Worst Films of 1978

[BoyScoutKevin]

I wouldn't use Roger Ebert as a guide to anything. He may have hated "I Spit On Your Grave" more then these, but, he also hated, hated, hated . . .
Alligator
At the Earth's Core
Blue Velvet
Dead Poet's Society
Death Race 2000
Deep Rising
The Devils
Lair of the White Worm
Piranha
Priest
The Tenant
The Tin Drum
I think I have made my case.

Good luck on your website, though

[JonahFalcon]

Blue Velvet is too overrated, and silly - as are ALL of David Lynch's movies.
Dead Poet's Society is sentimental garbage.
Death Race 2000 isn't going to win any awards - save bad film ones.
Piranha STUNK. Perhaps you're confusing it with the James Cameron directed sequel?

And a ZERO STAR REVIEW is different than a bad one.

Besides, I *saw* I Spit On Your Grave.

It stinks, stinks, stinks. (In Jay Sherman mode, of course.) Only adolescent teens and men with castration fantasies like it. It's sexploitation at its worse - and worse, it poses as female empowerment when really, its exploitation at its worst. Those kind of movies receive my lowest grade.

The Violent Years (Ed Wood), now there's my kinda female empowerment heh ("Please, whatever you do, DON'T nibble on my ears...")

[BoyScoutKevin]

That's four down and eight to go.
Tastes are different, but, I love David Lynch. Blue Velvet included.. His skilll and style  as a filmmaker is almost beyond compare.
Dead Poet's Society may be sentimental, though not as sentimental as some I've seen, but, it is hardly garbage, as it is one of the few films in which I felt strong empathy for the characters.
Death Race 2000 may not win any awards, but, it is alot more enjoyable (IMHO), then alot of the award winning films.
Piranha, maybe so. Though, I know there are people out there who like it.
Yes, a zero star review is different then a bad review, but, when he put all the films I listed into his "I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie," then he lost most of his credibility with me.
And I've seen the films I listed, too.
I'm not disagreeing with the films you've picked, even "I Spit On Your Grave," which I have not seen, by the way. Nor, am I disagreeing with you using Ebert as a guide. I just said, in so many words, that his tastes and my tastes are so different, that I don't like to use him as a judge as to whether or not I like a film.
Still, good luck with your website anyway.

[JonahFalcon]

The others weren't very good either.

You're missing the point though -

I DO NOT SELECT FILMS BASED ON ROGER EBERT (especially since he's been praising films like John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars - 3 stars).

I do it based on MY VIEWING EACH PICTURE, as well as a few other factors.

I Spit On Your Grave is Godawful, and people are currently trying to rationalize it with "deep insight" - in other words, falling for it. You could do the same thing with Faces of Death. Ain't gonna sway me.

Dario Argento, I Spit On Your Grave is NOT.

[JonahFalcon]

I have a few more opinions from bad movie experts and site owners coming in - two MSTies in this case (Doug MacGregor and Doug Smith).

[BoyScoutKevin]

I am sorry, if I missed your point, as you put it, and I admit, I may have missed it, but, when you state in one of your threads: "Er, no. I Spit On Your Grave was one of the few films that earned a zero star review from Roger Ebert," I had to post my thread with my opinion that Roger Ebert was a poor judge of films in comparison to some of the other film critics out there, including Andrew, who runs this website. And (IMHO)  Andrew is a much better judge of films then Roger Ebert.

[Andrew]

BoyScoutKevin wrote:

> Roger Ebert was a poor judge of  films in comparison to some of the other film critics out  there, including Andrew, who runs this website. And (IMHO)
> Andrew is a much better judge of films then Roger Ebert.

You know, I was wondering if perhaps the problem could be that Ebert has either seen too many films or is too bound up in the fact that he is a critic.  Either could be a bad thing...

