Question about whether a $2 budget is the real test for so bad it's good, or if money ruins the fun

Diana Reed · 2026-10-11T20:10:05.264794+00:00

I was reading an interview with the director of a certain low budget alien movie from 1990 and he said the whole thing cost $17,000, which made me stop and think about what actually makes these movies fun. One side of me says the magic only happens when nobody had money, like the cardboard sets and the dubbed voices that don't match anyone's mouth. The other side says a bigger budget can still be a total mess, like that $8 million movie about a killer bear that looked worse than a home video. I found this out last week on a site that tracks old straight to video releases and now I can't stop thinking about it. My friend Jess says she only laughs at movies under $50,000 because anything above that feels like a real crew trying too hard. I kind of get that, but I also laughed my head off at a movie that clearly had craft services and a real trailer. So where do you draw the line, is it the money or is it the belief that they were making something good? Would love to hear what you all think makes the funniest kind of bad.

Babble Community

Loading…

Question about whether a $2 budget is the real test for so bad it's good, or if money ruins the fun | Bad Movie Night Club - Babble Community