After my last review, I thought it might be fun to explore a few other goofy Sci-Fi movies. It’s like it’s own subgenre. These movies have notoriously horrible acting, even worse visual effects and the most paper-thin plotlines imaginable. That’s what makes them fun, and it’s turned into somewhat a phenomenon to watch terrible movies for the irony – something I believe we have Mystery Science Theater 3000 for. These ten films are some of the worst out there, and they’re that much better for it.

10. The Mole People

The audacity this film has for hiring an actual college professor to explain the scientific theories that inspired this premise. A couple of archaeologists dig a little too deep and discover an entire civilization of underground albinos, who use these mole people to dig their tunnels and find them food. The albinos worship Ishtar and believe the mole people are sent from Ishtar to provide for them. However, when one of the mole people kills an archaeologist, the albinos decide the mole people are not from Ishtar. Before they can do something about it, an earthquake buries the civilization. Do with that what you will.

9. Attack of the 50ft Woman

When a woman comes in contact with radiation by a giant humanoid space alien, she becomes a giant herself. As if her life wasn’t already difficult enough. Her husband is seeing another woman and intends to kill her so he and his mistress can inherit her massive estate. However, killing her proves difficult when she becomes a giant. Now, it’s her turn to get revenge on those who have wronged her, while the original alien uses the diamonds from her necklace as a source of power to get his ship off the ground.

8. Them!

Them! precedes Godzilla by five months, making it one of the earliest examples of a normal animal coming in contact with radiation. Instead of a single lizard, however, it’s an entire colony of ants that has grown in size due to the testing of an atomic bomb. When bodies turn up dead and full of acid, the local authorities are forced to confront the ant threat. It becomes such an infestation that the National Guard is called in to dispatch the ants with flamethrowers. The giant ants are hilarious to watch as they terrorize the New Mexico town.

7. Teenage Zombies

A group of teenagers discover an island inhabited by a woman mad scientist, her pet gorilla, and her zombie slave. She has the teenagers captured and plans to zombify them in order to test a drug she’s developing on behalf of an unknown country. A few of them escape and run to get the local authorities, but it turns out he’s in cahoots with the mad scientist. It’s up to the most unlikely hero – the gorilla – to save the teenagers before they can become zombies themselves.

6. King Dinosaur

A group of scientists are sent to a new planet to see if it’s possible for humans to live there. Pretty soon after they arrive, they discover a plethora of animals, many of which are extinct on Earth. Before too long, they discover the apex predator of the planet: a Tyrannosaurus Rex (played by the iguana in the picture above). The king dinosaur chases the scientists to an island and their only escape is to unleash a nuclear power that effectively wipes out all animal life on the planet and radiating the land. Guess it’s not inhabitable, after all.

5. Robot Monster

Ro-Man, the robot monster, has a mission: wipe out all life on planet Earth. And it’s a mission he’s perfectly capable of acting out, except for one little snare. He falls in love with a human woman. His infatuation with the woman derails his entire purpose, and he’s already been told by The Great One, the one who sent him to Earth, that there’s no coming home until his purpose is completed. Mass destruction and chaos ensue until one of the surviving humans wakes up from their horrible nightmare. All is right with the world. That is, until Ro-Man emerges from his cave and marches right towards the audience. He’s coming for you!

4. The Blob (1958)

Beware of the Blob! It creeps, and leaps, and glides and slides across the floor! There you go. You have the entire premise of the movie in the opening theme song. Steve McQueen’s first starring role is Steve Andrews, a teenager who witnesses a crashing meteorite while making out with his girlfriend in his car. It’s going to be up to him to stop the Blob – an alien creature that grows as it devours citizens of the town, until he’s even bigger than a building. It’s the most terrifying wad of gum you will ever see.

3. Plan 9 from Outer Space

Aliens invade the Earth to enact the mysterious “Plan 9” – an attempt to resurrect the dead in order to prevent humanity from creating a weapon that can destroy the entire universe. Because that makes sense. Considered one of the worst movies ever made, Plan 9 from Outer Space is responsible for a few things in our modern cinema history: the infamy of director Ed Wood, the resurgence of appreciation for Bela Lugosi, and the phenomenon of wrestlers becoming actors. It was not as successful an attempt for Tor Johnson as it was for Dwayne.

2. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Martians are sent to Earth to kidnap Santa Claus for the sake of their own children, but can’t distinguish the real one from the fake ones at the mall, so they kidnap a couple of children to help them. Now, it’s up to Santa Claus to sort it out, but fret not, there’s no actual conquering involved. This movie is hilarious for two reasons: 1. The worst attempt at a polar bear costume ever put to film, and 2. Holding the distinction of being the first representation of Mrs. Claus on screen. The fact that the Martians are implied to represent Jewish people make it a little cringey by today’s standards.

1. Teenagers from Outer Space

An alien, sick of his alien lifestyle, attempts to live anonymously among the human race. However, some of his fellow aliens are tasked with not only retrieving their defected comrade, but also annihilating the entire planet Earth. To do so, they unleash their alien creatures of destruction, the Gargons. Boasting the worst acting of any movie on this list, it’s hilarious for the performances alone. However, the cherry on top is that the Gargons are portrayed by giant lobsters. This movie is, in my opinion, the definitive “so bad it’s good” movie.