The 12 Best Worst Movies on the Syfy Channel Beyond Sharknado
The cinematic gems of the Syfy channel are notorious for their below-average special effects, terrible writing and campy plots that only occasionally make logical sense. Still, there’s something about these delightfully horrorific small-screen movies that keep audiences coming back for more.
There are a bunch of Syfy movies (and we’re not distinguishing between the channel’s originals and those that eventually find a natural home there) just waiting to be enjoyed on a lazy, probably-still-slightly-hungover Saturday afternoon. And while we can’t include all of them, here’s adozen films to keep on your B-movie radar. But only after you’ve experienced Sharknado, of course.
1. Mammoth (2006)
You may not have heard of Mammoth (it’s not about sharks), but the CGI of the dethawed, rotted mammoth—who ends up being infected and controlled by an alien parasite—is wonderfully awful (despite it being nominated for an Emmy). And the monster choice is refreshing.
2. High Plains Invaders (2009)
When Syfy tries to spice things up, the result is a Western-meets-aliens with James Marsters (aka Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) as the lead. If lumbering monsters aren’t your thing, these are the kinds of Syfy movies to look out for. It’s got a Cowboys and Aliens/pre-War of the Worlds thing going on, and it’s nice to see some robot-type enemies—along with Eyeborgs—roaming on the network.
3. Dinocroc (2004)
This Roger Corman flick could serve as the blueprint for the Syfy formula. The Dinocrocis a prototype created from the DNA of an ancient African dinosaur ancestor of the crocodile. Another giant-monster production from the channel, sit down and watch if you want something that might make you feel like: “Maybe I should’ve spent the extra money on Godzilla, but I just wanted absolutely no expectations. (Easily swap it for Dinoshark for more dino fun.)
4. Sharktopus (2010)
The Discovery Channel may have invented Shark Week, but Syfy is stuck on a perpetual Shark loop. Mega sharks, tornado-sharks and this delightful shark hybrid brought to you, once again, by Corman. It features a giant half-shark, half-octopus monster (in case that wasn’t obvious from the title) engineered as a military weapon. Shockingly, it gets loose and wreaks havoc. It stars Julia Roberts’ semi-famous brother, Eric, and an original theme song. Always a plus.