So Bad, So Good Festival

[LawrenceA]

I'm in the process of compiling movies that I'll be watching in a couple of months. I wanted to re-watch (and watch) the best-worst movies of all time, those that are so incompetent or strange as to be entertaining in their own way. I've got quite a few already (around 75) from the 1930's through the 2000's. Most I've seen before, but there's a few that will be first time watches.

 

I wanted to ask for recommendations, any titles that you think should be included in such a line-up. Here are some of the ones that I have already:

 

Maniac (1935)

Reefer Madness

The White Gorilla

The Flying Saucer

Bride of the Gorilla

Invasion USA (1952)

Glen or Glenda?

Mesa of Lost Women

Robot Monster

Jail Bait

Killers from Space

Bride of the Monster

Sincerely Yours

From Hell It Came

The Giant Claw

The Killer Shrews

Night of the Ghouls

Plan 9 from Outer Space

Horrors of Spider Island

The Beast of Yucca Flats

The Brainiac

The Brain That Wouldn't Die

Eegah!

The Intruder

The World's Greatest Sinner

The Blood Trilogy

Scum of the Earth

At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul

The Incredibly Strange Creatures...

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster

Manos, Hands of Fate

Mars Needs Women

Something Weird

This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse

Astro-Zombies

Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women

Horror of the Blood Monsters

Dracula vs Frankenstein

Blood Freak

Female Vampire

Godmonster of Indian Flats

Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks

The Devil's Rain

Dolemite

The Demon Lover

Kingdom of the Spiders

The Alien Factor

Starcrash

The Shape of Things to Come

Alien Contamination

Fiend

Hell of the Living Dead

Nightmare City

Mazes and Monsters

Runaway Nightmare

The Killing of Satan

Taoism Drunkard

Blood Cult

Gymkata

Night Train to Terror

Howard the Duck

Miami Connection

Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare

Splatter Farm

Deadbeat By Dawn

Zombi 3

Lady Terminator

Las Vegas Bloodbath

The Judas Project

Omega Cop

Troll 2

Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky

Street Fighter (1994)

Feeders

Gummo

The Room

 

[Arsan404]

I see you have a lot of horror movies on your list, so how about The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes?

[JamesStewartFan95]

The Thing with Two Heads featuring the duo of Ray Milland and Rosey Grier.

[LawrenceA]

The Thing with Two Heads featuring the duo of Ray Milland and Rosey Grier.

 

Oooh, that is a "good" one, JSFan. Thanks!

[JamesStewartFan95]

Dr. Goldfoot and His Bikini Machine is another campy one.

You could also diversify with some so bad they're good kids films like those Rankin Bass television specials (Rudolph, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, etc.) or Mad Monster Party.

[JamesStewartFan95]

Braindead (1990) Of note for starring both Bill Paxton and Bill Pullman

Commando (1985)

Killer Clowns from Outer Space (1988)

Mars Attacks (1996)

[LawrenceA]

I have a couple more coming soon in the mail. They'll be here before I begin my marathon.

 

Truth or Dare? (1986) - Not to be confused with the Madonna documentary, this is a micro-budget oddity that I've read about for years but never seen. Elijah Wood was talking it up on a talk show recently as one of his favorite cult movies.

 

The Apple (1980) - A reportedly jaw-dropping science fiction musical.

 

There are a couple more of my favorites that I just can't track down, as they've never been on DVD and the VHS copies are rare. 

 

Wizards of the Lost Kingdom (1985) - Cut-rate fantasy starring Bo Svenson as a sword-wielding hero. I used to quote this one constantly.

 

The Satan Killer (1993) - A burned-out cop on the hunt for a vicious serial killer. This film never misses an opportunity to be stupid. Hilariously bad.

[film lover 293]

"Attack of the Mushroom People" (1963?)

 

"The Navy Versus The Night Monsters" (1966)--Mamie Van Doren, Killer Trees, and victims that have to force themselves into the "Trees".

 

"Godzilla vs. Biollante" (1992)--Big G versus a mutant rosebush that threatens the world. 

 

 

[LawrenceA]

 

"The Navy Versus The Night Monsters" (1966)--Mamie Van Doren, Killer Trees, and victims that have to force themselves into the "Trees".

 

I looked into getting a copy of this one, but the DVD's are too much. I may watch it streaming when I do my festival, though.

[Arsan404]

Devil Girl From Mars (1954)

Devil Girl to a boy: "Come, I will show wonders you have never seen before."

 

The Baby (1973), with Ruth Roman and Anjanette Comer

 

Two childhood staples:

 

The War of the Gargantuas (1966)

The Valley of the Gwangi (1969)

 

 

[Swithin]

What a great list Lawrence!  Of course I wouldn't use the word "bad" to describe many of those films. One suggestion: be sure to watch Gummo sitting in your bath, eating a bowl of spaghetti. And don't forget to tape a piece of bacon to the wall.

