awesome, epic nature of Inception, everything else seems to ooze mediocrity in comparison. I don't know if that's the case, or if these movies are just that forgettable.

As I said, these are not bad movies. Nope. See, bad movies are actually kind of fun. As I've worked in customer service my whole working "career" (if you can call it that), I know that one thing people love to do is complain. Hell, I'm a whiner myself. The good thing about bitching about TV or movies is that no one gets hurt (unless you wrote or directed the damn thing, that is). It's a healthy way to vent. The problem with mediocre movies is that they don't even have the entertainment value that goes along with making fun of the terrible flicks.

I've seen my fair share of bad movies (Open Water being the absolute WORST). I've also seen a myriad of So-Bad-It's-Good types. They are awful, often-times low-budget, usually "horror" movies, and so ridiculously impossible to take seriously that they are 100% fun.

I haven't seen one in ages. So here's a short list of some of the
Best of the Worst:

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(PS, I've made them clickable so you can check 'em out on IMDb!)

[1] The People Under the Stairs (1991):

I first saw this movie when I was 14. I think my sister (who is 3 years younger and has been watching slasher flicks since she was about 6-years-old) rented it. I had the misfortune of watching it with her... I was TERRIFIED! Upon watching it again at 20, I now find it HYSTERICALLY FUNNY. The whole thing is just plain silly; there are gaping plotholes (are the People Under the Stairs alive or dead? I'd say they're like zombies, but then one dies?).

RUN-ON SENTENCE SUMMARY -Basically there's this little black kid named Foo who needs to rob these people to pay for someone's operation but gets trapped in the house and the people are crazy and called Mommy and Daddy but they're actually brother and sister and they steal children and cut out their eyes or tongues or ears if they see, speak, or hear evil, they can't find the perfect boy-child because of it and they keep them locked up under the stairs in the basement, and they have a daughter named Alice they abuse the shit out of and keep locked up... IT'S RIDICULOUS.

That being said, it's also CLASSIC. You get some hilariously over-the-top performances, a completely unbelievable plot, some good, jumpy scares, and overall, just a really fun, trashy cinematic experience. It's constantly rented out at my store. A cult-classic, for sure. Oh, and it's a Wes Craven (Scream, anyone?) film.


[2] Clash of the Titans (1981)

I spoke of terribly mediocrity before, and the 2010 remake of this movie is the perfect example. After I saw it, I promptly forgot it. This little gem from the early-80s, however is unforgettable, for one reason: It has THE WORST special effects known to mankind. You could argue that they were top-notch for 30 years ago, but in all honesty, that would be a lie. Movies like StarWars proved that special effects were starting to come around, and there's just no excuse for this. Monsters that look like they're claymation, that random glowing god (he's more "flaming" than "glowing", or so it seems... if you know what I mean). Overall, it's impossible to take it seriously, despite the fact it's got some HUGE names (Maggie "Professor McGonagall" Smith! for instance). It's extremely fun. I watched it in Latin class in high school and was fully entertained the whole time, and recently picked it up in the $5 bin at Wal-Mart.

[3] Frogs (1972):

It seems like I'm pulling out one awful/awesome (awsul? awfum?) movie per decade here. Okay, a friend of mine showed me this in high school. She spoke highly of it; once I saw it, I understood. Frogs pretty much defines the so-bad-it's-good genre. Officially categorized as "horror" (subcategorized as a nature horror, where nature or animals turn against humans, e.g. Jaws.. yeah, I spent too much time on Wikipedia the other day), I would consider it more of a comedy. Like Clash of the Titans, the "effects" are laughable; but so is the plot. And the acting. And... everything. Basically, frogs attack. At one point I think they're literally just THROWING frogs at a window. It's an all-out laugh-fest from start to finish, and if you can get your hands on it, you MUST watch it! Oh, and SAM ELLIOT IS IN IT. Yeah, the same Sam Elliot that is now old as hell and whose perfomance's take backseat to his EPIC MUSTACHE nowadays.

[4]Deep Blue Sea(1999):

I know there are people out there who legitmately love this movie and think it is amazing. I actually really, really like it. But not because I think it's good. Unless there's AMAZING acting and a really strong story, I can't stand action movies, as I find them mindless. This definitely has neither the acting nor the story.

RUN-ON SENTENCE SUMMARY - There is this research station that's located primarily underwater and they're studying sharks and like injecting them with shit to try and cure Alzheimer's but all it does is make the sharks super-intelligent and they go crazy and decide to kill everyone in the station and a rag-tag group of people gets picked off one-by-one and the only black guys are the chef and of course he lives and has a parrott and Samuel L Jackson who has the MOST HILARIOUS DEATH SCENE, EVER.

Like the others on this list, it's fun from start-to-finish. Like The People Under the Stairs, it horrified me (and enthralled my sister, who would watch the VHS daily) as a child, and now makes me laugh SO HARD. The scene where Sam Jackson bites it is hilarious both in execution and CGI-effects... it was 1999, there is NO WAY the effects should've been as bad as they were. Overall, good fun!

[5]Good Burger(1997):

I have a small problem with Good Burger: I am not entirely sure if it's actually bad or if I think it's amazing. I watch it at LEAST once a month (I'm not kidding), and I find it just as funny now as I did as an 8-year-old kid watching it when it first came out. I'm not sure if it's a So-Bad-It's-Good sorta deal, or just plain-old nostalgia. There are a ton of terrible, terrible comedies from my childhood that I treasure like this, and I can't be certain if they're actually bad, or just mediocre movies I love simply because they bring me back. Like Spice World. Oh well.

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As with my other lists, consider this volume 1. These are my absolute necessities for bad-movie viewing that'll make you laugh, or maybe just cringe. What are you favorite heinous but hilarious movies>