There are some movies that are simply awful, no excuses. Bad directing, horrible acting, no storyline, stale gags and jokes, bad cinematography, etc. This article will give you a list of some of the worst movies, so that you do not ruin a perfect evening by picking one of them, unsuspectingly.
Have you ever walked into a theater, bought some snacks, expecting to watch a great a movie and then found the snack more interesting?! Well, I have felt this way quite a number of times, when I judged a movie by the publicity and it turned out to be a total disaster! As I said, not all movies that are made can make it to the top of the blockbuster list. However, some do make it to the list of the worst movies of all time. But what is important to make a note of, is the fact that, usually, movies are rated according to the revenue generated in theaters. However, there are some which may have not done so well, with regards to business, but have been appreciated by many. So, in the following list of worst movies ever, you may come across names which you may have seen and actually appreciated. Here goes..
Worthy Mentions of the Last Decade
Let’s begin with the latest disasters. This past decade saw an unprecedented number of bad movies being made, and some of them are..
- Big Momma’s House 2 – This movie was released in 2006 and it promised to be a comedy, but it turned out to be unfunny and unimaginative. It is a sequel to Big Momma’s House, and stars Martin Lawrence as the loud-mouthed, cross-dressing, undercover federal agent, who pretends to be “Big Momma”, a nanny. The movie suffers from over-the-top and mindless dialogs, and does not manage to produce even a single chuckle.
- I Know Who Killed Me – This Lindsay Lohan starrer was released in 2007, and has the honor of receiving negative reviews in all newspapers and film magazines. Film critics called it the worst movie of the decade, because of its sloppy direction, ponderous screenplay and a lack of a cohesive storyline. In the 28th Golden Raspberry Awards, it earned nine Razzie nominations, winning eight out of the nine nominations! In the 30th Golden Raspberry Awards, this movie was nominated for “Worst Picture of the Decade”.
- Glitter – Glitter, a musical, released in 2001 and it starred the pop diva Mariah Carey. Mariah’s pop career almost fizzed out after the movie bombed at the box office. Critics declared it one of the worst movies ever. It received 5 nominations for the 2001 Golden Raspberry Awards, and Mariah Carey walked away with “Worst Actress Award”.
- Catwoman – This movie, starring Halle Berry (in a Lycra catsuit) seemed full of promise, but sank at the box office and failed to impress critics. It was based on the DC comic character, but alas, the superpowers of Catwoman failed to save the movie. It was declared as the worst superhero film to be ever made! It won 4 Razzies for Worst Movie, Worst Actress, Worst Director and Worst Screenplay.
- Gigli – Starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, this movie was much hyped and publicized because of the offscreen romance of the lead stars at the time. It won seven Razzies and was nominated for “Worst Picture of the Decade”.
And now for an extensive list, for unsuspecting souls who may be tempted to pick any of the following movies..
Movie | Year | Director | Actors |
Blood Sucking Freaks | 1976 | Joel M. Reed | Seamus O’Brien, Viju Krem |
The Conqueror | 1956 | Dick Powell | John Wayne, Susan Hayward |
Valley Of The Dolls | 1967 | Mark Robson | Barbara Parkins, Patty Duke |
Manos: The Hands of Fate | 1966 | Harold P. Warren | John Reynolds, Tom Neyman |
Monster a-Go Go | 1965 | Bill Rebane, Herschell Gordon Lewis (uncredited) | June Travis, Henry Hite, Phil Morton, George Perry |
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians | 1964 | Nicholas Webster | Leonard Hicks, John Call |
Plan 9 from Outer Space | 1956 | Edward D. Wood Jr. | Gregory Walcott, Tom Keene |
1941 | 1979 | Steven Spielberg | Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi |
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band | 1978 | Michael Schultz | Barry Gib, Peter Frampton |
Robot Monster (3D) | 1953 | Phil Tucker | George Nader, Gregory Moffett |
Flops of the 80s
Movie | Year | Director | Actors |
Best Of The Best | 1989 | Robert Radler | James Earl Jones, Eric Roberts |