 

A film I would suggest for you, particularly if you can get the version with the dubbing in English (which is very hard to find) is that pinnacle of Mexican horror, Black Pit of Dr. M.

 

[JamesStewartFan95]

Man Getting Hit by Football starring George C. Scott

[cinemaspeak59]

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! from 1965, is a good one.  Russ Meyer directed several campy and trashy classics. 

[Arsan404]

Equinox ​(1970). Not as bad as other low-budget B movies, and it has a cult following.

[film lover 293]

More:

 

"Cat-Women of the Moon" (1953)--Sci-fi with Sonny Tufts and Marie Windsor.

 

"Voyage of the Rock Aliens" (1984)--Sci-fi musical with Pia Zadora, Ruth Gordon, and Jermaine Jackson.  Watch for the MTV video shoved into the movie.

 

"She" (1982)--Set in a post-nuclear apocalypse.  Watch for the scene that combines "The Howling" (1981) and "Gone With the Wind" (1939).

 

"Shock Treatment" (1981)--Sequel to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1975) did predict the rise of "reality" television--is worth a watch.

[LawrenceA]

More:

 

"Cat-Women of the Moon" (1953)--Sci-fi with Sonny Tufts and Marie Windsor.

 

"Voyage of the Rock Aliens" (1984)--Sci-fi musical with Pia Zadora, Ruth Gordon, and Jermaine Jackson.  Watch for the MTV video shoved into the movie.

 

"She" (1982)--Set in a post-nuclear apocalypse.  Watch for the scene that combines "The Howling" (1981) and "Gone With the Wind" (1939).

 

"Shock Treatment" (1981)--Sequel to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1975) did predict the rise of "reality" television--is worth a watch.

 

Cat-Women and Missile to the Moon are great cheese-fests. I just watched She and Shock Treatment in the past year for the first time. I haven't seen Voyage of the Rock Aliens...it sounds ridiculous, though.

[speedracer5]

Cat-Women and Missile to the Moon are great cheese-fests. I just watched She and Shock Treatment in the past year for the first time. I haven't seen Voyage of the Rock Aliens...it sounds ridiculous, though.

 

What I'd like to know is how did Ruth Gordon end up in a film with Jermaine Jackson?! 

[scsu1975]

What I'd like to know is how did Ruth Gordon end up in a film with Jermaine Jackson?! 

Tito Jackson wasn't available.

[DougieB]

You've probably done your festival by now, but if you like 1950's bad girl movies, Live Fast, Die Young (1958) is a great one (directed by Paul Henreid after the acting roles had dried up, presumably). Our heroine isn't going to be stuck at home with her drunkard father like her "good" older sister, so she sticks out her thumb and heads for a life of crime, small-time at first emptying wallets in a clip joint, but she quickly graduates to grand theft auto and books to the west coast. She joins a gang led by movie tough guy Troy Donahue and becomes part of a caper to rob the local post office of a shipment of diamonds. The gang all get jobs with this federal agency without any identification except their nice white bread faces and busily prepare for the big day. The "good" sister arrives and tries to intervene, but it all goes south and the teenage vermin are dealt with accordingly, probably something minimum-security because of those nice white faces. It's full of bad dialogue and teenage posturing and should definitely go on the list. TCM has shown the stinker in the past. 

[LawrenceA]

2 hours ago, DougieB said:

You've probably done your festival by now, but if you like 1950's bad girl movies, Live Fast, Die Young (1958) is a great one 

I still haven't done the festival, since I decided to incorporate it into my regular movie watching by year, to spread them out more. Unfortunately, that means it will be a while before I get to most of the choicest bad movies, which in my opinion are in the 50's, 60's, and 70's. I'm only up to 1936 in my movie watching at the moment, and I've only watched a few of the bad ones on my list so far: Maniac, The Cocaine Fiends, and Reefer Madness. I have Assassin of Youth coming up in 1937, and then there isn't another one until the late 40's.

So I'll try and find Live Fast, Die Young before I get to 1958.

[DougieB]

You'd better sign over power of attorney before you finish those anti-drug films because it's the movies, not the drugs which will drive you nutty.

[jaragon]

On 6/30/2017 at 12:45 AM, Arsan404 said:

Equinox (1970). Not as bad as other low-budget B movies, and it has a cult following.

I love this movie- and have the excellent Criterion edition.  It's a classic DIY movie with some still impressive FX

[LawrenceA]

21 minutes ago, jaragon said:

I love this movie- and have the excellent Criterion edition.  It's a classic DIY movie with some still impressive FX

I saw Equinox many years ago and enjoyed it, so I recently picked up the Criterion release when it was on sale. I haven't watched it yet, but am looking forward to it.