Ever See a Horror Movie That's So Bad It's Good? These Are the Best-Worst of Them.
For all the weirdos out there who want to watch something bad—but not so bad that's it's boring!—and not so good that it's no longer fun
These days, there is no shortage of amazing horror movies out there. If you want your horror with a mix of cultural commentary, Zach Kregger's Barbarian has you covered. And if you dig a good ol' fashioned slasher with a high body count, you’d love Evil Dead Rise. These films and many others have been described as elevated or prestige horror, taking an often underappreciated genre to critical acclaim.
Sometimes, though, you don’t want to watch a good movie. What about those of us who take sick pleasure in watching something truly bad? But a bad scary movie can’t be just plain bad, because that’s boring. The best underrated horror films are the ones that are so bad that they become memorable. They reach such depths of camp that they actually become masterpieces. These movies special effects that are so horrible that you have to laugh, a plot so stupid that you don’t bother following it, and dialogue so damn cringey that you have to ruthlessly mock it.
This is also important: There's nuance in the so bad it's good scary movie. It can’t be flat-out bad, like many of the Halloween sequels, and not a campy cult classic like Evil Dead 2. This mystical, proverbial film is something that most people would dismiss as trash, but if you keep your mind open, you’ll discover something more. So, If you’re in the mood to throw popcorn at the screen and go on a wild ride, check out this list. Heckle away, people.
Sirena He is an editorial assistant and writer who focuses on media and culture. She is a lover of horror films and believes in the healing power of storytelling.
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