The term 'disasterpiece' refers to movies so astonishingly bad that they become legends in their own right. These atrocious films transcend their failures and become ironically entertaining spectacles. They defy conventional criticism -- while they fail by every technical measure, they still manage to captivate audiences with their unintentional comedy, surreal storytelling, or unforgettable moments.
The secret ingredient in creating a disasterpiece is earnestness. These movies were rarely made as jokes; they were meant to be taken seriously, which makes their flaws all the more delightful. Whether it's the hilariously wooden performances in Samurai Cop, the sheer incompetence of Plan 9 from Outer Space, or the bewildering choices of The Room, each of these films is a testament to the strange magic of cinema gone wrong.
10 'Samurai Cop' (1991) Directed by Amir Shervan
"I will bring you his head, and I will place it on your piano." Samurai Cop is a prime example of a film that is completely unaware of its own ridiculousness. This nano-budget action thriller centers on Joe Marshall (Matt Hannon), a police officer trained in samurai techniques, who partners with Frank Washington (Mark Frazer) to take down the vicious Katana gang in Los Angeles. However, the wooden dialogue, wildly inconsistent acting, and horrendous editing make it a riotous experience for all the wrong reasons.
For one, Joe's supposed samurai skills are never actually shown, and the fight sequences are all painfully underwhelming. Similarly, the love scenes, if they can be called that, are a bizarre mix of softcore awkwardness and uncomfortable close-ups that last far too long. It's precisely what one would expect from a movie starring someone whose career highlight prior to this was being Sylvester Stallone's bodyguard.
Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Samurai Cop R Action Crime Comedy Thriller Release Date November 30, 1991 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming
Powered by Expand Collapse 9 'Manos: The Hands of Fate' (1966) Directed by Harold P. Warren
"There is no way out of here. It will be dark soon. There is no way out of here." Written, directed, and produced by fertilizer salesman Harold P. Warren, this "horror" tells the story of a family who become trapped in the desert with a cult led by the enigmatic Master (Tom Neyman) and his creepy, leg-braced servant Torgo (John Reynolds). The Master, played with an unsettling stiffness, commands a group of zombie-like wives in long robes, while Torgo bumbles around, mumbling dialogue that was badly overdubbed in post-production.
There are catfights, rattlesnake attacks, dogs with glowing eyes, and people getting massaged to death. Despite all this lunacy, the plot barely moves forward, and the runtime feels like it drags on forever. The finished product is a genuine cinematic catastrophe, earning its reputation as one of the worst movies ever made. Even the title is bad: Manos already means hands, so this movie is basically called Hands: The Hands of Fate.
Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Manos: The Hands of Fate Not Rated Horror Release Date November 15, 1966 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming
Powered by Expand Collapse 8 'Birdemic: Shock and Terror' (2010) Directed by James Nguyen
"Why would birds do something like that? Why would they just attack?" Birdemic: Shock and Terror is like the anti-matter twin to The Birds, as atrocious as the Hitchcock film is terrific. This supposed horror-thriller is meant to be an environmental cautionary tale, but instead, it's a masterclass in unintentional comedy. Story-wise, it follows a bland software salesman named Rod (Alan Bagh) and his love interest Nathalie (Whitney Moore) as they navigate a sudden, unexplained avian apocalypse.
The first half of the film, however, feels like a completely different movie, focusing on Rod's career, awkward romance, and a series of disjointed conversations that seem to last forever. After what seems like an eternity, the birds finally show up. Oh boy. These winged terrors are floating, motionless creatures that hover in place, glitch, and explode on impact like bad computer game sprites. The movie fails on every level but, like a phoenix from the ashes, it has since been immortalized as a cult favorite.
Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Birdemic: Shock and Terror NR Thriller Fantasy Romance Horror Science Fiction Release Date February 27, 2010 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming
Powered by Expand Collapse 7 'Troll 2' (1990) Directed by Claudio Fragasso
"They're eating her! And then they're going to eat me! Oh my God!" Despite its title, this movie has nothing to do with the 1986 horror Troll. Instead, it's about a young boy named Joshua (Michael Stephenson) who discovers that the town of Nilbog is overrun by vegetarian goblins that transform humans into plants before devouring them. The boy's dead grandfather (Robert Ormsby) appears as a ghost (because why not?) to warn him about the dangers ahead, but his family refuses to believe him, leading to a series of ridiculous encounters.
Troll 2 is an utter trainwreck, though it has undeniable ironic 'so bad it's good' entertainment value. Everything here is amateurish: the goblin costumes are nothing more than rubber masks and burlap sacks, the sheriff's car has a badge on it that's clearly just a sticker, and the ill-fitting chase scene music sounds like something ripped from a Nintendo game.
Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Troll 2 PG-13 Comedy Fantasy Horror Mystery Release Date October 12, 1990 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming
Powered by Expand Collapse 6 'The Giant Spider Invasion' (1975) Directed by Bill Rebane
"You're a scientist! You can't just sit there and say, 'I don't know.'" A cheap, schlocky drive-in movie from the 1970s, The Giant Spider Invasion delivers exactly what its title promises -- giant, fake-looking spiders invading rural Wisconsin. When a meteorite crashes to Earth, strange glowing geodes are discovered, unleashing an ever-growing horde of oversized arachnids. This is a truly wacky creature feature; Jaws mixed with Day of the Locust, spiced up with a touch of incompetence. There are Swiss dairy farms less cheesy than this.
