Every now and then, a movie is so spectacularly, brilliantly, and gloriously bad that our brains catalog it in the “good” category anyway.
It’s hard to define what makes a movie good or bad since it’s all subjective, but for me, a bad movie becomes good when it’s still enjoyable despite being a terrible film.
While there’s plenty of room for debate on what movies are considered bad in the first place, I’ve come up with a handful that I think we can all agree aren’t exactly masterpieces.
In looking back over some of the worst movies I’ve seen, I asked myself one question to determine if it was so bad, it’s actually good.
Would I watch it again?
When the answer was yes, as it was for all of the following, I figured that was enough to give that movie the honor of being called a good bad movie.
If you haven’t seen any of these, I highly recommend giving them a shot.
At the very least, you’ll get a good laugh, or maybe just the chance to ask yourself, “What the hell did I just watch?”
So without further ado, let’s look at some of the best bad movies of all time.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
Genre: Horror/Sci-Fi
Notable Features: Teens on a high-stakes mission, aliens shaped like terrifying clowns, and circus music played on electric guitars.
Fun Fact: Despite decades of hope from the Chiodo brothers and loyal fans, the Killer Klowns sequel has been scrapped. But there’s still a chance for the story to continue in a miniseries, according to Stephen Chiodo, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed.
Plot: An alien invasion comes in the form of murderous clown-like creatures who want to kill, harvest, and eat humans. A group of teenagers has to figure out how to stop them in a delightfully 80s horror film that feels like a fever dream.
What Makes it Bad: “Nobody stores cotton candy like this!” With lines like that, it’s a miracle the cast got through any takes without laughing. Sure, the acting leaves something to be desired. But the scariest clowns you’ve ever seen are hard to look away from, so the film gets away with a lot of flaws.
Why it’s Good Anyway: Funny in spite of itself, Killer Klowns knows what it’s about and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Plus, it’s hard to sit still when the music is so easy to bop along to.
Watch Killer Klowns from Outer Space Online
The Happening (2008)
Genre: Thriller/Suspense
Notable Features: Zooey Deschanel in a serious role, M. Night Shyamalan and his twists, and apocalyptic vibes, but without the zombies.
Fun Fact: The movie was released on Friday the 13th to play into the vibes of the story.
Plot: People all over the world begin mysteriously ending their lives with no explanation, sending terrified survivors on a journey to find safety.
What Makes it Bad: When your lead actor admits that he regrets doing the movie, it’s probably a clue that it wasn’t great. Mark Wahlberg may not be proud of this particular film, but that’s okay; his parents probably aren’t, either.
Why it’s Good Anyway: It’s certainly not intentional, but some of this movie’s scenes brought tears to my eyes. Tears of laughter, that is.
As Kate Ward put it in her 2012 review in Entertainment Weekly, “The Happening was the funniest movie about mass death I’d ever seen.”
If you’ve ever wanted to laugh your way through an hour and a half of something you weren’t supposed to laugh at, The Happening is for you.
Watch The Happening Online
Howard the Duck (1986)
Genre: Sci-Fi/Comedy
Notable Features: Anthropomorphic duck with a smart mouth, Lea Thompson, and a legitimately banging soundtrack.
Fun Fact: Howard the Duck is a Marvel character, and was the first one to get a movie.
Plot: On another planet similar to Earth populated by anthropomorphic ducks, a duck named Howard is relaxing for the evening when a mysterious force rips him through space.
He lands on Earth, meets a gorgeous stranger who takes him in, and gets into shenanigans while trying to find his way back home.
What Makes it Bad: If the description of the plot hasn’t convinced you, I don’t know what will.
The movie was released in 1986, and the special effects are as cheesy as you’d expect.
You’ve got a love story between a duck and a human woman, an evil possession, and space travel. What could be worse?
Why it’s Good Anyway: The script is genuinely funny at times (though wildly offensive at others, so viewer, beware).
