There’s something about the horror genre that, the worse the film, the more enjoyable it can sometimes be.
So on the eve of Halloween, let’s take a peek at a six pack of fright flicks that were admittedly awful upon release – but somehow remain watchable classic cheese today.
#1) Maximum Overdrive (1986)
Based on a short story by Stephen King, this film became the first project the author directed, probably due to the fun factor of it all. It stars Emilio Estevez as a diner cook, stranded with both co-workers and customers when a passing comet animates trucks and various other machines to attack humans. It’s so over-the-top and creative in its maliciousness that ‘Maximum Overdrive’ is more entertaining than frightening.
#2) Leprechaun (1993)
The film debut for Jennifer Aniston (and I don’t think she’s too happy about that fact), the movie stars Warwick Davis as the titular Leprechaun who is all too aggressive in trying to get back his gold from someone who’s taken it. He speaks in rhyme, sometimes rides a tricycle and is obsessed with cleaning dirty shoes. Ridiculous? Yes. Captivating BECAUSE of its ridiculousness? Affirmative.
#3) The Wicker Man (2006)
The 1973 original with Edward Woodward was an effectively disturbing thriller. This re-make with Nicolas Cage? Comedy gold. If the scene with the bees doesn’t make you laugh out loud, the bear suit will.
#4) Hellbound (1994)
Chuck Norris plays a Chicago police detective who saves the world from an evil supernatural foe. He does it primarily through punching and kicking, ’cause….well……he’s Chuck Norris.
#5) The Happening (2008)
Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan is hit (‘The Sixth Sense’) and miss (‘Lady In The Water’), but he was firmly entrenched in the category of wacky with this thriller. Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel and John Leguizamo somehow kept straight faces for the most part in this story about a natural disaster caused by……well, if you haven’t seen it, I don’t want to spoil Shyamalan’s big twist. But it’s delightfully stupid.
#6) Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
I know, I know….pretty much ALL of the chapters of the ‘Friday the 13th’ series are straight fromage……but this baby is really something bizarrely exceptional. A cast of shrieking will-never-be-stars are on the run from Jason on a ship en route to New York City. In fact, most of the picture takes place on the boat. But it’s when our hockey mask-wearing maniac arrives in the Big Apple that this sequel turns up the cornball magic as a gigantic portion of the film wasn’t filmed IN New York – it’s Vancouver. And man, it’s obvious. You can slap all the graffiti you want on VanCity’s shiny skytrains (they were only a few years old when this was filmed)….they ain’t gonna look like a NYC subway car.
