13 horror movies that are so awful, they’re amazing
When it comes to scary movies, there are three kinds: terrifying, bad, and so ridiculously bad that they’re hilarious. The last are the best kind–especially because these terrifyingly funny films will have you and your friends rolling around with laughter, no nightmares, guaranteed. With Halloween coming up, new horror movies are coming out almost every week–but why pay ten dollars to see a movie that will give you nightmares for weeks to come, when you could turn on one of these cult classics at home?
1. Troll 2
All you need to know about Troll 2 can be summarized in two facts: The movie is not a sequel, and it doesn’t have any trolls in it. Instead, the film features a family in Nilbog (read it backwards) stalked by goblins, who try to transform them into plants to eat. The film has often been called the best worst movie of all time, and for good reason.
2. The Blob
This 1958 film depicts a growing alien amoeba that lands on Earth via a meteorite. The film tracks just one night, as the amoeba begins to eat and dissolve citizens of the town. Complete with a ridiculous premise and dated special effects, the movie will supply endless cheesy thrills. Plus, the film was Steve McQueen’s first leading role, so it’s entertaining for that flashback alone.
3. Creature from the Black Lagoon
When a movie begins with a group of scientists attempting to study a strange prehistoric beast from the Amazon, you know you’re in for a treat. When the mysterious “Gill-Man” escapes from the scientists, he kidnaps the fiancé of one of the scientists, with whom he has fallen in love. This movie is along the lines of King Kong, but ten times stranger.
4. Sharknado
This sci-fi movie is hilarious because it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It knows that it’s an awful movie and it banks on that by going all out. It’s not enough that the movie is about a hurricane with sharks swimming around in it. Instead, each scene brings a new level of ridiculousness. In the first movie, a man literally climbs inside a shark with a chainsaw, and you see the jagged edge and ketchup flying everywhere. It’s so exaggerated and unashamed that you can’t help but love it–and Sharknado 2 is just as good.
5. Slaughter High, aka April Fool’s Day
Slaughter High is the story of a guy who decides to get revenge on his high school bullies. However, this film goes past the normal clichés to make every individual equally horrible, so you can’t decide who to root for or who you wish dies first. As just one example of the true atrocity of these characters, two of the bullies start having an affair with each other in the middle of the massacre when one of their partners is out dying to protect them. Combine the absolute hatred you will feel for every uniquely stupid character with clichéd graphics and a horrible soundtrack, and you have a truly fantastic viewing experience.
6. Dead Alive
This is a must-see for any Lord of the Rings fanatic, only because it was one of the first films produced by Peter Jackson. The low-budget film is the best type of cheesy zombie movie there is. From over-the-top gore to ridiculous lines like, “I kick ass for the Lord!” the movie is comfortable with being ridiculous. Instead of trying to be serious, it goes for all-out in cheap special effects and laugh-out-loud characters.
7. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
The third highly-unnecessary sequel to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this movie is worth watching simply because it stars Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey before they were famous. The intense acting from the two future stars juxtaposes against the insane setting and plot, so far removed from the original film that it doesn’t even have a chainsaw massacre.
8. Slugs: The Movie
Toxic waste is never a good sign, but it goes to a new extreme in this movie when slugs exposed to toxic materials mutate and turn carnivorous. The dialogue is priceless, and the gore and special effects bring out the best in this 1988 film. Just wait until you see the scene where two teenage lovers are interrupted by the slugs in the middle of the action.
9. Leprechaun in the Hood
When a leprechaun ends up in Compton, you know something interesting is about to go down. The characters are stereotypical gangsters, played by ’90s classics like Ice-T and Coolio. The highlights of the movie are undeniably the leprechaun’s awful limericks, and the rap he does over the closing credits. (If you’re a Jennifer Aniston fan, check out the first Leprechaun film instead, which she starred in before her Friends success.)
10. Birdemic 2: The Resurrection
When a swarm of eagles and vultures attack Hollywood, a charmingly-awful movie must be the result. The 2013 film pays homage to some classic horror films, from the legendary films by Hitchcock to Billy Wilder. While the first of the two Birdemic films was more unintentionally hilarious, this film stands out because of its ability to intentionally make fun of itself with hilarious jokes and smart movie references.
11. Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows
Like the first movie, the sequel combines lots of cursing and POV camerawork, but with even less of a coherent storyline. If you’re not familiar with the original film, it is the originator of the horror movie stereotype of college students going out into the woods and slowly being murdered. An undeniable cult classic, the second film goes a step beyond into truly awful entertaining film.
12. The Fly 2
Think of this movie as a Spider-Man-esque storyline that goes incredibly off track. When a scientist experiments with teleportation, he is transformed into a mutant half-man half-fly. This sequel stars his son, searching for a cure for his strange genes. The first film is also horrifically funny, but the second stars a mutant puppy, making it a the obvious choice.
13. Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster
This movie pretends to put Frankenstein in outer space, but actually only has the vaguest resemblance to the classic film. Instead, the movie is about Martians coming to Earth after a nuclear war destroyed their atmosphere. In the landing, a NASA space ship is shot down by a ray gun, which makes the robot-pilot malfunction. Cheesy in the best way, this 1965 film takes the Frankenstein concept in an even more completely outlandish galactic direction.
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