Cyborg | 1989 | Albert Pyun | Jean-Claude Van Damme |
Haunted Honeymoon | 1986 | Gene Wilder | Gene Wilder, Gilda Radner |
Howard The Duck | 1986 | Willard Huyck | Lea Thompson, Jeffery Jones |
Inchon | 1981 | Terence Young | Laurence Olivier, Toshiro Mifune, Jacqueline Bisset |
King Kong Lives | 1986 | John Guillermin | Linda Hamilton, Brian Kerwin |
Leonard Part 6 | 1987 | Paul Weiland | Tom Courtenay, Bill Cosby |
Mac And Me | 1988 | Stewart Raffill | Jonathan Ward, Christine Ebersole |
Maximum Overdrive | 1986 | Stephen King | Pat Hingle, Emilio Estevez |
Popeye | 1980 | Robert Altman | Robin Williams, Shelley Duvall |
Million Ways To Die | 1986 | Hal Ashby | Rosanna Arquette, Jeff Bridges |
Perfect | 1985 | James Bridge | Jamie Lee Curtis, John Travolta |
Ishtar | 1987 | Elaine May | Dustin Hoffman, Warren Beatty |
Heaven’s Gate | 1980 | Michael Cimino | Kris Kristofferson |
Fatal Beauty | 1987 | Tom Holland | Whoopi Goldberg, Sam Elliot |
Shanghai Surprise | 1986 | Jim Goddard | Madonna, Sean Penn, Paul Freeman |
The Garbage Pail Kids Movie | 1987 | Rod Amateau | Mackenzie Astin, Anthony Newley |
Xanadu | 1980 | Robert Greenwald | Gene Kelly, Olivia Newton-John |
Heartbeeps | 1981 | Allan Arkush | Andy Kaufman, Bernadette Peters |
Harlem Nights | 1989 | Eddie Murphy | Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor |
Caddyshack II | 1988 | Allan Arkush | Robert Stack, Jackie Mason |
Going Overboard | 1989 | Valerie Breiman | Billy Bob Thorton, Adam Sandler |
Mannequin | 1987 | Michael Gottlieb | Kim Cattrall, Andrew McCarthy |
Rhinestone | 1984 | Bob Clark | Sylvester Stallone, Dolly Parton |
Hobgoblins | 1988 | Rick Sloane | Paige Sullivan, Tom Bartlett |
Red Sonja | 1985 | Richard Fleischer | Arnold Schwarzenegger |
Sheena: Queen of the Jungle | 1984 | John Guillermin | Tanya Roberts, Ted Wass |
Grease 2 | 1982 | Patricia Birch | Maxwell Caulfield, Michelle Pfeiffer |
Burglar | 1987 | Hugh Wilson | Whoopi Goldberg, Bobcat Goldthwait |
The Pirate Movie | 1982 | Ken Annakin | Kristy McNichol, Christopher Atkins |
Flops of the 90s
Movie | Year | Director | Actors |
Adrenalin, Fear The Rush | 1996 | Albert Pyun | Christopher Lambert |
Baby Geniuses | 1999 | Bob Clark | Kathleen Turner, Christopher Lloyd |
Batman & Robin | 1997 | Joel Schumacher | George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chris O’Donnell |
Cool As Ice | 1991 | David Kellogg | Kristin Minter, Vanilla Ice |
Cop And ½ | 1993 | Henry Winkler | Norman D. Golden II, Burt Reynolds |
Ernest Scared Stupid | 1991 | John R. Cherry III | Jim Varney, Eartha Kitt |
Four Rooms | 1995 | Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino | Tim Roth, Madonna |
It’s Pat, The Movie | 1994 | Adam Bernstein | Julia Sweeney, Dave Foley |
Jury Duty | 1995 | John Fortenberry | Tia Carrere, Pauly Shore |
Mr Magoo | 1997 | Stanley Tong | Leslie Nielsen, Kelly Lynch |
North | 1994 | Rob Reiner | Bruce Willis, Elijah Wood |
On Deadly Ground | 1994 | Steven Seagal | Steven Seagal, Michael Caine |
Pet Sematary II | 1992 | Mary Lambert | Anthony Edwards, Edward Furlong |
Pokemon, The First Movie | 1998 | Michael Haigney, Kunihiko Yuyama | Animation |
Spice World | 1997 | Bob Spiers | Spice Girls: Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm, Victoria Adams (Beckham), Geri Halliwell |
Son Of The Pink Panther | 1993 | Blake Edwards | Herbert Lom, Roberto Benigni |
Surf Ninjas | 1993 | Neal Israel | Ernie Reyes Jr., Nicolas Cowan, Rob Schneider |
The Island Of Dr Moreau | 1996 | John Frankenheimer | Marlon Brando, Val Kilmer, David Thewlis |
The Omega Code | 1999 | Robert Marcarelli | Casper Van Dien, Michael York |
The Scarlet Letter | 1995 | Roland Joffé | Demi Moore, Gary Oldman |
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn | 1997 | Arthur Hiller, Alan Smithee | Coolio, Ryan O’Neal |
Barb Wire | 1996 | David Hogan | Amir Aboulele, Pamela Anderson |
Bio-Dome | 1996 | Jason Bloom | Pauly Shore, Stephen Baldwin |
Bonfire Of The Vanities | 1990 | Brian De Palma | Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis |
Drop Dead Fred | 1991 | Ate de Jong | Phoebe Cates, Rik Mayall |
Even Cowgirls Get The Blues | 1993 | Gus Van Sant | Lorraine Bracco, Uma Thurman |
Hudson Hawk | 1991 | Michael Lehmann | Danny Aiello, Bruce Willis |