It’s a classic nostalgic movie, and the bad effects and absurd plot make for an entertaining watch.
Watch Howard the Duck Online
Mars Attacks (1996)
Genre: Sci-Fi/Comedy
Notable Features: Sarah Jessica Parker’s head on a chihuahua’s body, Jack Nicholson as the United States President, and Tim Burton managing to release a film without Johnny Depp.
Fun Fact: Johnny Depp was actually asked to play Jason Stone, but he declined the role. Sorry, Tim.
Plot: Imagine an alien invasion, but it’s hilarious.
Not unlike Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Mars Attacks doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that makes it one of the best cult comedies of the nineties.
Tim Burton directed an all-star ensemble cast in this story where Martians invade Earth and prioritize taking over the world’s governments. An all-out war commences, and hilarity and chaos ensue.
What Makes it Bad: The movie is … well, graphically challenged, but that’s a symptom of its time.
The film itself is the culmination of an absurd concept, ridiculous dialogue, and over-the-top performances from some of the best actors of the 90s.
Why it’s Good Anyway: Ack ack ack!
Mars Attacks is endlessly quotable and genuinely funny even when it isn’t trying to be. It’s also a fun blast from the past with a glimpse of A-listers in their 90s forms.
Watch Mars Attacks Online
Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)
Genre: Comedy
Notable Features: A college sports comedy that doesn’t have all that much college or sports, a dreamy cast consisting of favorites like Ryan Guzman, Glen Powell, and Zoey Deutch, and an end-credit scene where everyone raps that I still haven’t recovered from.
Fun Fact: Zoey Deutch is a bit of a legacy on this list; her mom is Lea Thompson of Howard the Duck fame.
Plot: It’s 1980, and a new college freshman arrives at his new school a few days before classes start. As a baseball player, he gets the honor of living in a (barely standing) house with the rest of the team.
Everybody Wants Some is equal parts a slice of life and coming of age bracketed by a couple dozen horny, drunk college guys.
What Makes it Bad: It’s way over the top in a lot of ways, and parts of the movie feed into some outdated tropes. It’s another college party movie, so the concept isn’t particularly original.
Why it’s Good Anyway: The cast of Everybody Wants Some brings a ton of heart to the movie, and it’s their performances that make it a fun watch.
Even if the jokes don’t always land, the characters are earnest, so it’s okay.
Plus, Ryan Guzman checks out his own butt in a mirror while delivering the line, “I’ve got the best cheese on campus,” and where else are you going to get that kind of cinema?
Watch Everybody Wants Some Online
Twilight (2008)
Genre: Supernatural/Drama
Notable Features: Book-to-movie adaptation of a supernatural love triangle, an entire movie tinted blue for some reason, and a cameo from the book’s author.
Fun Fact: A fan-made meme group online, consisting of over 700,000 people, raises money annually for the Quileute Tribe that the Indigenous characters in Twilight belong to.
In 2024, the group raised $40,000 to help the tribe move their school to higher ground and protect it from environmental threats.
Plot: A shy teenager from Arizona moves to a rainy, sleepy Washington town to live with her dad. She meets a handsome stranger and falls in love quickly, even though he’s a 108-year-old vampire who breaks into her room to watch her sleep.
Oh, and her best friend’s a werewolf, but that won’t come up until the next movie.
What Makes it Bad: There are plenty of issues with the plot (again — a 108-year-old vampire watching a 17-year-old girl sleep is a little concerning), and the dialogue is often awkward and ridiculous.
There are also more plot holes than there are bad wigs, and that’s saying something.
Why it’s Good Anyway: Since its release in 2008, Twilight has become something of a millennial classic. It was extremely popular at the time, and there’s been something of a renaissance in recent years.
It’s one of those movies you watch to make fun of, even if it’s somehow endearing the whole time.
Watch Twilight Online
The Mutilator (1984)
Genre: Slasher/Thriller
Notable Features: A sitcom-like theme song, a skinny-dipping scene you won’t forget (though you’ll wish you could), and an incredible assortment of murder weapons.
