Cult Classics, Underrated Gems, and Films So Bad They're Good

by, the editors of Rotten Tomatoes

Hook. Wet Hot American Summer. Valley of the Dolls. There are some movies that defy traditional critical assessment — films that are panned by reviewers, but that go on to become beloved classics and cult phenoms anyway.

Ever been crushed to learn your favorite movie — or a new one you’re dying to see — has been given the big green splat from Rotten Tomatoes’ infamous Tomatometer? The site’s editors stand by their critics and scores, but they also feel your pain: Fresh films shouldn’t get all the glory! In Rotten Movies We Love, the RT team celebrates 101 Rotten movies that can’t be missed, including:

• Box office behemoths that bombed with critics: Space Jam, Maleficent, Bad Boys
• Sci-fi treasures so bad they’re awesome: Cherry 2000, Zardoz, Masters of the Universe
• Rare Rottens from Fresh directors: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Marie Antoinette, Legend, Willow
• Deeply beloved cult classics: The Last Dragon, Empire Records, The Craft, MacGruber
• Underrated gems ahead of their time: The Strangers, Event Horizon, Practical Magic, The Cable Guy
• Sequels worth a second look: Home Alone 2, Rocky IV, Jurassic Park III, Return to Oz

Featuring 16 essays from some of the world’s most well-known film critics — Leonard Maltin, Terri White, Amy Nicholson, David Fear, K. Austin Collins, and more — and punctuated with black-and-white film stills and punchy graphics, it’s a fun romp through the quirkier corners of film history, sure to delight any cinephile or pop-culture fanatic.