Part of what makes the film unforgettable is its use of a Volkswagen Beetle covered in fur as the main "giant spider," complete with visible wheels whenever it moves. By all accounts, the production was chaotic, including an incident where a prop spider was rigged to explode, failed to do so while the cameras were on, then promptly erupted into a ball of flame soon after the director had called cut.
Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 The Giant Spider Invasion PG Horror Science Fiction Release Date October 1, 1975 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming RENT BUY
Powered by Expand Collapse 5 'Sharknado' (2013) Directed by Anthony C. Ferrante
"We're gonna need a bigger chopper." Sharknado is to Jaws as Birdemic is to The Birds, although it was to some degree intentionally made to be bad. What started as a goofy, low-budget disaster flick turned into a full-fledged franchise thanks to its absurd concept -- tornadoes filled with hungry sharks wreaking havoc across Los Angeles. Starring Ian Ziering and Tara Reid, Sharknado is a film that embraces its ridiculous premise without hesitation.
From chainsaw-wielding heroes slicing sharks in mid-air to completely nonsensical meteorological science, every moment is designed for maximum absurdity. The actors interact with the sharks uncomfortably, clearly doing their best while working with flimsy green screens. The script also hands them a ton of awful one-liners, which must have been hard to deliver with a straight face. Reid herself summed up the spirit of the movie well, saying, "You can't take it so seriously when it's absolutely the sharks flying in the sky. It's so out there that it's actually really funny."
Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Sharknado TV-14 Sci-Fi Comedy Horror Thriller Adventure Action Release Date July 11, 2013 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming
Powered by Expand Collapse 4 'Glen or Glenda' (1953) Directed by Ed Wood Close
"Pull the string! Pull the string!" Ed Wood, widely regarded as one of the most lovably bad directors of all time, created something uniquely baffling with Glen or Glenda. Intended to be a serious exploration of gender identity and cross-dressing, the film instead turns into a fever dream of stock footage, surreal imagery, and offbeat narration by Bela Lugosi. The structure is chaotic, frequently interrupting the main storyline with bizarre sequences featuring buffalo stampedes and lightning storms.
This was a passion project for Wood and his personality shines through, even if the film is technically woeful. It's also his most personal effort, drawing substantially on his own life. Plus, Wood's misguided enthusiasm for the medium is plain to see. This elevates Glen or Glenda over most cinematic misfires, and explains why it has such a big cult following. Those curious about the director's life and work should check out Tim Burton's Ed Wood, if they haven't already.
3 'The Toxic Avenger' (1984) Directed by Michael Herz & Lloyd Kaufman
"You fat slob, let's see if you've got any guts!" Troma Entertainment is known for its outrageous, ultra-low-budget exploitation films, and The Toxic Avenger is their most famous disasterpiece. A gory, campy superhero movie, it tells the story of Melvin (Mitch Cohen), a nerdy janitor who falls into a vat of toxic waste and is transformed into a grotesque but powerful mutant. What follows is a storm of excessive violence, crude humor, and intentionally offensive jokes.
The Toxic Avenger abandons all notions of good taste, with over-the-top acting and villains that cackle like cartoon characters. Some of the cast and crew have said the movie was intended to be a parody, though some critics have disputed this. Either way, The Toxic Avenger is certainly not boring, and quickly developed a small but devoted fanbase. Also worth checking out is the 2023 remake starring Peter Dinklage, which has a similarly anarchic spirit but much more polished execution.
Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 The Toxic Avenger R Horror Comedy Sci-Fi Release Date November 1, 1985 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming
Powered by Expand Collapse 2 'Plan 9 from Outer Space' (1959) Directed by Ed Wood
"Future events such as these will affect you in the future!" Another Ed Wood effort, the legendarily inept Plan 9 from Outer Space features aliens resurrecting the dead in a convoluted plot to prevent humanity from creating a doomsday weapon. The film is infamous for its cheap sets, continuity errors, nonsensical dialogue, and the use of stock footage to replace the recently deceased Lugosi. The scenes with Lugosi were filmed before his death, and Wood awkwardly inserts them into the movie using a stand-in who hides his face with a cape.
This flick is simply delirious, throwing a host of pulpy ideas into the blender and churning them into a one-of-a-kind sci-fi/horror oddity. Despite often being called the worst movie ever made, Plan 9's ineptitude is charming in its own way, and lends itself to viewing parties with friends (and perhaps some alcohol). It's a cornerstone of 'so bad it's good' cinema.
Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Plan 9 from Outer Space Not Rated Sci-Fi Horror Release Date July 22, 1959 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming
Powered by Expand Collapse 1 'The Room' (2003) Directed by Tommy Wiseau
"Oh hi, Mark!" No list of disasterpieces would be complete without The Room, the most spectacularly terrible flick of the 21st century so far. Written, directed by, and starring the enigmatic Tommy Wiseau, a true heir to Ed Wood, the movie follows Johnny, a successful banker whose life unravels when his fiancée, Lisa (Juliette Danielle), begins an affair with his best friend. It's all deeply sincere, which is why it's the epitome of 'so bad it's good'.
The star's peculiar accent and robotic line delivery make for unintentional comedy gold, while the weird directorial decisions, like the ridiculously long love scenes to the sounds of "You Are My Rose" add to the offbeat vibe. Despite being atrocious, The Room makes for some of the most enjoyable viewing experiences, especially when watched with friends or in a crowded theater. It became a midnight movie classic for a reason, and spawned a genuinely good behind-the-scenes film in The Disaster Artist. It's a full-fledged work of anti-genius.
Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 The Room R Drama Romance Release Date June 27, 2003 Runtime 91minutes Director Tommy Wiseau
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