Appreciation post: A midnight showing of 'The Room' in Portland changed my whole view on bad movies

I was at a little theater in Portland about five years ago, dragged to a midnight showing of 'The Room' by a friend who promised it was an experience. I went in thinking it would just be a boring, poorly made drama. I was so wrong. The place was packed, and everyone was shouting lines at the screen and throwing plastic spoons. The scene where Johnny says 'Oh, hi Mark' for the tenth time had the whole crowd in stitches. I realized the movie wasn't just bad, it was a shared, fun event where the flaws were the whole point. That night taught me that a truly fun bad movie needs that special energy, where the audience is in on the joke. It made me seek out other movies like 'Troll 2' for group viewings. Has anyone else had a theater experience that turned a terrible film into a favorite?

2 comments

2 Comments

leep8921d ago

Totally get that, it's like the movie itself is just half the product. The real magic is the crowd turning a failure into a live comedy show. I had a similar thing with 'Miami Connection' where the whole audience was yelling at the terrible band scenes. It makes you realize some movies are just too sincere in their badness to hate, they become this weird gift.

hollym8220d agoTop Commenter

You know, I see what you're saying, leep89, but calling "Miami Connection" a failure feels off. That movie wasn't a failed serious project, it was made with pure heart by people who really believed in it. The charm is in that total lack of irony. The audience fun comes from sharing that wild, sincere vision, not from mocking a collapse. It's a different kind of gift, one that's accidentally brilliant because it tried so hard.