Movies that are so bad they're actually good

Bad acting, strange dialogue, absurd plot holes, unbelievable special effects, and the list goes on… these are some traits that can make bad movies, bad. But when they cross the line to so ridiculously bad, that’s when a movie can become good again? A deep philosophy of boundaries and aesthetics, but also very subjective… here are some of the movies that are largely viewed as so terrible that they are actually great.

In this cheesy 1970s B-movie, a meteor opens an interdimensional gateway that allows giant spiders to begin walking all over a small Wisconsin Town. Sound horrible? It’s fantastic.

Image: HD Retro Trailers / YouTube

Hack the planet!!! This silly film somehow pulls you right into the world of the make-believe hacker culture of the 1990s. Maybe it’s the star-studded cast with actors like Angelina Jolie and Johnny Lee Miller. Another contender in the hilariously outdated view of technology category is 'The Net,' starring Sandra Bullock, and also from the golden year of 1995.

Image: Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers / YouTube

This movie about an alien trying to escape from NASA, and befriending a boy in a wheelchair, was conceptualized as a marketing tool for McDonald's. It tried to seize on the popularity of 'ET' but was a huge flop, though it has been revived for its sheer absurdity.

Image: MGM/ YouTube

Another film from 1995, this much-hated film has gained cult status because while it tries to be serious, it is quite a disaster with many delightfully spazzy moments by Elizabeth Berkely. If you’re an adult and can deal with an NC-17 rating, this has some scenes for you.

Image: Max / YouTube

What actually happened to Showgirl Elizabeth Berkely?

This very indie film has made it onto many of this list, with each of the sequels rated worse and worse. As Variety wrote, it: "displays all the revered hallmarks of hilariously bad filmmaking: inane dialogue... miscued music, godawful sound... and special effects that simply must be seen to be believed: birds dive-bombing and exploding in red-and-yellow poofs of smoke, and clip-art eagles, crudely pasted on the screen, with only their wing tips mechanically flapping."

Image: BirdemicShockTerror

With a 5% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, this movie was produced as a standalone called ‘Goblins’ by Italian filmmakers but then American distributors decided to market it as ‘Troll 2’ even though it made no mention of trolls. But it's the terrible acting, hilarious special effects, silly script, and very 80s score that makes it one of the best of the worst.

Image: ScreamFactoryTV / YouTube

"You are tearing me apart Lisa!!!" This strange film by Tommy Wiseau has been deemed the 'Citizen Kane' of bad movies. Unlike many of the outlandish horrors on this list, 'The Room' tackles some very grown-up matters like love and infidelity, but with a very juvenile perspective and some very bad writing and acting.

Image: Tommy Wiseau / YouTube

This is Marvel’s first-ever movie and was even backed by George Lucas. Yet, this big-budget movie about a sarcastic duck (being from Duckworld, where everyone is a duck) was a huge flop. And while it intended to be funny but wasn't, its strangeness and creepiness even is one for the books.

Another independent film, this one was extremely maligned when it was first released, which was horrible news for the filmmaker Y.K. Kim, who took out loans, spent all of his savings, and mortgaged his taekwondo school to finance the film… and later went bankrupt. But this film about music, motorcycle-riding, and drug-dealing ninjas has become a cult classic since its re-release in 2012.

Image: Drafthouse Films / YouTube

In a poll asking hundreds of scientists the worst movie when it came to depicting science, 'The Core' came out the winner, according to The Australian. All about drilling to the center of the Earth to set off nuclear explosions to restart the rotation of the Earth’s core, why incredibly unrealistic, there is something irresistible about this flick, starring Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank.

Image: Movieclips / YouTube

With just 11% on Rotten Tomatoes, this movie killed the Batman franchise until 2005 when Christian Bale took the lead. This version, starring George Clooney, is considered awful by most people, featuring terrible design, writing, and especially the puns. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze is a real standout: "What killed the dinosaurs? The ice age!!!"

Image: Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers / YouTube

Ranked as Time Out's number one 'best worst' film, this no-budget satanic-panic horror movie was originally made on a dare. It then disappeared only to be revived by lovers of trash movies in the 1990s.

Image: Movie Vigilante / YouTube

Also known as 'Turkish Star Wars' this is a fun example of how Turkey adapted mid-century films to suit its audience, sometimes quite directly, with this also borrowing from ‘Flash Gordon’ and 'Raiders of the Lost Ark.' It's really got it all — wizards, zombies, ninjas and warrior skeletons.

Image: Turkish Movies / YouTube

John Travolta starred in the adaptation of sci-fi writer and Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard’s novel of the same name. Campy, exaggerated, and poorly shot, there is still some argument whether this is just bad or so bad it’s good!

This martial arts film stars Olympic gymnast Kurt Thomas. It’s about a gymnast who combines his gymnastic ability with martial arts to enter a deadly competition in a fictional country, Parmistan. It earned Thomas a Razzi for Worst New Star but earned a cult following for its unintentional comedy, strange plot, and poor production.

Image: Super Fan Trailers / YouTube

Follow Showbizz Daily to stay informed and enjoy more content!