Worst Film Ever Made

The films listed below have been cited by a variety of notable critics in varying media sources as being among the worst films ever made. Examples of such sources include Metacritic, Roger Ebert's list of most-hated films, ''The Golden Turkey Awards'', ''Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', Rotten Tomatoes, pop culture writer Nathan Rabin's '' My World of Flops'', the Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, the cult TV series '' Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (alongside spinoffs ''Cinematic Titanic'' and ''RiffTrax'') and the Golden Raspberry Awards (aka the "Razzies"). Films on these lists are generally feature-length films that are commercial/artistic in nature (intended to turn a profit, express personal statements or both), professionally or independently produced (as opposed to amateur productions), and released in theaters, then on television, or more recently through video on demand or streaming services.

1930s

''Maniac'' (1934)

''Maniac'', also known as ''Sex Maniac'', is an exploitation- horror film directed by Dwain Esper. The story is a loose adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe story " The Black Cat" and follows a vaudeville impersonator who becomes an assistant to a mad scientist. Promoted as a documentary on mental illness, ''Maniac'' was criticized for its gratuitous footage of women undressing and for taking horror sequences from the 1922 silent film ''Häxan''. Danny Peary believes that ''Maniac'' is the worst film ever made, Charlie Jane Anders of Gawker Medias io9 described it as "possibly the worst movie in history" and ''Chicago Tribune'' critic Michael Wilmington wrote that it may be the worst film he had ever seen, writing: "There are some voyages into ineptitude, like Dwain Esper's anti-classic ''Maniac,'' that defy all reason." Rotten Tomatoes placed ''Maniac'' on its list of movies "So Bad They're Unmissable", '' Vanity Fair'' included the film on its list of the 20 worst movies ever and it is featured in John J. B. Wilson's book '' The Official Razzie Movie Guide: Enjoying the Best of Hollywood's Worst''.

''Reefer Madness'' (1936)

''Reefer Madness'' (originally released as ''Tell Your Children'' and sometimes titled or subtitled as ''The Burning Question'', ''Dope Addict'', ''Doped Youth'', and ''Love Madness'') is a 1936 American exploitation film and propaganda work revolving around the melodramatic events that ensue when high school students are lured by pushers to try marijuana— and become addicted and involved in various crimes such as a hit and run accident, manslaughter, murder, attempted rape, and descent into madness, association with organized crime and suicide.

'' Pacific Standard'' wrote that ''Reefer Madness'' was "one of the first films ever to be considered transcendentally bad" and Leonard Maltin has called it "the grand-daddy of all 'Worst' movies". ''Las Vegas CityLife'' named it the "worst ever" runner-up to '' Plan 9 from Outer Space'', and News.com.au considered it a "disastrous flop turned cult classic" due to its "terrible acting and exaggerated drug-addicted stereotypes". Natalli Amato of ''The Daily Dot'' included ''Reefer Madness'' on her list of the best worst movies, writing that it "may be one of the worst movies of all time for the fact that it accomplished the exact opposite of its intended goal" by becoming a cult classic among stoners. '' Leafly''s Danté Jordan also wrote that it may be "the worst movie of all time", criticizing its many inaccuracies regarding marijuana use and calling it "easily one of the most uncreative and tone-deaf pieces of anti-cannabis propaganda". For the ''Montreal Gazette'', Joe Schwarz called it "undoubtedly one of the worst movies ever made", describing its acting as "stilted" and its plot as "seem ngcomedic but...meant to be taken seriously".

''The Terror of Tiny Town'' (1938)

''The Terror of Tiny Town'', directed by Sam Newfield and produced by Jed Buell, remains the only musical Western with an all-dwarf cast. The film was pulled from obscurity as a camp classic after appearing in college and midnight screenings in the early 1970s. In 1978, it was included in Michael Medved's book, ''The Fifty Worst Films of All Time'', and has since been listed as one of the worst films ever made, by ''Flavorwire'', Rotten Tomatoes, and ''The Golden Turkey Awards''. Melvin Defleur referred to it as "Perhaps the worst film of all time", and critic Gabriel Ricard listed it as the worst film ever made; stating, "not only is it pretty terrible, but ''Tiny Town'' is also pretty endearing." In 1986, ''The Terror of Tiny Town'' was the first film featured on ''Canned Film Festival'', a late night television show featuring the worst movies ever made.

