Horror is probably the most popular film genre, if only because it’s the most accessible to up-and-coming filmmakers working with extremely low budgets. The downside is that good horror movies are hard to come by; a few are great, some are good, most are fine, but many are boring.
However, there exists a small group of films that aren’t just “bad.” In fact, they bring new meaning to the word. These films go far beyond “bad” and become something else entirely – a comedy. For those who love to indulge in the occasional so-bad-it’s-good film, here are ten horror movies that are unintentionally very funny.
10 Wish Upon
Wish Upon is an unintentionally goofy supernatural horror movie starring Joey King as Clare Shannon, a “social outcast” at her local high school. Ever since her mother killed herself in front of her when she was a child, it’s been hard for Clare to adjust to the real world. Things quickly turn deadly, however, when her father Jonathan – a hoarder and dumpster diver – finds a mysterious Chinese music box in the trash and gifts it to Clare. She quickly discovers that the music box grants wishes – seven to be exact – but with each wish, someone close to Clare dies a brutal death.
While Wish Upon does have a pretty intriguing set-up (it’s essentially a riff on the classic Monkey’s Paw), the film comically spins out of control as it barrels towards its twisty, cliche-heavy conclusion. The high-school melodrama is wonderfully cheesy, and the characters – which range from dull to inept – utter some truly quotable lines (“Hold up, you dig on multiverses, too?”). Don’t expect too much out of Wish Upon and you will surely have a good time.
9 Silent Night, Deadly Night: Part II
Silent Night, Deadly Night: Part II takes place four years after the events of the original, in which Billy Chapman goes on a killing spree dressed as Santa Claus. The sequel focuses on Billy’s younger brother, Ricky, institutionalized after being traumatized by his brother’s brutal crimes and eventual death. But it looks like bloodlust runs in the family, because Ricky escapes the mental institution and goes on his own killing spree.
If you haven’t seen the first Silent Night, Deadly Night, then you won’t be lost. As a matter of fact, you probably shouldn’t, because the sequel – which features more flashbacks than most movies – contains more than 30 minutes of footage from the original movie. Part II features all the hallmarks of a cheap and cheesy 80s horror movie, making for a grand-ol’ time. You’ll be quoting “Gaaaaarbage Day!” for years to come.
8 Jason X
The Friday the 13th series is one of the most beloved and successful horror franchises of all time, with a whopping 12 movies released since 1980. But as loved as Jason Voorhees is, there’s no doubt he’s appeared in some duds. Although there are a few entries that could easily be on this list (let’s not forget that killer James Bond-style opening in Part VI: Jason Lives), there’s one that stands above the rest in terms of cheese and unintentional humor: Jason X.
The tenth film in the franchise takes an absolutely wild swing; director James Isaac sets the story 500 years in the future, and follows a group of students who take a “field trip” to earth – which is now inhospitable and long-abandoned – to investigate the abandoned Crystal Lake Research Facility, where they find Jason cryogenically frozen. The naive students and their professor insist on bringing the frozen serial killer back to Earth II, but all hell breaks loose when Jason defrosts and runs amok on their spaceship.
The premise is undeniably wacky, and it would be unfair not to recognize the tongue-and-cheek nature of the movie. But bad acting, terrible early-2000s special effects, awful jokes and one-liners, and an absolutely mind-boggling twist that sees Jason resurrected as a cyborg make Jason X one of the best (and worst) entries in the long-running series.
7 Halloween: Resurrection
Much like his slasher compatriot Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers has appeared in a couple great movies, a few good ones, and a lot of stinkers since he first slashed his way into theaters all the way back in 1978. But one of Myers’ most memorable outings (or forgettable, depending on who you ask) is Halloween: Resurrection. The film features a who’s-who of early 2000s talent, including Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, Tyra Banks, and the indomitable Busta Rhymes, who is easily this installment’s MVP.
The story takes place three years after the events of H20. Michael Myers returns to his hometown of Haddonfield and goes on a killing spree after discovering that his childhood home is being exploited for a cheap internet horror show, Dangertainment.
As was the case with most movies released in the early 2000s, almost everything feels outdated: the fashion, the music choices, the special effects; even the dialogue feels out of touch. There are a ton of quotable one-liners, too, especially from Busta Rhymes’ character Freddie Harris. (“Michael Myers is a killer shark in baggy-a** overalls.”) Resurrection may not be a good movie, but it’s a whole lot of fun.
6 Frost: Portrait of a Vampire
Frost: Portrait of a Vampire is a 2003 straight-to-DVD gem. The story is a tale of friendship and brotherhood: Nat and Jack Frost were best friends when they served together in Afghanistan, but war changed them. While Jack Frost became a painter and con artist, Nat turned to….vampirism? When dead bodies start piling up around town with puncture marks in their necks, Jack knows exactly who is responsible, and makes it his mission to bring down his former best-friend turned bloodthirsty vampire.
Incredibly bad special effects, terrible acting, poor writing, and a head-scratching story make Frost: Portrait of a Vampire one of the best so-bad-it’s-good movies to come out in some time. And let’s not forget Gary Busey, who plays a blind detective all-too-familiar with these vampiric crimes (apparently it’s fairly common in this part of San Diego). The fact that Frost is played so straight makes it all the more lovable. It’s a whole lot of fun and absolutely deserves your attention.
