Only the most notorious films are fit to be viewed by the Bad Movie Club, a new student organization planning to watch some of history’s worst cinematic creations in 145 Charles E. Coates Hall.
Some of the movies the club plans to watch are “Plan 9 From Outer Space,” “Manos: The Hands of Fate,” “Teenagers From Outer Space,” “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” and “Reefer Madness.”
Longtime friends Richard Weaver, a sociology sophomore, and sports administration sophomore Joseph Mock had been trying to start a club at the University for some time. Their first plan was a club devoted to watching the popular television series “The Office,” but they felt the club would not have long-term sustainability after it had viewed the entire series. They then came up with an idea for a club based on a more niche subject — bad movies.
Mock and Weaver have been watching “bad” movies since they were in seventh grade. While they were unsure if other people would be interested in the odd category, almost 100 students have expressed interest in joining the club. The pair knew soon after the club had the potential to be successful.
The two club founders don’t have many rules for determining whether or not a film is considered bad. The biggest criteria is that the humor must not be intentional and must be a result of poor production techniques or execution.
“It’s something where you can tell [the producers] tried really hard to make a good movie, but it doesn’t really work and it’s hilarious to watch,” Mock said.
“It’s [films with] bad acting, bad plot, bad effects and it has to be unintentional. It’s awkward stuff, and that’s what makes it funny,” Weaver added.
Mock and Weaver intended to begin holding meetings in the fall, but they had copyright issues to navigate through first. They originally believed that, under the FAIR USE Act of 2007, they had the freedom to show whatever film they wanted, similar to a teacher screening a film for a class. The problem, Weaver said, was the law’s vague definition.
“The FAIR USE Act is very grey. The whole point of it is that a judge can give his ruling or his interpretation,” Weaver said.
To avoid any conflict, the club plans to screen only public domain films. These are movies whose copyright has expired, and the films are no longer owned by any studios or production companies. Many public domain films are considered historically bad films, which is why the studios do not feel the need to renew their ownership of the films.
Despite the extensive catalog to choose from, Mock and Weaver were still disappointed the club wouldn’t be able to watch some of the more notorious bad films. Before they encountered copyright issues, the first film they planned to screen was Tommy Wiseau’s “The Room” because it is widely regarded as the most famous bad movie ever released. The club founders knew airing the film would be a good way to kick off the club.
“Everybody knows ‘The Room’ because it’s so bad and people who went to it would be interested in the rest of the club,” Weaver said.
“It’s just a gateway to bad movies,” Mock said.
Wiseau, who wrote, directed and starred in “The Room” has not been shy about the film and often travels to screenings to do Q&As. Mock and Weaver discussed the possibility of raising money to convince Wiseau to give them the rights to the film, but decided not to in order to keep club membership free.
“That’s one thing we didn’t want to be — a club that is exclusive to people who pay,” Mock said. “We want to be a club where people go on a weekday and hang out.”
After all the hoops Mock and Weaver have had to jump through, they finally hosted a screening of “Plan 9 From Outer Space” on March 16. They are excited to share their unusual passion with other students, and maybe in the process discover more bad films to enjoy. Despite the endless possibilities of films to screen, they are still frustrated by the rules preventing them from watching their favorite movies.
“These copyright laws are tearing me apart, Lisa!” Mock said, in reference to a notorious line from “The Room.”