So Bad, They're Good
By on Aug 27, 2012
If you had yet to see Michael Stephenson’s Best Worst Movie prior to this past Friday’s Chiller TV premiere, boy were you in for a treat. The former child star of Troll 2 lovingly crafted one of 2009’s very best documentaries about one of the most derided (and also loved) films of all time. Troll 2 may not be a good film by any stretch of the imagination, but its cult following is huge and Best Worst Movie does an amazing job of bringing out the very best aspects of the movie. In honor of Stephenson’s documentary, we present you with five so-bad-they’re-good horror movies. Enjoy the schlockfest!
LEPRECHAUN 3 (1995)
The first Leprechaun film is a fun diversion, but it’s also not a bad little horror flick. The sequel, however, is a train wreck. By the third film in the series, the Leprechaun is headed to Las Vegas for a little fun and the series begins becoming so-bad-it’s-good. From the hilarious death scenes to the repeated mentions of his gold (it is Vegas, after all), Leprechaun 3 is definitely worthy of space on this list.
DR. GIGGLES (1992)
Right from the completely ridiculous title to the equally ridiculous plotline and that heinous laugh, Dr. Giggles seems like it was made specifically for the so-bad-it’s-good genre. Larry Drake’s over-the-top performance is just the icing on Manny Coto’s deliciously terrible cake.
GHOULIES (1985)
I used to love Luca Bercovici’s Ghoulies when I was younger. I thought it was a clever little Gremlins clone that stood up pretty well alongside a superior film that came a year later – Critters. Watching it again now, though, I realize just how terrible Ghoulies truly is. It has its moments, but man it’s hard to watch with any level of seriousness.
AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION (1982)
While the original 1979 film The Amityville Horror certainly has its share of issues, it’s a mostly well regarded horror film that’s held up pretty well through the years. The prequel, Amityville II: The Possession, however, started the trend of Amityville sequels that strayed further and further away from the “true” story at the root of the series. It’s laughably bad enough to get the so-bad-it’s-good moniker.
TROLL 2 (1990)
Ah, Troll 2. Claudio Fragasso’s cult classic is the ultimate in so-bad-it’s-good movies. First of all, it’s not really a sequel to anything at all and, secondly, there aren’t actually any trolls in the film (they’re goblins). The effects are terrible. The acting is atrocious. And the storyline is near incomprehensible. And all those reasons are the exact reason people love it. Long live Troll 2!
