Our favorite bad horror movies list to help you decide what to watch on Halloween
For me October is a month of vile creatures, fictional murderers and stories that make me double-check every single lock in my apartment. The past week has been a shameless marathon of the best blood-curdlers and funniest flops out there. Interestingly enough, I had the most fun with those B movies. The ones that are so bad, that they actually end up being pretty good. Here is a list of some of the worst horror movies to make you laugh on those upcoming spooky Halloween nights.
Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)
Considered by some as the worst movie of all time, Plan 9 from Outer Space is the paramount example of the good-because-it-is-so-bad genre. This piece of cinematographic anthology is the product of Ed Wood, one of most significant B movie emissaries. His passion was only equalled by his fundamental lack of filmic talent. Still, his originality and an unshakable will to create films made possible the creation of this ultimate lemon among lemons, this gem of bad taste and awkwardness. The plot is basic enough: aliens coming to earth to stop us from making a weapon capable of destroying all that is good in this world. Their plan? The ninth one, consisting of waking up the dead. From there follows an intense and clumsy struggle between the medievally dressed aliens and the weirdly stiff humans, and also the undead, including a gargantuan brute, a skinny lookalike of Elvira, mistress of darkness, and what appears to be an homage to the renowned Bela Lugosi. Amateur special effects, an overall clunky cinematography and second-rate dialogue all mingle together to produce one hell of a bad movie. Plan 9 from Outer Space is the one movie you ought to suffer through, ‘cause when it’s that bad, it’s actually good.
Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2009)
Think The Birds, without talent, decent acting, budget and any kind of cinematographic value whatsoever. Actually, don’t think the The Birds, Hitchcock would probably turn in his grave. Just add the most sketchy CGI murderous birds ever seen on screen, and here is Birdemic: Shock and Terror for you. Here, the combination of poor quality and actual attempted seriousness on the part of the creators made one of the most well-known bad movies of the last few years. There’s even a sequel that was released in 2013! It is hard to actually successfully describe this movie. It is impossible to convey the actual Birdemic experience without showing the actual movie. Birds killing people is a wacky premise, but not unseen. It is the way it is done: the worst, possible way. You know you need to watch this now right? Believe me, you will never forget your first sight of Birdemic: Shock and Terror‘s beautifully sickening murderous birds. It will haunt you, as any horror movies should. Even if its for the bad reasons.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
Okay, I know, another “outer space” movie may make this list appear slightly repetitive. Still, when dealing with silly monsters, over-the-top plots and creative slaughters, don’t you think it’s always better when it comes from another galaxy? It brings things to a whole other level in my opinion. This time, aliens taking the form of killer klowns (with a K) are coming to visit us and, unsurprisingly, kill us. The creators of this movie, the Chiodo brothers, succeeded in creating one hell of an absurdly disturbing movie. They gave a somewhat cheap film a twist that transforms the whole invading alien story into a wacky circus-themed killing extravaganza. Those comically creepy extraterrestrials use a variety of tools usual to the humble clownesque profession to kill, torment and scare the inhabitants of a small town. Twisted balloons, puppets, a parade, colourful costumes and makeup: it’s all in there. Killer Klowns from Outer Space is the perfect movie to renew your childhood coulrophobia.
Night of the Lepus (1972)
In an unbalanced world, Mother Nature’s offspring has become out of control. Terrifying creatures roam the earth looking for prey to hunt and feed on. A small south western village has to confront these nightmarish monsters and fight for their survival. But how could they defeat those carnivorous, giant, killer…bunnies? It is hard not to both laugh at and be curious about Night of the Lepus’ premise. God knows how many movies have used mutant animals as their scary monstrosities. Still, you’ve got to admit that rabbits are a refreshing variance on the genre. The movie has so much to give to the audience: meticulous (and ridiculous) close-ups of the evil rodents act as attempts to instill a suspenseful atmosphere; bunnies leaping on their powerless victims as spectacularly as the similar Monty Python monster; a policeman very seriously telling people that “there is a herd of killer rabbits heading [their] way”; a final showdown pitting the army and their almighty flamethrowers against the hungry, deadly cottontails. There’s something for everyone in William F. Claxton’s Night of the Lepus, especially for those furry critter lovers out there.
Blacula (1972)
From Kate Beckinsale in a tight black latex one-piece to team Edward, vampires have been used in countless pathetic movies as the cool-tempered, beautiful-looking tormented protagonist. Sadly, none of those films ever achieved the coolness of the true vampire master: Blacula himself! This character comes straight out of the film era known as blaxploitation, and is now considered a true cult figure. In his eponymous film, Blacula is an African prince transformed by Dracula into the funky blood-sucking persona we see on screen. Transported to America by an inter-racial gay couple of decorators (believe it or not, this was quite a rarity in movies in the ‘70s), the haunted prince looks for his long-lost wife taken from him 200 years ago. In his desperate search, Blacula ends up drinking the blood of a panoply of singular characters, each more ridiculous than the last. This tragic vampire story may not be what you would expect from the contemporary sparkling, cheap equivalents, but that’s exactly why it’s worth your time. It’s silly, unconventional and weirdly enjoyable.
Leprechaun (1993)
Do not think of Lucky Charms’ lovely character; picture instead a 600-year-old creepy-looking, dark-humoured leprechaun. He still loves to play, sing and joke around like any other member of his mythical race, but he complements those charming characteristics with the bad habit of murdering and torturing people who stand between him and his precious gold. A whole prolific series of films was produced based on this absurd character, and every single one of those movies could be listed here. In the fourth, he goes to space; in the third, he goes gambling in Vegas; in the second, he goes looking for a bride; he even goes to the “hood” to chill with his “homies” in the two following movies of the series. For some reason, a reboot on the origins of the sadistic creature came out this summer. For the sake of this list, though, we’ll choose the original 1993 Leprechaun directed by Mark Jones that started it all. Seriously, it has a pogo-stabbing kill and a shallow shotgun-wielding Jennifer Aniston (badass Rachel?) as the main protagonist. What’s not to like?