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5 Horror Films That Are So Bad They’re Good

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There are no shortage of terrible horror movies out there in the wild, especially those of the horror variety.  For some reason it seems that the horror genre in general attracts terrible films.  For whatever reason it may be, and let’s be honest with ourselves there are to many to name off, there are still quite a few movies out there that aren’t as bad as everyone believes.

This brings us to an interesting little genre in our macabre twisted world.  Horror Films so bad, they’re enjoyable in a masochistic sort of way.  Obviously not everyone out there enjoys bad horror, but those of us that do are able to find beauty and entertainment where others see garbage and a waste of time.

So lets sit back and take a look at 5 horror films that are so grotesquely awful, that they’re beautifully entertaining.

Skinned Deep

Skinned Deep is a film I expect not many have had the pleasure of seeing.  The film wears it’s inspiration on its sleeve loud and proud, and what happened to motivate this film was none other than the horror classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  Enough is done differently to differentiate the two films from one another but the similarities are there.

Both follow a deranged family hellbent on causing chaos and mayhem every stride of the way.  Instead of a masked madman chasing teens with a chainsaw, in Skinned Deep we are treated to such characters as Brain.  Who as his name would suggest has an enormous throbbing brain and is the most normal character you will meet in this deranged family.

However, the one character who absolutely steals the show is none other than the Surgeon General.   Armed with an unusual knife and a bear trap for a mouth Surgeon General is absolutely ridiculous to look at and only solidifies the so bad its good quality of the overall movie.

Skinned Deep

Skinned Deep also features Warwick Davis so fans of his work should be in a for a treat with his performance in this gem.  To say more would only ruin the “plot” of this film just trust me on this one.  If your’e a fan of the B-movie sub-genre then you will love Skinned Deep.

Hellraiser: Hellworld

Hellraiser is an established series in the horror genre that many are familiar with.  The first two films are excellent works of horror and the second sequel could have served as an satisfying end to the story of the cenobites.  However much like the titular cenobites this series has such sites to show us.

Hellworld is the 7th sequel to the original Hellraiser film.  Yes the seventh sequel, and certainly not the last. Another is already on the way with some interesting news for the future of the franchise.  Now as one would expect with so many sequels, the overall quality of the movies would begin to decline over time.  That isn’t suffice to say though that this series has some real gems hiding away.

This particular sequel in the franchise is different from all the rest that came before it.  It’s so different that many fans of the original don’t recognize this as a part of the series.  That is a valid argument to make however the film shouldn’t be discredited because of the strange decisions made while making it.

Hellworld follows a group of young adults after a friend of theirs commits suicide.  It is believed that he was driven to suicide because of a fictional game that all the friends play, Hellworld.  And within that game there lies a hidden invitation to a party at a spooky mansion for those who can solve the accursed puzzle box fans of this series are familiar with.

Hellraiser Lament Configuration

If you choose to watch this film do not expect it be like any other Hellraiser film.  This particular sequel is more alike to films like Saw than its namesake.  To say anymore would spoil the fun of the movie.  It’s worth a watch and a few laughs at the strange direction this one took, and definitely deserves it’s place in the so bad its good category.

Christmas Evil

Where does one even begin when trying to describe this film.  Well for starters it’s another Christmas themed slasher movie, with the killer dressing up like Santa Claus.  While this particular concept is pretty common nowadays especially around the holiday season, this film was one of the early adopters of the idea of a killer Santa.

The plot to this one is similar to that of it’s best comparison Silent Night Deadly Night, however there is one major difference in Christmas Evil that separates the two films. Both films follow a man who witnesses a traumatizing event as a child with the perpetrator being dressed as Santa.  This spirals both men’s lives out of control in both stories.

Brandon Maggart Christmas Evil

The key difference with Christmas Evil however is that our killer Santa, Harry, is driven to kill because of his love for Christmas.  He is a devout believer in all things holly and jolly and only wants to live his life like a real Santa Claus.  He even goes so far as to work at a toy factory on an assembly line just like a elf.

Christmas Evil is at its core a holiday slasher flick.  However the combination of bad acting, nonsensical story and the absolute mind boggling ending make this movie a piece of horror comedy gold.  The ending alone is enough to warrant watching this one, unless you’ve seen it before you’ll never be able to guess how this one decides to end the story.

Jason X

This particular film being on this list i’m more than certain will upset several Friday The 13th fans, however it deserves a spot on this list none the less.  With Paramount’s first Friday film they did the only thing that would make sense, killed off Jason and made further sequels impossible.  Or did they?

Jason X is special because it takes the story away from Camp Crystal Lake, a move that wasn’t done since Jason Takes Manhattan.  Obviously the only thing that could possibly top that glorious film is Jason harassing teenagers in space.  Creating some strange SYFY slasher combo that never really knows what it is that it’s gunning for.

This is easily one of the weakest entries in the Friday The 13th franchise, however that doesn’t mean this film isn’t worth checking out.  All the things that are needed for a slasher are still present in this movie.  We have Jason running around a secluded environment with plenty of fresh young fodder to slaughter in creative gruesome ways.

And that is one thing that this film did accomplish above all else.  Just about every kill Jason pulls off gets more and more gruesome and even more entertaining.  If your’e a hardcore fan of the Friday The 13th series then you may need a drink or two to survive this take on Jason, but it’ll be an entertaining none the less.

Troll 2

And here we have it ladies and gentlemen, the magnum opus of terrible films.  Troll 2 is widely considered to be the worst film ever to grace our eye-holes.  This film is so terrible that a full length documentary was made on it detailing just how terrible of a film it is and what it is that makes it so bad.

