Horror Movies that are "So Bad, They're Good"?

A number of voices in the horror community have pushed back against labelling a genre movie, “So bad, its good.” From Ryan Turek to the Gillman at HMP, many have argued that if you like a movie, just like it and don’t worry about apologizing for it. Are they right? I would argue that they are and they aren’t.

One of my favorite podcasts is “How Did This Get Made?” If you’ve never listened, it features a number of comedians riffing on “bad” movies even if they enjoy them. As a horror fan, I both laugh and wince when they take on films like “Halloween III,” “Jason X,” “Sleepaway Camp,” etc. Yet, while all in good fun, they have a point, these films are deeply flawed.

Let’s face it, many of the films we horror fans love suffer from scripts that are not thought through carefully, are sloppy directed and feature poor acting. As a former aspiring filmmaker, I can’t help but to notice these issues, especially serious ones in any movie.

However, I can still enjoy a movie that is objectively poorly made. I can enjoy “Nail Gun Massacre” with friends because it has so many problems even though it appears the filmmakers took it seriously—think a horror movie version of “The Room.” It’s a train wreck but you just can’t take your eyes off of it!

I can enjoy “Jason X” because of my nostalgia of growing up with Mrs. Vorhees only son and I can have fun with “Halloween III” because I simply love Tom (“The ‘Stache”) Atkins. But, let’s be honest, the plots for these flicks are ridiculous! I mean, in regards to the latter, how does a doctor from a small city have direct access to all the major networks?

I don’t fault anyone for enjoying any horror movie. I know people who hold “Sleepaway Camp” near and dear to their heart even though did any actor in that film give DeNiro, or Streep or even Corey Feldman competition anxiety at the time? I doubt it.

Yes, love what you love, but let’s be honest, some of the films we love are just poorly made movies. That’s what I mean when I say, “So, Its good” and that’s why I don’t think we should scrap the phrase.