10 Movies So Crazy They Shouldn't Exist
2. Zardoz
John Boorman's Zardoz is unique in that it has loose ties to two of the most successful IPs in cinema history, being developed after Boorman's attempts to adapt The Lord of the Rings stalled, and landing Sean Connery in its lead role at a time when the Scot was struggling to move on from his James Bond gig.
According to Boorman himself, so odd was Zardoz, no studio actually wanted to make it. That was, until Boorman's agent essentially strong-armed a 20th Century Fox executive into greenlighting the picture.
Set in the future of 2293, this 1974 offering finds a post-apocalyptic world where the barbaric Brutals worship an ancient stone head thing - that'd be Zardoz - that's secretly being used to manipulate their behaviour by the elitist Eternals. It also has Connery in a red diaper, knee-high boots, and a ponytail and mustache, if that's your thing.
So, you've got a film that no studio initially wanted to touch, with a gibberish plot, and a Sean Connery desperately trying to distance himself from 007. To the surprise of nobody, the end result is an absolute stinker of a movie that barely made back its budget. Also, supposedly some of those who saw Zardoz during its theatrical run told those queueing for the next showing of the film not to waste their money - which is advice that was purportedly taken.