With all the problems it  has though, it’s still a great time to sit through and watch.  The acting is terrible, the plot makes no sense and the costume design, well I’ll let you see that one for yourself.

This film is absolutely atrocious and borderline offensive with how terrible it is, but all that combines together to create this sickening charm to the whole thing.  No matter how much I attempt to tell myself I hate this film I can’t help but to laugh or smile when thinking about it.  The thought alone that the creators thought it was ready for public viewing is enough to elicit a smile.

Troll 2 does what so many horror films attempt and fail at doing almost completely on accident.  It has crafted an experience so utterly terrible and painful to go through, that it’s an experience most everyone should have.

Even if you don’t like the film or bad movies in general, this is something everyone needs to see to remind ourselves that we as a species collectively allowed this to happen.  And it should always serve as the magnum opus for the So Bad It’s Good genre of horror.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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‘Happy Death Day 3’ Only Needs Greenlight From Studio

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Jessica Rothe who is currently starring in the ultra-violent Boy Kills World talked to ScreenGeek at WonderCon and gave them an exclusive update about her franchise Happy Death Day.

The horror time-looper is a popular series that did pretty well at the box office especially the first one which introduced us to the bratty Tree Gelbman (Rothe) who is being stalked by a masked killer. Christopher Landon directed the original and its sequel Happy Death Day 2U.

Happy Death Day 2U

According to Rothe, a third is being proposed, but two major studios need to sign off on the project. Here is what Rothe had to say:

“Well, I can say Chris Landon has the whole thing figured out. We just need to wait for Blumhouse and Universal to get their ducks in a row. But my fingers are so crossed. I think Tree [Gelbman] deserves her third and final chapter to bring that incredible character and franchise to a close or a new beginning.”

The movies delve into sci-fi territory with their repeated wormhole mechanics. The second leans heavily into this by utilizing an experimental quantum reactor as a plot device. Whether this apparatus will play into the third film isn’t clear. We will have to wait for the studio’s thumbs up or thumbs down to find out.

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Will ‘Scream VII’ Focus on The Prescott Family, Kids?

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Since the beginning of the Scream franchise, it seems there have been NDAs handed out to the cast to not reveal any plot details or casting choices. But clever internet sleuths can pretty much find anything these days thanks to the World Wide Web and report what they find as conjecture instead of fact. It’s not the best journalistic practice, but it gets buzz going and if Scream has done anything well over the past 20-plus years it’s creating buzz.

In the latest speculation of what Scream VII will be about, horror movie blogger and deduction king Critical Overlord posted in early April that casting agents for the horror movie are looking to hire actors for children’s roles. This has led to some believing Ghostface will target Sidney’s family bringing the franchise back to its roots where our final girl is once again vulnerable and afraid.

It is common knowledge now that Neve Campbell is returning to the Scream franchise after being low-balled by Spyglass for her part in Scream VI which led to her resignation. It’s also well-known that Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega won’t be back any time soon to play their respective roles as sisters Sam and Tara Carpenter. Execs scrambling to find their bearings got broadsided when director Cristopher Landon said he would also not be going forward with Scream VII as originally planned.

Enter Scream creator Kevin Williamson who is now directing the latest installment. But the Carpenter’s arc has been seemingly scrapped so which direction will he take his beloved films? Critical Overlord seems to think it will be a familial thriller.

This also piggy-backs news that Patrick Dempsey might return to the series as Sidney’s husband which was hinted at in Scream V. Additionally, Courteney Cox is also considering reprising her role as the badass journalist-turned-author Gale Weathers.

As the film starts filming in Canada sometime this year, it will be interesting to see how well they can keep the plot under wraps. Hopefully, those who don’t want any spoilers can avoid them through production. As for us, we liked an idea that would bring the franchise into the mega-meta universe.

This will be the third Scream sequel not directed by Wes Craven.

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‘Late Night With the Devil’ Brings The Fire to Streaming

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With as successful as a niche independent horror film can be at the box office, Late Night With the Devil is doing even better on streaming. 

The halfway-to-Halloween drop of Late Night With the Devil in March wasn’t out for even a month before it headed to streaming on April 19 where it remains as hot as Hades itself. It has the best opening ever for a movie on Shudder.

In its theatrical run, it is reported that the film took in $666K at the end of its opening weekend. That makes it the highest-grossing opener ever for a theatrical IFC film

Late Night With the Devil

“Coming off a record-breaking theatrical run, we’re thrilled to give Late Night its streaming debut on Shudder, as we continue to bring our passionate subscribers the very best in horror, with projects that represent the depth and breadth of this genre,” Courtney Thomasma, the EVP of streaming programming at AMC Networks told CBR. “Working alongside our sister company IFC Films to bring this fantastic film to an even broader audience is another example of the great synergy of these two brands and how the horror genre continues to resonate and be embraced by fans.”

Sam Zimmerman, Shudder’s VP of Programming loves that Late Night With the Devil fans are giving the film a second life on streaming. 

Late Night’s success across streaming and theatrical is a win for the kind of inventive, original genre that Shudder and IFC Films aim for,” he said. “A huge congratulations to the Cairnes and the fantastic filmmaking team.”

Since the pandemic theatrical releases have had a shorter shelf life in multiplexes thanks to the saturation of studio-owned streaming services; what took several months to hit streaming a decade ago now only takes several weeks and if you happen to be a niche subscription service like Shudder they can skip the PVOD market altogether and add a film directly to their library. 

Late Night With the Devil is also an exception because it received high praise from critics and therefore word of mouth fueled its popularity. Shudder subscribers can watch Late Night With the Devil right now on the platform.

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