There are some horror movies that are so well crafted they immediately become classics that you’ll return to time and time again. These movies are rare gems, and have the perfect combination of cast, storyline, director, script, special effects and soundtrack. Some horror movies are watchable on first viewing, but for whatever reason fail to make an impact and slide into horror movie obscurity. Then there’s that final, special category of horror movies … the ones that are so bad, so terribly cast and so poorly written that they just shouldn’t work, but they do and they achieve legendary status. These movies are the ultimate in guilty pleasure – and here’s are our all-time favorites!
Dead Snow (2009) – a Norwegian zombie splatter movie, featuring mountains, a death metal soundtrack, snow and Nazis. Yes, Nazis! Although not as terrible as some of the other movies on our list, Dead Snow is one of those films that’s gone onto achieve a bit of a legendary status despite less than satisfactory box office figures. It has even spawned a sequel, ‘Dead Snow 2: Red vs Dead’. In ‘Dead Snow’ a group of students are forced to fight off a series of zombie Nazi attacks, who are out to protect their stolen gold at all costs…
Poker Night (2014) – since poker is well-integrated in popular culture it was only a matter of time before it became the theme for a late-night chiller! ’Poker Night’ was released straight onto video on demand in 2014, but did pull off a limited theatrical release later that month, and stars the ubiquitous Ron Perlman. The plot is not unlike a good old-fashioned Amicus portmanteau: Beau Mirchoff plays a detective who gets invited to a poker night with several police vets and detectives. Each of them has a story to tell about different cases they’ve been assigned to, and when he gets captured alongside Halston Sage he realizes he must use the stories from his fellow officers to find a way to escape.
Wild Zero (2000) – the second zombie movie to make our list, this Japanese masterpiece ticks all the ludicrous boxes – meteorites? Check! Zombie apocalypse? Check! ‘Wild Zero´centers around the story of Ace, a wannabe rockstar who becomes friends with a supernaturally gifted band Guitar Wolf during the afore-mentioned zombie apocalypse caused by falling meteorites and invading aliens. Wild Zero features a gorgeously corny soundtrack, a heart-wrenching love story and all the gore you need for a Saturday night’s viewing!
Faust Love of the Damned (2000) – Brian Yuzna has a unique take on comic book adaptations, ‘Faust Love of the Damned’ is one such film, and like his previous forays into the world of comic strips it wasn’t quite what people expected! Faust ticks all the boxes for icky special effects (thanks, Screaming Mad George!) and is a bafflingly funny take on the legend – a lovesick artist makes a deal with the devil to avenge his the death of his wife. ‘Charming’ is not normally a word you’d associated with a horror flick, but if there’s one thing this movie is, it’s that!
Leprechaun 3 (1995) – well, it wouldn’t be a list of “terribad” films without at least one Leprechaun title, eh? So what makes this particular installment in the wacky series special enough to warrant inclusion above the others? Well it stars the Leprechaun in Vegas for a start, as he literally takes a trip to find his gold. Things get a bit lycanthropic when the little guy takes a bite into Scott, who himself goes through a transformation into (you guessed it) a Leprechaun! Leprechaun 3 is the perfect mix of camp and gore, and being set in Vegas allows for some creative set pieces and a very nice twist, which you’ll just have to watch the film to discover!
What are your favorite so-bad-they’re-good horror movies to watch?
