Now and then, we all love nothing better than a film so bad that it actually somehow becomes rather good due to the simple fact of how awful it really, really is. Here, The Bad Movie Bible is a bona fide encyclopaedia of such pictures. Well, one-hundred-and-one of them, at least.
Chances are, even if you’re a casual moviegoer you’ll have your favourite stinker of a film. And more-so, there’s a very good chance that said stinker will be accounted for in this well put-together book from author Rob Hill. Whether it’s commonplace horrors such as Batman & Robin, Superman IV and Showgirls, or lesser known yet similarly infamous efforts (including plenty of ‘love’ for notorious turd-peddler Neil Breen), The Bad Movie Bible covers a whole varying spectrum of the duds of the film industry. What Hill does particularly well, too, is that, in addition to making the summary of each movie informative, entertaining and genuinely hilarious at times, he also explores the very concept of why and how certain pictures are so bad that they become good. In fact, there’s even a breakdown of the elements which need to be taken in to account when judging whether an awful movie manages to actually be rather good because of its awfulness. Then, we’re also treated to some cracking interviews with many of those who starred in or put together said cinematic turds.
Hill clearly has a passion for cinema, a passion for the art of filmmaking, and a passion in entertainingly pointing fault at some of the most dire atrocities ever committed to film – and it’s that passion, combined with a wry sense of humour, which makes this such a fun read. The Bad Movie Bible is most certainly an offering which will have you frantically turning from page to page as its casual but informative style means it’s tricky to put down. Given how each featured movie is given no more than a full page of attention, that makes this a book that you can either devour in small bitesize chunks or simply rip through in a steady sitting.
Never feeling like anything less than a heartfelt love letter to the murky corners of cinema’s red-headed stepchildren, The Bad Movie Bible is a fascinating, factual and funny book that will appeal to any and all film fans, whether that be hardcore cineastes or just those who have simply a passing interest in the odd movie here or there.
THE BAD MOVIE BIBLE / AUTHOR: ROB HILL / PUBLISHER: ART OF PUBLISHING / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
