10 Failed Movies That Only Found Their Audience On TV
9. Road House (1989)
Road House is your typical story of a world famous bouncer with a philosophy degree who accepts a gig at Kansas dive the Double Deuce, the kind of place where they sweep up the eyeballs after closing. James Dalton (Patrick Swayze) sews up his own wounds and carries his medical records around with him because it saves time, so when a local crook tries to take control of the Deuce, Dalton fights him and his goons off with broken bottles, Tai Chi and, in one of the best moments, a stuffed bear. Swayze, hot off Dirty Dancing, and producer Joel Silver, hot off Die Hard, probably thought they were onto The Next Big Thing. They werent. After proving popular on video, the movie found its true home on cable, where it was shown 65 times between 1994 and 2002, its popularity resulting in a DVD sequel in 2006. A year later, the movie received the Rifftrax treatment when former Mystery Science Theatre 3000 host Mike Nelson recorded an audio commentary. Its just so entertaining as its being horrible, Nelson said. In the entertaining bad movie genre, Road House is my favourite.
Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'