5 The Happening
For about a decade, it appeared as though M. Night Shyamalyn was in a bit of a rut. After the failure of Lady in the Water, the notorious director tried his hand at some more dramatic, adult-oriented fare with The Happening, a beguiling – and often very, very funny – misfire.
The story follows science teacher Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg), his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel) and a young girl as they struggle to survive a mysterious plague that causes people to kill themselves in a number of humorously-convoluted ways.
Although Wahlberg is a perfectly fine actor, he was hilariously miscast in this film – not for one moment do you ever buy him as an introspective science teacher, but props to him for taking a leap of faith. The result is a number of incredibly funny lines, delivered very poorly (“What? No!”). And who could forget the famous “hot dog” speech? The list goes on. If you’re looking for a laugh and haven’t watched The Happening yet, then what are you waiting for?
4 The Wicker Man (2006)
“The bees! Not the BEES! They’re in my eyes!” Neil Lebute’s famously bad remake of The Wicker Man has become a certified cult classic since its release in 2006, and features Nicolas Cage in a performance that arguably turned him into the most memed (and beloved) actor of all time.
Cage plays Sheriff Edward Malus, who travels to a small island inhabited by a mysterious pagan cult to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. As expected, things get crazy.
The movie is brimming with hilarious quotes, made even more funny by Cage’s animated delivery and incredibly-committed performance. Although both LeBute and Cage claim they intended for this movie to be “an absurdist black comedy” from the beginning, it doesn’t really come across as intentional. Regardless, The Wicker Man is an absolute gem.
3 Manos: The Hands of Fate
Long considered to be one of the worst movies ever made, Manos: The Hand of Fate is a 1966 low-budget horror movie written, directed, and produced by Harold P. Warren, an insurance and fertilizer salesman from El Paso, Texas with absolutely zero directing experience (and it shows).
The movie stars a cast of unknowns and amateurs, and centers around a family who gets lost while on a road trip through the vast Texas desert. They become stranded at a mysterious lodge belonging to a cult. The enigmatic leader, Master, entwines the family in his twisted ideology and determines whether they will live to see another day.
For a long while, Manos was lost to history. But after appearing on Mystery Science Theater 3000 and mercilessly mocked for its sheer incompetence, the movie took on a whole new life. It contains countless issues regarding every aspect of the filmmaking process, from direction, writing, editing, continuity, and acting. It’s positively wild and one of the funniest “horror” movies to ever grace celluloid.
2 Troll 2
When it comes to the topic of unintentionally funny horror movies, it’s almost impossible not to include the notorious Troll 2 in the mix. Originally produced as Goblins, the movie was marketed as a sequel to 1986’s Troll despite having zero connection to that film. Maybe they thought people wouldn’t notice the disparities? Or maybe they just didn’t care.
Troll 2 follows the Waits family as they vacation to the hilariously-named small town of Nilbog. Young son Joshua gets a vision of his deceased grandfather, who warns him that he and his family are in danger of being transformed into plants and consumed by goblins, who secretly inhabit the town.
While the plot itself is absolutely ridiculous, it’s a confluence of many factors – especially the language barrier between the predominantly-Italian crew and the English cast – that make this one of the best so-bad-it’s-good movies ever made (there’s even a documentary about the movie, appropriately titled Best Worst Movie). Much like The Wicker Man, the film’s reputation has grown in the years since its release, prompting the filmmakers to claim that it was always intended to be a funny movie. While that may be arguable, there’s no debating that Troll 2 is positively hysterical.
1 Tammy and the T-Rex
In 1994, director Steward Raffill – the mastermind behind the McDonald’s-funded ET rip-off Mac and Me – was approached by a man who had in his possession a life-size animatronic T-Rex. The man proposed that he and Steward make a movie with the dinosaur, but there was a catch: they could only have the dinosaur for two weeks. Tempted by the offer, Raffill agreed to make the movie. He wrote the script in a week and scraped together a small cast and crew to make what he considered a “wacky movie.” And just like that, the miraculous Tammy and the T-Rex was born.
The film stars Paul Walker as Michael Brock, a high-schooler dating his long-time crush Tammy (Denise Richards). But Tammy’s psychotic jealous ex-boyfriend Billy is not at all happy about their relationship. So one night, Billy and his goons kidnap Michael, drag him to the zoo, and literally throw him into the lion’s den, where he’s attacked and later declared dead.
Meanwhile, a group of scientists developing a life-size robotic T-Rex (for reasons unknown) wish to take their experiment to the next level by imbuing it with consciousness. Their plan? To steal a human brain and implant it in the robotic dinosaur. And it just so happens that Michael’s undamaged brain would be perfect for their experiment. With Michael now a walking (but not talking) dinosaur, he has to find Tammy and somehow convince her to help him find a more suitable body, leading the pair on a twisted, hilariously off-color journey.
Originally filmed as a gorey, R-rated horror comedy, Tammy and the T-Rex was neutered upon release to obtain a PG rating, cutting essential sequences from the story. General audiences were left utterly gobsmacked by the absurdly odd film, and for a while the film disappeared from the American subconscious. But things changed in 2019 when boutique distributor Vinegar Syndrome re-released the film in its gloriously-unhinged original version, effectively re-introducing the world to lost treasure.
If you’re a fan of bad taste, and you haven’t seen Tammy and the T-Rex, then move it to the top of your list. While Troll 2 may hold the title of best-worst movie ever made, Tammy definitely gives it a run for its money.