Fun Fact: The Mutilator was released in 1984, but its sequel wasn’t completed until 2023.
Plot: Ed Jr. accidentally killed his mother as a child, sending his father into a lifelong crisis.
The kid eventually grows up, goes to college, and invites his closest friends to his family’s beach house.
When they arrive, things take a dark turn when Ed Sr. takes his years of pent-up grief and aggression out on his son’s pals, picking them off one by one.
What Makes it Bad: Unbelievably strange dialogue takes the movie from start to finish, and some of the plot choices are baffling.
The actors weren’t exactly highly experienced, and the director was a lawyer fulfilling a creative dream.
Why it’s Good Anyway: Despite all its flaws, The Mutilator is a fun, campy slasher with all the bells and whistles.
The theme song is icing on the cake.
Watch The Mutilator Online
Zombeavers (2014)
Genre: Horror/Comedy
Notable Features: Beavers that are zombies, John Mayer is there for some reason, and a self-insert appearance by writer and director Jordan Rubin.
Fun Fact: John Mayer had never been in a feature film before appearing in Zombeavers.
Plot: A bunch of young coeds plan a trip to a lake house to live out their sexiest and most inebriated fantasies, and then get attacked by beavers. Zombie beavers. Zombeavers, if you will.
What Makes it Bad: The antagonists are zombified beavers. I don’t know what more there is to say here.
Why it’s Good Anyway: I’m a sucker for a campy horror film that hits all the tropes while being utterly ridiculous. Zombeavers will leave you absolutely speechless, but you’ll never be able to forget it.
Watch Zombeavers Online
Bee Movie (2007)
Genre: Animation/Comedy
Notable Features: The impeccable vocal talents of Patrick Warburton, a litigious bee, and a surprisingly profound allegory about deciding one’s own destiny.
Fun Fact: Bee Movie never got a sequel, but it did eventually become a hugely popular meme that continues to plague us all today.
Plot: A bee spends his whole life knowing his destiny is leading him to work in honey production, but he decides that he wants more.
When he learns humans regularly steal honey and profit from it, he does the only logical thing: he sues the human race about it.
What Makes it Bad: Bee Movie was released six years after Shrek by the same studio (Dreamworks), and Shrek was objectively a masterpiece, so the stakes were high.
But the movie fell flat, in part because of a bzz-arre (sorry) subplot in which the bee protagonist falls in love with a human woman.
Why it’s Good Anyway: The memes that came from Bee Movie didn’t start circulating for half a decade, so it took some time for us to see the beauty there.
But as ridiculous as the entire movie was, there’s something entertaining about rewatching it just for the cringe factor.
Watch Bee Movie Online
Eurotrip (2004)
Genre: Comedy
Notable Features: An absolutely historic cameo by Matt Damon, Fred Armisen speaking Italian (sort of), and an appearance by Lucy Lawless that you won’t want to miss.
Fun Fact: The song made famous by Matt Damon at the beginning of Eurotrip was written and performed by Lustra, and Damon lip-syncs it for his scene. Bonus: this song is on my playlist because it unironically slaps.
Plot: Recent high school graduate Scotty is meant to spend the summer working for his father while his friends go on the European trip of their dreams.
After accidentally rejecting his beautiful German pen pal, Scotty forgoes his responsibilities to join his friends on the trip so he can try to find his girl.
From there, shenanigans ensue, and the teens find themselves in one ridiculous situation after another.
What Makes It Bad: As with many teen flicks in the mid-aughts, Eurotrip relies heavily on the excessive use of boobs and slapstick comedy to keep the audience engaged. You’ll also find plenty of out-of-pocket jokes that would not fly in today’s world (for good reason).
Why It’s Good Anyway: Maybe it’s the nostalgic millennial in me, but I’m a sucker for a classic 2000s time capsule, and Eurotrip is exactly that. Rewatching this film is like rewinding the clock for a couple of hours.
