What Makes Cheesy Sci-Fi/Horror Movies So Entertaining?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the entertainment value of cheesy sci-fi and horror movies, exploring why participants enjoy watching films that are often considered low quality. The scope includes personal preferences, specific movie recommendations, and reflections on the genre's characteristics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express enjoyment in watching bad sci-fi and horror movies for their fun and humorous aspects, often highlighting incoherent storylines and poor acting as sources of entertainment.
  • One participant mentions a specific film, "Humanity's End," noting its bizarre combination of themes and its entertaining qualities despite its flaws.
  • Another participant points out that the involvement of the film crew as extras and the dual roles of crew members (e.g., the head carpenter also being the costume maker) are indicators of a "good" bad movie.
  • There is a reference to the director of "Humanity's End" having previously directed "Battlespace," with some participants suggesting that the former is an improvement over the latter.
  • One participant shares a preference for older sci-fi films, appreciating their scientific inaccuracies and the creative liberties taken with concepts like radiation and atomic energy.
  • Another participant expresses a general love for sci-fi, regardless of quality, but prefers films that incorporate real scientific concepts, contrasting this with their disinterest in horror films.
  • There is a mention of a cult following for actress Kari Nissena, with participants recalling her performances in various low-budget films.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the enjoyment of cheesy sci-fi and horror movies, but there are varying preferences regarding specific films and the aspects that make these movies entertaining. No consensus is reached on the best examples or characteristics of such films.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express nostalgia for older films and their scientific inaccuracies, while others focus on contemporary low-budget productions. The discussion reflects a range of personal tastes and experiences with the genre.

Who May Find This Useful

Fans of sci-fi and horror movies, particularly those who appreciate low-budget films and enjoy discussing their entertainment value and characteristics.

aquitaine
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I admit I have a thing for watching bad scifi and/or horror movies (usually the former). Why? Because they are fun in their own way. There's no need to take any of it seriously or even really attempt to follow what is going, which in and of itself would be an accomplishment with more than a few of them thanks to incoherent storylines. Also the bad acting and cheesy special effects makes for good joke material, allowing you to have sort of your own mini-MST3K.

Anyway, one of my all time favorites is one that has come out recently called Humanity's End, which is a bizarre combination of a futuristic apocalypse, 2012 prophecy mythos, as well as more than a few elements that were lifted straight from Battlestar Galactica. Rather fun to watch.
 
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aquitaine said:
I admit I have a thing for watching bad scifi and/or horror movies (usually the former). Why? Because they are fun in their own way. There's no need to take any of it seriously or even really attempt to follow what is going, which in and of itself would be an accomplishment with more than a few of them thanks to incoherent storylines. Also the bad acting and cheesy special effects makes for good joke material, allowing you to have sort of your own mini-MST3K.

Anyway, one of my all time favorites is one that has come out recently called Humanity's End, which is a bizarre combination of a futuristic apocalypse, 2012 prophecy mythos, as well as more than a few elements that were lifted straight from Battlestar Galactica. Rather fun to watch.

When the film crew doubles as extras in the movie, you know it's a good movie. The other sign it's a good movie is when the head carpenter for the movie sets and the costume maker are the same person - in fact, Blake Edgerton is the entire art department, plus a character in the movie (Stratis Konstrukt 1). One way or another, he's going to hit it big.

Seriously, I have to check this movie out, if for no other reason than Kari Nissena is in it. She was fantastic in the terrifying movie, "Cats on a Plane" (which was much better better than that stupid movie, "Snakes in a Box" and almost equal to "A Snake in his Bosom").
 
When the film crew doubles as extras in the movie, you know it's a good movie. The other sign it's a good movie is when the head carpenter for the movie sets and the costume maker are the same person - in fact, Blake Edgerton is the entire art department, plus a character in the movie (Stratis Konstrukt 1).
Indeed. It turned out that the guy who directed this also directed this movie directed Battlespace in 2006. I will give Humanity's End some credit, comparded to Battlespace (which lots of material originally came from) it was significantly better in every respect. Of course it was still bad, but it was a step in the right direction.

Anyone got any other suggestions?
 
BobG said:
When the film crew doubles as extras in the movie, you know it's a good movie. The other sign it's a good movie is when the head carpenter for the movie sets and the costume maker are the same person - in fact, Blake Edgerton is the entire art department, plus a character in the movie (Stratis Konstrukt 1). One way or another, he's going to hit it big.

Seriously, I have to check this movie out, if for no other reason than Kari Nissena is in it. She was fantastic in the terrifying movie, "Cats on a Plane" (which was much better better than that stupid movie, "Snakes in a Box" and almost equal to "A Snake in his Bosom").

There should be a cult following of Kari Nissena.

I almost forgot to mention that she starred in "Teeth of Doom". This movie was shot in 8 hours in an office building after the janitors left. There's just something in that style of moviemaking that's irresistible.
 
You would get along very well with my sister. Bruce Cambell is her hero.
 
My favorite low budget scifi movie is http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069945/" .
 
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I love just about all sci-fi; good or bad.

The old stuff is esp fun to watch just to see how much they got wrong. But I do prefer good science [as a premise] over good acting or big budgets. It is fun when they take a real concept from science and try to run with it in a respectable... or at least a logical manner. Dr. Who [the original] is proof that good sci-fi needs no budget. :biggrin:

I don't bother with movies that sound ridiculous from the outset; like one that I saw listed recently called "Dinosaur Women", or something like that.

As a rule I don't like horror films.
 
I really love old movies and novels from the time when no one fully understood radiation and atomic energy.

How did the ant become gigantic?
Radiation
How did the woman become giant?
Radiation
How did you travel back in time?
Atomic Particles
How did you travel into the future?
Preserved in suspended animation by radioactive gases.
How did you grow wings and develop the ability to turn invisible?
Communists (especially evil communists)

Its no fun to have a better understanding of atomic energy.
 

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