1940s

''The Babe Ruth Story'' (1948)

''The Babe Ruth Story'' is a 1948 baseball film biography of Babe Ruth, starring William Bendix, Claire Trevor and Sam Levene. ''The New York Times'' describes it as "the '' Plan 9 from Outer Space'' of baseball biopics". It was rushed into release while Ruth was still alive. One infamous scene features Ruth promising a dying child that he will hit two home runs. The child is subsequently cured of his ailments after Ruth delivers on the promise.

Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams believed it to be the worst movie he had ever seen. ''The Washington Times'' stated that it "stands as possibly the worst movie ever made". ''The Spokesman-Review'' included the film on their list of the worst films of all time, while Paul Newberry of the ''Associated Press'' wrote that the film's place on "nearly every list of the worst movies ever made" was "with good reason". '' Newsday''s Jack Mathews similarly wrote that ''The Babe Ruth Story'' was "what many people consider to be the worst sports movie of all time". It also was called one of the worst sports films ever each by '' Newsday'' and ''The A.V. Club'', and called one of the worst biopics by Moviefone and Spike. Entertainment writer Michael Sauter included the film in his book, ''The Worst Movies of All Time'', and Leonard Maltin called it "perfectly dreadful".

''No Orchids for Miss Blandish'' (1948)

''No Orchids for Miss Blandish'', a British gangster film adapted from the 1939 novel by James Hadley Chase, received a very hostile reception from the press. This was mainly due to the film's high (for the time) level of sexual and violent content, but also because its attempt to portray Americans using a largely British cast (including an early role for Sid James) was seen as unconvincing.

The British film journal ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' called it "the most sickening exhibition of brutality, perversion, sex and sadism ever to be shown on a cinema screen". The '' Sunday Express'' film reviewer called ''No Orchids for Miss Blandish'' "the worst film I have ever seen". The Australian newspaper ''The Age'' also gave a harsh review: "''No Orchids for Miss Blandish'' is not only a disgrace to the studio that made it, but it also reflects on the British industry as a whole ... the entire production is unpardonable."

Cliff Goodwin, discussing ''No Orchids For Miss Blandish's'' initial reception, notes it was "unanimously dubbed 'the worst film ever made. Later reviews of the film were equally antipathetic. ''No Orchids for Miss Blandish'' was described by British film reviewer Leslie Halliwell as a "hilariously awful gangster film ... one of the worst films ever made". '' Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide'' states that ''No Orchids for Miss Blandish'' "aspires to be a Hollywood film noir and misses by a mile."

1950s

''Glen or Glenda'' (1953)

''Glen or Glenda'' starred Ed Wood as Glen, a transvestite who cross-dresses as Glenda. Wood also directed the film. After a dream sequence, Glen undergoes psychotherapy to help "cure" him of his transvestism.

Leonard Maltin wrote that ''Glen or Glenda'' was worse than Wood's later '' Plan 9 from Outer Space'' and considered it "possibly the worst movie ever made". Julien Allen of '' Reverse Shot'' similarly wrote that it was "widely considered to be an atrocity" and "the most catastrophic failure of ood'ssingularly bad career". Richard Barrios described ''Glen or Glenda'' as "one of the funniest and worst movies ever made".

''Robot Monster'' (1953)

''Robot Monster'' is a science-fiction film produced and directed by Phil Tucker and originally shot and exhibited in 3D. Its title character, which is "a man in a gorilla suit wearing what looks like a diving helmet sprouting TV antennae", was given the Most Ridiculous Monster in Screen History award in ''The Golden Turkey Awards''. It is also featured in ''The Book of Lists'' 10 worst movies list, ''The Fifty Worst Films of All Time'' and Michael Sauter's book ''The Worst Movies of All Time''. ''Robot Monster'' was featured in an episode of the movie-mocking television show '' Mystery Science Theater 3000'', as well as ''Canned Film Festival''. The film is remembered fondly by horror novelist Stephen King, who quotes, and agrees with, a review in ''Castle of Frankenstein'' magazine ("certainly among the finest terrible movies ever made", "one of the most laughable poverty row quickies"). Chris Barsanti in ''The Sci-Fi Movie Guide'' writes: " 'Robot Monster''gives ''Plan 9 From Outer Space'' a run as the worst movie of all time."

