10 Failed Movies That Became Cult Classics
1. Troll 2
Long before The Room, 1990 fantasy-horror Troll 2 was agreed by consensus among bad film aficionados to be the best-worst movie ever made.
Though made under the title "Goblins", it was marketed as a sequel to the 1986 box office success Troll, which it has no tangible connection to. Hell, Troll 2 doesn't even feature any trolls: it's actually all about goblins.
Despite bombing at the box office and being universally scorned for its appalling writing, direction and performances, Troll 2 won a second life as a viral online hit in the early 2000s.
Ever since, Troll 2 has endured as a fondly-embraced staple of bad movie fandom, defined by quotable, hysterically bad dialogue such as, "They're eating her! And then they're going to eat me! Ohhhh my goooood!" and "You can't p*ss on hospitality!"
Troll 2 child star Michael Stephenson even directed a documentary about the film's cult popularity, Best Worst Movie, which serves as a fascinating, hilarious and occasionally depressing companion piece to the oddball production.
As much as it fails as a serious attempt at a horror film, its gonzo campy value has kept it at the top of so-bad-it's-good movie lists for the last 15-ish years, and it's going nowhere anytime soon.
What do you make of these duds-turned-cult classics? Got any others to share? Shout them out in the comments!