[peter johnson]

I live near Boulder, and Ebert's in town all week, doing his Cinema Interruptus thing -- If I didn't have to look for a job, I'd probably be down there watching, as he's doing Ozu's ". . .Reeds" film.
I can't believe he hated "The Tin Drum" . . . oh, well, even Pauline Kael liked "Last Tango in Paris", which still impresses me as one of the most pointless films ever made . . . so, critics are human like the rest of us . . . well, maybe not Ken Begg . . .
Just to play devils' advocate here, Ebert has really liked B-movies/Badmovies for their entertainment value over the years.  Pick up one of his guides and you can see he likes a lot of the same stuff we do here.
I must say I did go through an entire Cinema Interruptus thing with him years ago -- where he stops the projector at any point in a film to discuss a scene and take questions from the audience -- for "The Third Man", and it did increase my enjoyment and understanding of this film I liked anyway.  He does have actual insights re. process & meaning.
peter johnson

[JohnL]

>He does have actual insights re. process & meaning.

And sometimes he makes idiotic comments that show that he wasn't even paying attention to the film. I can only think of one example at the moment, but over the years, I've seen him get character names wrong, confuse events etc. I seem to recall reading a review/comments by him about Mars Attacks where he devoted an entire paragraph to the director's attempt to imply a love story between Natalie Portman and Lucas Haas, by having her tell him at the end, "You got a girlfriend." Actually, she ASKED him "You got a girlfriend?" to which he replied "No". I'm POSITIVE I read this because I remember thinking what an idiot he was and wondering how he got to be a professional critic if he can't even tell the difference between a question and a statement, but I can't seem to find it online. Maybe he watched the movie again, realized his mistake and changed the review.

[jmc]

He put THE BEYOND in "I Hated, Hated This Movie" too....also THE HITCHER, but I remember how much he hated that from his reviews when it first came out.  I gather that he caught THE BEYOND in its brief revival a few years ago.  

It sounds like you [Jonah] don't really LIKE the movies you say are bad, though I could be wrong.  I think you'll find that most of us actually enjoy these bad movies for the most part.  Though that would go in line with you having former MSTies write for you, I guess, since I always thought they didn't really like the bad movie genre either and were just there to goof on it.

As for Ebert, he'll alway get credit with me for writing BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS....I tend to agree with Andrew, though.  I think at this point he might be thinking about "What will people think if they see that I, Roger Ebert, give this a good review?"  

I don't think I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE is a bad movie, just exploitive.  If people don't like movies that are exploitive, I have to wonder why they're hanging around here in the first place.

[JonahFalcon]

There are for types of bad movies: fun bad movies (Showgirls, The Apple, etc), unwatchable bad movies (movies that need the aid of MST3K, Moment by Moment, etc), popular bad movies (Independence Day), and morally bad movies (I Spit On Your Grave, The Big Chill, etc).

I love watching three of those four types of bad movies. I'm anxiously awaiting a copy of the long lost 1978 Hound of the Baskervilles, in fact.

[Waters778]

Not to be a jerk, but isn't it possible that he just heard it wrong?  I mean, it seems to me that maybe you form opinions very quickly on very little information.  If that's the only example you can come up with, then the mistakes must not be large enough to be memorable.  

Ebert watches a lot of movies every year, and has for a very long time.  These movies range from the unforgetable to the excrable.  Making a few mistakes over that time period isn't that big of a deal.

Not that I especially agree with his reviews.  I mean, I find myself deriving a lot of enjoyment from movies that he hated.  Despite that, I can't hop the bandwagon with the "Ebert sucks" crowd.  That's like saying the team that looses the superbowl sucks.  They didn't win, true - but they GOT THERE.

[JohnL]

>Not to be a jerk, but isn't it possible that he just heard it wrong?

Probably, but he spent an entire paragraph describing how pointless and unnecessary this was. It was one line near the endo f the movie and he obsessed about it.

>If that's the only example you can come up with, then the mistakes must not be
>large enough to be memorable.

 I'll try and find some others. :)

[Damien01]

What bugs me is "I Spit On Your Grave" does have a cult following... Also, I think the whole reason for "Online Reviews" is to give movies a fair reviewing, lets face it... there are too many movies labled as good movies that most people dont give a crap about and too many movies labled as a bad movie that we love to see again and again... why is that??? I could only think is that some of those bad movies werent given the respectable review and some movies are over rated because the seems to be a good idea at the time, and now we just dont care about.