''The Conqueror'' (1956)

Howard Hughes funded '' The Conqueror'', an epic film featuring John Wayne as Mongolian chieftain Genghis Khan and the redheaded Susan Hayward as a Tatar princess. The movie was filmed near St. George, Utah, downwind from a nuclear testing range in Nevada, and is often blamed for the cancer deaths of many of the cast and crew, including Hayward, Wayne, Agnes Moorehead, Pedro Armendáriz, and director Dick Powell. In addition to filming near the testing range, truckloads of the red sands were transported back to the studios for interior scenes and by 1980, 91 of the 220 (over 41%) cast and crew members had been diagnosed with cancer.

The film made the ten-worst list in ''The Book of Lists'', appears in Michael Sauter's ''The Worst Movies of All Time'', and was among those listed in ''The Fifty Worst Films of All Time''. Additionally, the ''Aldergrove Star'' described ''The Conqueror'' as the worst ever made and ''Complex'' listed it as the worst biopic ever made. Originally written for Marlon Brando, ''The Guardian'' called the choice of Wayne for Khan "one of the worst casting decisions of all time". Wayne lamented taking the role, stating, "Don’t make an ass of yourself trying to play parts you are not suited for." ''The Daily Telegraph'' writes: "by absolutely every conceivable metric - financially, critically, historically, ethnically, and even body count – it would come to be known as one of the biggest disasters in cinematic history."

Hughes, one of the world's wealthiest people at the time, had previously produced the successful dramatic films '' Hell's Angels'', '' Scarface'', and ''The Outlaw''. After seeing ''The Conqueror'' himself, Hughes bought every existing print for $12 million and refused to let the film be seen on television until 1974, reportedly out of guilt over the decision to shoot at such a hazardous location. This was the last film Hughes produced.

''Fire Maidens from Outer Space'' (1956)

''Fire Maidens from Outer Space'', a low-budget British space opera film (known in the US as ''Fire Maidens of Outer Space''), is about a group of astronauts visiting an all-female society on a moon of Jupiter. This film developed a negative reputation for its poor special effects (including a scene on the alien planet in which an automobile is visible driving past).Fire Maidens Of Outer Space
''DVD Talk'', August 13, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2014. Leslie Halliwell described ''Fire Maidens from Outer Space'' as "a strong contender for the title of the worst movie ever made, with diaphanously clad English gals striking embarrassed poses against cardboard sets". British film historian I.Q. Hunter included it in his list of candidates for "the worst British film ever made".I. Q Hunter, "From Window Cleaner to Potato Man" in ''British Comedy Cinema'', edited by I.Q. Hunter and Laraine Porter. Routledge, 2012. . (p.154) The DVD Talk website's review claimed it "may be among the worst-ever professionally produced science fiction films". Paul Welsh of the ''Borehamwood & Elstree Times'' wrote that it was "probably the worst ilmever produced". In his book ''Operation Hollywood: How the Pentagon Shapes and Censors the Movies'', David L. Robb wrote that the film's director Cy Roth is "widely regarded as one of the worst filmmakers of all time", adding that, out of the three films he made, "the worst was ''Fire Maidens from Outer Space''...which is often cited as one of the ten worst movies ever made".

''Plan 9 from Outer Space'' (1957)

Ed Wood's ''Plan 9 from Outer Space'', a science fiction film about aliens resurrecting the dead, was labeled the "Worst Film Ever" by ''The Golden Turkey Awards'' in 1980. Wood shot only a small amount of unrelated footage featuring top-billed star Bela Lugosi before his death. Wood incorporated the footage into the film and cast Tom Mason as Lugosi's stand-in; Mason, the chiropractor of Wood's wife, bore little resemblance to Lugosi and played his scenes holding the character's cape in front of his face. Although ''Golden Turkey Awards'' author Michael Medved credits Lugosi's top billing with its enduring legacy, ''The Independent'' listed various other shortcomings: "A UFO dangling in the sky has been variously said to be either a car hubcap or a paper plate. Actors read from scripts on their lap; sound microphones wobble in and out of shot. Fake trees and cemetery headstones wobble as the actors brush past them. Characters go into scenes when it's night time and leave five minutes later into daylight. ... the plot itself appears to be the product of insanity."

Emanuel Levy notes the film has been dubbed "the epitome of so-bad-it’s-good cinema" and has gained a cult following since appearing in ''The Golden Turkey Awards''. '' My Year of Flops'' author Nathan Rabin wrote that: "It’s hard to overstate the role ''Plan 9 From Outer Space'' and its eccentric creator have played in the birth and evolution of bad movie culture... ''Plan 9'' was the original best worst movie." BBC
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