Have you ever seen a film that’s so bad it’s good? Do you often return to ‘hate watches’, sticking on something that’s enjoyable for its awfulness? If so, you’ll love Notts Bad Movie Club, the city’s regular film night showcasing the very best of the worst…
We all have our favourite movies, films that we can go back to again and again. Sometimes, however, these films won’t be ‘good’ in the classic sense of the word. There are some truly terrible films which can still be entertaining in a way the directors probably hadn’t originally intended. These ‘so good they’re bad’ movies are the basis for Notts Bad Movie Club, a new regular film night hosted by Will Bailey and Chris Barnes right here in the city.
“It all started as an idea in lockdown,” explains Will. “I had been watching a lot of rubbish movies and discussed with Chris about the possibility of making a regular night for like-minded individuals to come together and enjoy these rubbish movies together.” The idea of communal viewings of cult films can be traced back to the likes of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with fans joining in and shouting at the screen in a way that wouldn’t be acceptable in a regular cinema.
“Our first event back in August had a video game theme. We showed the classic Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter movies from the mid-nineties. We had a fantastic night and I think everyone else did too!”
The guys at Notts Bad Movie Club have a whole plethora of films to choose from, be it the exalted works of Hulk Hogan or the early nineties kid-friendly weirdness of Mac and Me. The next event takes place on Friday 14 October and will suitably have a Halloween theme, with both Anaconda and Jason X being shown back-to-back. Hosted in the Tavern at Annie’s Burger Shack, guests can make a night of it with a range of food and drinks, including burgers and other classic movie snacks.
I scour car boot sales for DVDs of terrible movies, and they now make the bulk of my collection. Actual good movies have been relegated to the loft
“We have tentative plans in place for the next few nights,” Chris explains, “hopefully having an event around Christmas and then regular screenings every six-to-eight weeks - mainly with a seasonal theme, like Valentine’s Day and Easter.”
Will seems to have taken his love of rubbish movies to the next level since starting up the club. “I scour car boot sales for DVDs of terrible movies, and they now make the bulk of my collection. Actual good movies have been relegated to the loft.” Both Chris and Will are self-described movie obsessives and do enjoy good films, yet there is something about the art of a finely-crafted dud that just hits different.
Inevitably, our conversation turns to the question of which bad movies are Will and Chris’s favourites. “It has to be Troll 2,” answers Will, with little hesitation. Chris, on the other hand, takes a little while to think it through. “I’d probably say Evil Dead 2, but can that really be described as a bad movie?” No, it turns out, as Chris changes his mind. “It’s Masters of the Universe with Dolph Lundgren - I think I’ve watched that far too many times.”
Tickets for the next Notts Bad Movie Club night are available now through See Tickets
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