# Recommend a terrible yet thoroughly watchable movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 15, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816 "2005-09-15T17:24:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816/41 "2005-09-15T19:37:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Is House on Haunted Hill a remake of, or does it have anything to do with – or … or – perhaps I have the title wrong The Legend of Hell House? If I recall correctly, it’s about this horrible haunted house with lots of cheesy special effects and many moments, not the least of which is the ending Stay with me on this. **The House on Haunted Hill** (1959) was a cheesy William Castle-produced bit of gory fluff that featured Vincent Price and (in its theatrical incarnation) an inflatable skeleton that came out during the climax. The gimmick was called “Emergo!” (Castle loved such gimmicks, and came up with lots of them in the 50s. He was the inspiration for John Goodman’s character in **Matinee!** ) It was an original story. I suspect the remake at least claims to be inspired by this, but I haven’t seen it. > **[House on Haunted Hill (1959) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051744/)** > > House on Haunted Hill: Directed by William Castle. With Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Richard Long, Alan Marshal. A millionaire offers $10,000 to five people who agree to be locked in a large, spooky, rented house overnight with him and his wife. > **[House on Haunted Hill (1999) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185371/)** > > House on Haunted Hill: Directed by William Malone. With Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen, Taye Diggs, Peter Gallagher. An amusement park mogul offers a group of diverse people $1,000,000 to spend the night in a haunted house with a horrifying past. \*\*The Haunting of Hell House \*\* (1973) is a film based on the novel “Hell House” by the legendary Richard Matheson. It has Roddy MacDowell in it, so there’s a high cheese potential, at least. I haven’t seen it. > **[The Legend of Hell House (1973) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070294/)** > > The Legend of Hell House: Directed by John Hough. With Pamela Franklin, Roddy McDowall, Clive Revill, Gayle Hunnicutt. A physicist, his wife and two mediums are hired to investigate the Belasco House, where 27 guests had inexplicably died in 1927,... Neither of these is to be confused with the film **The Haunting** , directed by the late Robert Wise and based on Shirley Jackson’s classic novel “The Haunting of Hill House” The film is pretty good. Russ Tamblyn is in it, but by 1963 he hadn’t become cheesy yet. The film was remade in 1999, and I’ll bet the remake is awful. An alternate title of the remake is “The Haunting of Hill House” > **[The Haunting (1963) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057129/)** > > The Haunting: Directed by Robert Wise. With Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn. Hill House has stood for about 90 years and appears haunted: its inhabitants have always met strange, tragic ends. Now Dr. John Markway has... > **[The Haunting (1999) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0171363/)** > > The Haunting: Directed by Jan de Bont. With Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Owen Wilson, Lili Taylor. A study in fear escalates into a heart-stopping nightmare for a professor and three subjects trapped in a mysterious mansion. I’ll bet Castle encouraged confusion between “House on Haunted Hill” and “The Haunting of Hill House”. By the way, I know Stephen King has written lovingly about it in Danse Macabre, and Jacksonm is an acknowledged master of literate horro. But I can’t _stand_ The Haunting of Hill House\*. ---
**Author:** ![Erinaceus\_europaeus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@Erinaceus\_europaeus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erinaceus_europaeus)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816/42 "2005-09-15T19:47:11Z")
[Cutey Honey](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409860/) - weird, cute, violent, sexy live-action rendition of a 70s (?) manga. There is no point in trying to describe the plot. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816/43 "2005-09-15T19:48:29Z")
[QUOTE=leandroc76] …snip… Ghostbusters, would be up there for too. I still watch it, but find myself continually flaming every single scene. …snip… Hey Ghostbusters is a classic comedy. On IMDB it got a 7.5. It really doesn’t belong in this category. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816/44 "2005-09-15T19:59:11Z")
**Adam and Evil** is pretty doog. **Raise Your Voice** too. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816/45 "2005-09-15T20:14:39Z")
I’d like to put in a vote for _Lifeforce_, please. There is nothing good about this movie, but even when Mathilda May isn’t wandering through it stark naked, it’s still remarkably watchable. (Interestingly, it’s based on an SF novel by Colin Wilson called _The Space Vampires_, which, despite the lurid title, is one of the dullest things I’ve ever read. [And I’ve read John Lyons’ _Introduction to Theoretical Linguistics_.]) ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816/46 "2005-09-15T20:22:33Z")