Abduction of Lorelei
Acapulco Gold
Alaska Wilderness Adventure, The
Alien Zone
All About Gloria Leonard
All Star Cartoon Revue
Almost Summer
Amazing Captain Nemo, The
American Hot Wax
Amsterdam Kill
An Enemy of the People
Animal House
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!
Auditions
Avalanche
Bad News Bears Go to Japan, The
Bad Penny
Barracuda
Beat the Turtle Drum
Bees, The
Betsy, The
Beyond Death's Door
Big Fix, The
Big Sleep
Big Thumbs
Big Wednesday
Billion Dollar Hobo, The
Blackjack
Blonde Fire
Blood & Guts
Blood Stalkers
Bloodbrothers
Blue Collar
Bog
Born Again
Boss' Son, The
Boys from Brazil, The
Boys in Company C, The
Brass Target
Breakfast in Bed
Brink's Job, The
Bruce and Shao-lin Kung Fu 2
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Buddy Holly Story, The
Buffalo Rider
C.T. Coed Teaser
California Suite
Call Me Dragon
Candy Girl
Candy Stripers
Capricorn One
Caravans
Casey's Shadow
Cat and the Pinkstalk
Cat from Outer Space, The
Cat in the Cage
Chain Letter
Chameleon
Cheap Detective, The
Cheerleaders' Beach Party
Children of Sanchez, The
China Cat, The
China Sisters
Chinese Caper, The
Chorus Call
Chorus Girls, The
Clayton County Line
Clockwork
Coach
Coma
Comes a Horseman
Coming Home
Confessions of a Young American Housewife
Convoy
Corvette Summer
Crossed Swords
Daddy
Damien: Omen II
Date with a Kidnapper
Dawn of the Dead
Day of the Woman
Days of Heaven
Deadly Alliance
Death Dimension
Death Drug
Death Force
Deathsport
Debbie Does Dallas
Deer Hunter, The
Dietetic Pink
Different Story, A
Different Strokes
Dirt, Ground, Earth and Land
Disco Beaver from Outer Space
Disco Fever
Disco Lady
Distant Thunder, A
Dog Woman, The
Donald Duck's Cartoon Mania
Doogan's Woman
Double Strength
Double Your Pleasure
Doubles
Dr. Love and His House of Perversions
Dracula's Dog
Dream of Passion, A
Driver, The
Duncan's World
Easy
Ecstasy in Blue
Effects
End, The
Erotic Adventures of Candy, The
Every Girl Should Have One
Every Which Way But Loose
Evil, The
Executioner, The
Expensive Tastes
Eyes of Laura Mars
F.I.S.T.
Fairy Tales
Feedback
Fingers
Fiona On Fire
Fireback
First Time, The
Five Days from Home
Flight of Ideas
FM
Force Beyond, The
Foreigner, The
Forever and Always
Formal Faucett, A
Fortress in the Sun
Foul Play
Four Oil Wells
From Holly with Love
Further Adventures of the Wilderness Family, The
Fury, The
Fyre
Game of Death
Gas Pump Girls
Girlfriends
Glove, The
Go Tell the Spartans
Goin' Coconuts
Goin' South
Good Guys Wear Black
Goodbye, Franklin High
Grand Opera
Gray Lady Down
Grayeagle
Grease
Great Ride, The
Great Skycopter Rescue, The
Greek Tycoon, The
Gymkata Killer
Gypsy Warriors, The
Halloween
Happy Holiday
Harper Valley P.T.A.
Heaven Can Wait
Hell Hole
Here Come the Tigers
Heroes of the Late Ming Dynasty
High-Ballin'
Honeymoon Haven
Hooper
Hot Honeys
Hot Lead and Cold Feet
Hot Lunch
Hot Water
House Calls
I Am Always Ready
I Spit on Your Grave
I Wanna Hold Your Hand
Ice Castles
If Ever I See You Again
Incredible Sex Ray Machine, The
Interiors
International Velvet
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Invincible Kung Fu
Is the Doctor In
It Lives Again
Jailbait Babysitter
Jaws 2
Jennifer
Jokes My Folks Never Told Me
