So Terrible They’re Good Horror Films

By RodneyHatfieldJr for Movies

I’m in the mood for a terrible movie. These are films that aren’t necessarily good in the conventional sense but still bring unspeakable joy to fans. In spite of a filmmaker’s best attempts, not every movie can be Halloween or Frankenstein. Sometimes, you shoot for the stars and miss the mark. But sometimes you shoot for the stars and the result is pure unadulterated magic. The end result is so bad that it circles back around to being awesome.

I am looking at my guilty pleasure section of my VHS/CD/Bluray (Yes I still have a VHS player, piss off). Let's do the classic close your eyes and point. Which would be an appropriate movie to watch. Here is a couple of random choices.


Basket Case 1982


A superior low-budget horror flick. Directed by Frank Henenlotter, Basket Case features a pair of formerly conjoined twins. There is Dwayne, a seemingly normal man, and Belial, a human blob living in a wicker basket. 

The special effects are trash, but at the same time offer a substantial amount of B-movie magic.


The Wicker Man 2006


Nickolas Cage is the master of campy, unhinged, over-the-top, and completely out-of-place acting. He is impossible to take seriously as a sheriff looking into the disappearance of a young woman. It certainly achieves so bad its good status throughout the whole film. 

Cage’s frantic performance and inability to know when he’s overacting make this title worth revisiting. And we get a bear costume.


Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead 2006


I admit there is nothing accidental when it comes to Troma founder Lloyd Kaufman’s brand of schlock. It is intentional. However, it’s not fair to penalize Troma for purposely making campy and ludicrous films. The flick unfolds at a fast-food restaurant in New Jersey and chronicles the exploits of a hoard of zombie chickens. 

If I was a betting man, I would put my money on that this film was fueled by cocaine and shrooms.


Birdemic: Shock and Terror 2010


If anything, we must give Birdemic director James Nguyen credit for his enthusiasm. He wanted to make a movie and he certainly did. However, in the process, he gifted us with one of the baddest films ever made with some of the worst CGI ever filmed. 

Nothing about this movie works unless you are with a group of friends and a fridge full of alcohol. 


Jack Frost 1997


Remember kids, 1997 and not the 1999 film. Jack Frost is intentionally bad. It’s about a snowman crossed with the DNA of a killer. It’s full of stupid jokes and outlandishness. 

Jack Frost is a trash classic and it revels in being so bad it’s good. 


Frankenhooker (1990)


Any film that rips a classic like Frankenstein will have a safe spot in schlock. Frankenhooker tells the story of a man trying to rebuild his girlfriend after he keeps her severed head from the lawn-mower accident. Like Dr. Frankenstein, he decides that he wants to build a ‘better’ version of her and spends his nights looking for sex workers with perfect body parts so that he can stick them all together to rebuild his girlfriend.

The very premise of Frankenhooker is absurd and really shines with its comedic parts and a surprising morality tale at the end(who would have thought). It’s bad because of its ridiculous subject matter, poor taste, bad special FX, and questionable acting but good because of the brilliant absurdness.

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