**Tremors** , mostly for the brilliant ensemble cast. I heard an interview with Kevin Bacon where he refers to this point as the low moment of his career. Well, in the immortal words of Valentine McKee “F\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*K YOU!” **The New Kids**. Brilliant '80s film which tackled the tough issue of the suddenly orphaned “good kids” going to live a new town with their eccentric uncle who owned an amusement park. Best part of this film is that **James Spader** plays the bad kid/local drug dealer who cruises around in a purple Dodge van. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816/47 "2005-09-15T20:26:21Z")
**Point Break** Keanu Reaves as Johnny Utah… Surfing, parachuting bank robbers ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816/48 "2005-09-15T20:28:40Z")
> [@BobT](#): > > **Point Break** > > Keanu Reaves as Johnny Utah… > > Surfing, parachuting bank robbers My BIL brings this up real regularly as a movie I need to see … :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Aholibah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Aholibah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aholibah)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816/49 "2005-09-15T20:28:43Z")
Since **Roadhouse** has already been mentioned, and while we’re contemplating the Kurt Russell fascination, I have to contribute one of my other all-time favorite doog movies: **Escape from New York** But about its sequel, all I can say is: what sequel? ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816/50 "2005-09-15T20:28:45Z")
All of Peter Jackson’s movies before Lord of the Rings. **Bad Taste Dead Alive Meet the Feebles The Frighteners** ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816/51 "2005-09-15T20:36:13Z")
One I saw the other night during a bout of insomnia [Naked Weapon](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0341495/). Crazy plot, lots of over-the-top martial arts fight scenes between women, implied lesbianism, and a cop that seemingly doesn’t age. Very very doog. ---
**Author:** ![cardsfan1975](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f9b8f/32.png) [@cardsfan1975](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cardsfan1975)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816/52 "2005-09-15T20:37:35Z")
[Ghost Ship](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0288477/) cf’75 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816/53 "2005-09-15T20:43:42Z")
> [@cardsfan1975](#): > > [Ghost Ship](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0288477/) > > cf’75 Whoa – doog enough to pull you out of lurkerdom! ---
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816/54 "2005-09-15T20:44:05Z")
Waterworld ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816/55 "2005-09-15T20:45:30Z")
I’m going to have to second these: **BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA** **Hudson Hawk** Slurp my butt! **Willow** **The Frighteners** And add these: **Super Mario Brothers Movie** **Tango & Cash** ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816/56 "2005-09-15T20:45:33Z")
> [@cardsfan1975](#): > > [Ghost Ship](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0288477/) I actually paid to see this one _in the theater_. One of the few movies I know where the opening scene was worth every penny. Just like when we watched _ **Super Troopers** _, my friend turned to me after that first scene and said “If the movie ended there, I’d be completely satisfied.” ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816/57 "2005-09-15T20:50:17Z")
**Ong Bak: Thai Warrior** Absolutely incredible action sequences, absolutely horrible plot and dialogue and acting. In a ‘so bad that it’s good’ sort of way, I mean. ---
**Author:** ![marque\_elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@marque\_elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marque_elf)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816/58 "2005-09-15T20:54:05Z")
I have 2 words for you: King Kull. 'nuff said. ---
**Author:** ![marque\_elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@marque\_elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marque_elf)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816/59 "2005-09-15T20:54:18Z")
I have 2 words for you: **King Kull.** 'nuff said. ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816/60 "2005-09-15T20:57:43Z")
Most of mine have already been mentioned, but I’m going to bring them up again, anyway. **Hudson Hawk** **Red Dawn** **Canadian Bacon** **Firestorm** - this one especially, since I’m a wildland firefighter. I love it! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-terrible-yet-thoroughly-watchable-movie/321816.md?page=4)