Watch Eurotrip Online
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
Genre: Comedy
Notable Features: A classic Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly team-up, Jane Lynch giving birth in the backseat of a Chevelle, and the reason everyone in my high school quoted, “If you ain’t first, you’re last,” for years.
Plot: After an unlikely rise from the bottom, NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby finds himself on top of the world alongside his best friend. But not everyone is thrilled with his success, and the movie dives into cutthroat competition, feuds with friends and family, and southern stereotypes.
Fun Fact: At the 2007 MTV Movie Awards, Will Ferrell and Sascha Baron-Cohen won Best Kiss for their lip-locking in Talladega Nights.
What Makes It Bad: Like many other films on this list, Talladega Nights has some problematic plot points and dialogue. Plus, it’s overly cheesy and full of awful attempts at various accents.
Why It’s Good Anyway: There’s just something about the combo of Will Ferrell and director Adam McKay that turns ridiculous concepts into genuinely funny movies.
Watch Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Online
Burlesque (2010)
Genre: Musical/Romance
Notable Features: A cast featuring some of the most powerful voices in music, Stanley Tucci in the kind of role he was born to play, and Cher’s first on-screen musical appearance.
Fun Fact: Diablo Cody, best known for hits like Lisa Frankenstein, Juno, and Jennifer’s Body, reviewed and offered input and revisions to the Burlesque script. Cody is not credited as a screenwriter on the film, and doesn’t consider it a significant moment in her career.
Plot: Ali (Christina Aguilera) leaves her tiny hometown and waitressing job to chase her dreams in L.A. She wanders into a burlesque club run by a retired dancer and decides that she’ll stop at nothing to end up onstage.
Despite her initial skepticism, owner Tess (Cher) discovers that Ali is packing a powerhouse voice and brings her into the fold. It’s a story full of unrealistic twists, miracles, a romantic view of the seedy side of show business, and a slightly steamy friends-to-lovers arc.
What Makes It Bad: Well … everything. The acting in Burlesque isn’t so much unremarkable as it is glaringly terrible. To be fair, that’s to be expected when you cast singers and dancers in a movie.
The songs aren’t great, either, which isn’t what you want in a musical.
Why It’s Good Anyway: Everyone in this film is beautiful, there are billions of sequins (probably — I didn’t count them), and I’ll never turn down a chance to hear Christina Aguilera sing.
(Side note: Consider this my formal apology to Cam Gigandet, who somehow landed on this list twice thanks to Burlesque and Twilight. You’re a star, Cam.)
Watch Burlesque Online
Love, Actually (2003)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Notable Features: An ensemble cast full of A-listers, the only running-through-the-airport scene in a rom-com that you can’t hate, and an unforgettable dance number by Hugh Grant.
Fun Fact: The short clips of people reuniting with loved ones at the airport weren’t scripted; they were shot secretly with hidden cameras. Each reunion is genuine.
Plot: Love, Actually looks into the love lives of many different people, showcasing that love can be beautiful and complicated and devastating. Some of the major plot points include infidelity, unrequited love, and falling in love through language barriers.
What Makes It Bad: Most of the stories showcase entirely inappropriate relationships, even when they have a happy or neutral ending. Love, Actually falls into the trap that many films in this genre do, which is romanticizing things that are actually terrible.
It’s not cool to offer to video your best friend’s wedding only to focus solely on the bride and then confess your love to her after the marriage is sealed. It’s also bad form to fall in love with a new person while your girlfriend is home sick.
Why It’s Good Anyway: Sigh. We know most of the relationships aren’t all that romantic, but damn it, if we don’t still fall for the butterflies we get watching this movie.
And when I need a good cry, watching Emma Thompson break down on screen gets me every single time.
Watch Love, Actually Online
Now it’s your turn: what is your favorite movie that is so bad it’s good?
Let me know in the comments!
I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve seen any of the bad movies on the list!
