The Best Horror B-Movie’s For Bad Movie Night, Part One
Bad movie night is an exercise in free will, why don’t we do them anymore?
We could argue forever about which movies are ostensibly good, better, the best. Or we could become one with the art and learn all the delight that comes with something awesomely bad (and often, genuinely great, just a touch dated) That’s where B-movies come in.
Technically, B-movies refers to movies made for the second half of double features. They were popular during the golden age of Hollywood, when studios could churn them out cheaply on-set. Because of the limited budget and scenery, these movies took on an outrageous, garish style.
This bright, camp terror influenced a lot of American art and Psychobilly culture. For the sake of this article, I define horror B-movies as movies that feature intense, campy visuals and low budgets.
These are “bad movies” but they are not bad movies. They are all fun to share with others and watch people experience for the first time. They are also usually pretty light on plot, perfect for playing in the background of a low-key party.
Bad movie nights remind us that something doesn’t have to be all that good to be enjoyable. Sometimes it's revolutionary and nascent, like the first Evil Dead movie with Bruce Campbell. Other times it's bad in a delightful way, like a John Waters movie.
Any way you slice it, these movies are perfect to delight and horrify your well-meaning friends. That’ll teach them to come over to your house!
The movies on this list run from black and white originals to relatively recent love letters to the pulp horror genre. What they have in common is that they are best enjoyed in a group of people, ideally who are also eating and drinking and socializing. So, please, talk during the movie. Throw a house party for your weird friends, make a themed drink (alcoholic or not) and put on one of these B-horror movies.
(Of course I have sat down and watched all of these in their entirety at least once,.)
I read that house parties are going out of style? Apparently post-covid, no one does bad movie nights in person anymore? If so, that really sucks. House parties are great, and bad movie nights are especially delightful.
Black Sunday (1960)
I love Bava movies, so obviously I was gonna put this one first.
This is one of my all-time favorites. I have made countless dates and bored friends sit through it. Yes, it's from 1960, yes it’s in black and white, but it is a BITCHING movie, a gorgeous tapestry of images, and it features a young Barbara Steele!
Originally titled The Mask of Satan, this Italian horror classic is a feast for the eyeballs. It’s got one of the most terrifying “Death’s Carriage Arrival” sequences I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of them, including the most recent in Nosferatu.
TL;DR: Though definitely “vintage,” this witch movie still offers enough visuals to keep the conversation going
Chopping Mall (1986)
Are you tired of corny 80s movie knock-offs? Want a hit of the real stuff? Consider Chopping Mall.
This 80s sci-fi slasher takes place inside of a Southern California mall. If you love 80s camp, you’ve come to the right place. The fashion is garish, the music is authentically bad, and there are huge-hairspray babes in bikinis! No one knows why!
Plus, Barbara Crampton plays the lead, and I always love that. If you were actually alive in the 80’s or are just a fan, Chopping Mall has something for everyone. It’s perfect to put on after people get inebriated, because then the Killbots are sort of scary?
Malls are certainly terrifying in the post-covid world. It’s so loud in there, and who wants to wear something everyone has touched? Gross.
TL;DR: The perfect 80’s slasher for bad movie night, long-live Barbara Crampton.
The Cursed (2021)
Does this one count as a B movie? Maybe. But I am writing the list, and no one can stop me, so it is.
Premiering first at Sundance and then a limited release, The Cursed, originally Eight for Silver is the best werewolf movie I have seen in years. Mostly because the creature isn’t really a werewolf, more of an unnameable humanoid demon, sent to punish the colonizers for stealing Romani land.
The effects are awesome, and the scene of werewolf ”rebirth” is appropriately horrifying. Good choice for Werewolf girlies and fans of historical horror. I don’t know why this movie isn’t more popular..
TL;DR: Historical werewolf movie goes hard on violence and gore.
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Are you ready to party?
Another 80s horror banger, The Return of the Living Dead is miles away from its legendary forefather, Night of the Living Dead. For one thing, there is color. For another, this movie features one of the best depictions of partying 80s punks that ever existed. I don’t want to hear any comparisons. Nothing even comes close
If nothing else, watch it for Linnea Quigley as the often-naked, tombstone-dancing Trash. She has a hell of a vibe.
There are zombies, and it’s the first movie to mention zombies specifically eating brains. Between the 80s-tastic makeup, hair, boobs and blood, you will have enough to talk about at your party. Just make sure your guests aren’t squares.
TL;DR: Are you ready to party? It’s party time.