Look Who’s Talking Too | 1990 | Amy Heckerling | John Travolta, Kirstie Alley |
Shining Through | 1992 | David Seltzer | Melanie Griffith, Michael Douglas |
Beloved | 1998 | Jonathan Demme | Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover |
Beavis and Butt-Head Do America | 1996 | Mike Judge, Mike de Steve | Mike Judge, Bruce Willis |
Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot | 1992 | Roger Spottiswoode | Sylvester Stallone |
Underground Comedy Movie | 1999 | Vince Offer | Rebekah Chaney, Barbara Snellenburg |
Inspector Gadget | 1999 | David Kellogg | Rupert Everett, Matthew Broderick |
Troll 2 | 1990 | Claudio Fragasso | Michael Stephenson |
Kazaam | 1996 | Paul Michael Glaser | Shaquille O’Neal |
Showgirls | 1995 | Paul Verhoeven | Elizabeth Berkeley |
Striptease | 1996 | Andrew Bergman | Demi Moore, Burt Reynolds |
Little Giants | 1994 | Duwayne Dunham | Rick Moranis, Ed O’Neill |
8 mm | 1999 | Joel Schumacher | Joaquin Phoenix, Nicholas Cage |
The Postman | 1997 | Kevin Costner | Kevin Costner, Will Patton |
Weekend At Bernie’s II | 1993 | Robert Klane | Andrew McCarthy |
Flops of the 2000s
Movie | Year | Director | Actors |
Ballistic: Ecks Vs Sever | 2002 | Wych Kaosayananda | Antonio Banderas, Lucy Liu |
Battlefield Earth | 2000 | Roger Christian | Forest Whitaker, John Travolta |
Dirty Love | 2005 | John Mallory Asher | Jenny McCarthy, Carmen Electra |
Eragon | 2006 | Stefen Fangmeier | Sienna Guillory, Edward Speleers |
Freddy Got Fingered | 2001 | Tom Green | Rip Torn (seriously?!), Tom Green, Marisa Coughlan |
House Of The Dead | 2003 | Uwe Boll | Jonathan Cherry, Jürgen Prochnow, Tyron Leitso |
Jason X | 2002 | James Isaac | Kane Hodder, Lisa Ryder, Jeff Geddis, Lexa Doig |
Kangaroo Jack | 2003 | David McNally | Christopher Walken, Anthony Anderson, Jerry O’Connell |
Larry The Cable Guy: Health Inspector | 2006 | Trent Cooper | Larry The Cable Guy, David Koechner |
Son Of The Mask | 2005 | Lawrence Guterman | Jamie Kennedy, Alan Cumming |
SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses 2 | 2004 | Bob Clark | Vanessa Angel, Jon Voight, Scott Baio |
The Hottie and the Nottie | 2008 | Tom Putnam | Paris Hilton, Joel Moore, Christine Lakin, Greg Wilson |
From Justin to Kelly | 2003 | Robert Iscove | Kelly Clarkson, Justin Guarini |
Alone in the Dark | 2005 | Uwe Boll | Cristian Slater, Stephen Dorff, Tara Reid |
Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo | 2005 | Mike Bigelow | Rob Schneider, Eddie Griffin |
The Room | 2003 | Tommy Wiseau | Tommy Wiseau, Juliette Danielle |
Who’s Your Caddy | 2007 | Don Michael Paul | Big Boi, Jeffery Jones, Lil Wayne |
The Love Guru | 2008 | Marco Schnabel | Jessica Alba, Mike Myers |
Norbit | 2007 | Brian Robbins | Eddie Murphy, Thandie Newton |
White Chicks | 2004 | Keenan Ivory Wayans | Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans |
Disaster Movie | 2008 | Aaron Seltzer, Jason Friedberg | Carmen Electra, Kim Kardashian, Vanessa Minnillo, Nicole Parker |
Boat Trip | 2002 | Mort Nathan | Cuba Gooding Jr., Horatio Sanz |
The Happening | 2008 | M. Night Shyamalan | Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo |
Anus Magillicutty | 2003 | Morey Fineburg | Paige Abbot, Lloyd Garner III |
Dungeons & Dragons | 2000 | Courtney Solomon | Jeremy Irons, Justin Whalin |
Dr. Seuss’ The Cat In The Hat | 2003 | Bo Welch | Spencer Breslin, Mike Myers |
Swept Away | 2002 | Guy Ritchie | Madonna, Adriano Giannini |
Bad Boys II | 2003 | Michael Bay | Martin Lawrence, Will Smith |
Pearl Harbor | 2001 | Michael Bay | Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, Josh Hartnett |
The Adventures Of Pluto Nash | 2002 | Ron Underwood | Eddie Murphy, Jay Mohr |
Wow, I didn’t know that there would be so many names coming up in the list. That took some time! Now that you have an extensive list, steer clear of these movies and save yourself the disappointment. But keep in mind what I said earlier, about some movies receiving good critical reviews but not the revenue. There is one movie in this list which I quite liked – Pearl Harbor. I’m sure you too, must have liked some movie in this list. To conclude, I believe that it depends on an individual’s perception to decide whether a movie is worth watching or not, because the reason is simple, ‘Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.’ Cheers!