Jungle Blue
Kansas City Trucking Co., The
Keep My Grave Open
Kid from Not-So-Big, The
Killer Fish
King of the Gypsies
Kirlian Witness, The
Laserblast
Legacy of Blood
Lipps & McCain
Little Blue Box
Little Girls Blue
Lord of the Rings, The
Love and the Midnight Auto Supply
Lucifer Complex, The
Mafu Cage, The
Mag Wheels
Magic
Magic of Lassie, The
Malibu Beach
Manitou, The
Manny's Orphans
Maraschino Cherry
Mardi Gras Massacre
Marquette Park II
Masterpiece
Mean Dog Blues
Meatball
Mickey Mouse Jubilee Show
Midnight Express
Miller's Delight
Mirrors
Moment by Moment
Mongoloid
Movie Movie
Mr. Too Little
My Boys Are Good Boys
Naked Rider
Nicole
Night of Horror
Nightmare in Blood
No Longer Alone
Norseman, The
Northern Lights
Nunzio
Oliver's Story
Olly, Olly, Oxen Free
On the Yard
Once in Paris...
Once Upon a Time
One and Only, The
One Last Score
One Man Jury
One Night a Week
Only Way to Spy, The
Other Side of Julie, The
Other Side of the Mountain Part II, The
Our Winning Season
Paradise Alley
Parts: The Clonus Horror
Pass/Fail
Passage of the Bride, The
People
Petey Wheatstraw
Pink and Shovel
Pink Arcade
Pink Bananas
Pink Daddy
Pink in the Drink
Pink Lemonade
Pink Lightning
Pink of Bagdad, The
Pink Pictures
Pink Press
Pink S.W.A.T.
Pink Trumpet
Pink U.F.O.
Pink Z-Z-Z
Pink-Tails for Two
Piranha
Pizza Girls, We Deliver
Planet of the Dinosaurs
Polavision Vignettes
Prescription In Blue
Pretty Baby
Pretty Peaches
Psychiatrist, The
Rabbit Test
Raw Footage
Redeemer: Son of Satan!, The
Remember My Name
Renaldo and Clara
Return from Witch Mountain
Revenge of the Pink Panther
Ride in a Pink Car
Same Time, Next Year
Sammy Stops the World
Sasquatch, the Legend of Bigfoot
Scenic Route, The
Sea Dream
Sea Gypsies, The
Semi-Tough
Seniors, The
Sensual Encounters of Every Kind
September 30, 1955
Sextette
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Shadow of Chikara, The
Shalimar
Sisters of Death
Skateboard
Sketches of a Strangler
Slithis
Slow Dancing in the Big City
Small Change
Smokey and the Good Time Outlaws
Somebody Killed Her Husband
Son of Hitler
Spawn of the Slithis
Sprinkle Me Pink
Star Pink
Starhops
Stingray
Stony Island
Straight Time
Stud
Submission of Serena
Summertime Blue
Sunset Cove
Superdyke Meets Madame X
Surfer Girls
Swarm, The
Sweater Girls
Sweet Creek County War, The
Take Down
Take Off
Taste of Sugar, A
Team-Mates
Teasers Go To Paris
Teen Alien
Teen Lust
Telefantasy
Texas Detour
Thank God It's Friday
They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way
Third Walker, The
Thoroughly Amorous Amy
Tiger Man
Till Death
Tilt
Title
Toolbox Murders, The
Train Ride to Hollywood
Tren
Uncle Joe Shannon
Unmarried Woman, An
Up in Smoke
V: The Hot One
Warlords of Atlantis
Watcher, The
Way Down Deep
Wedding, A
Weekend Lovers
Where's Willie?
Who Is Killing Great Chefs of Europe?
Whole Shootin' Match, The
Who'll Stop the Rain
Wild Geese
Wild Skis
Wiz, The
Wolf Lake
Youngblood
Zero to Sixty

I dont see... "The Hound of the Baskervilles" from the 1978 titles but then it could of have a different name or this isnt a complete list of 1978 movies... Also... what movie is worse to watch:

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

or

Sextette

:D