Happy Turkey Day (Not That Kind Of Turkey)

The day after Thanksgiving, some film nerd friends I have get together to celebrate Turkey Day, except their "turkey" is defined by bad taste rather than good. These movies, however, are just so bad they may be good when enjoyed in witty company.

If you need some fine examples of B-roll entertainment to go with your leftovers,  check out some of these turkeys from the library.

Plan 9 From Outer Space

The mother of all bad movies, Ed Wood's "masterpiece" makes fiction of science as it shifts continuity from night to day, and brings Bela Lugosi back from the dead....a stand-in played his parts with a cloak covering his face after Lugosi died during filming.

Black Shampoo

This blaxploitation take on Shampoo turns up the formula by adding entertaining gang fights, relationship drama, and some hilarious dialogue in a deadpan delivery by remarkable cool antihero Mr. Jonathan.

Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus

Available as downloadable media, this title has a unique advantage in that its creators realized it was a turkey from the start. The Asylum company, known for their direct-to-video knock-offs of genre films, has fun with this low-concept sci-fi feature. Starring overlooked eighties singer Deborah Gibson and providing some literally unbelievable effects such as Megashark leaping through the air to chomp at airplanes, the film fulfills the promise of its title in the way monster movies of earlier eras often have not.

Enjoy your turkey in whatever form it takes this year.