Written by Matilda Mornane.
Micro-budget movie Fateful Findings is the latest film to gain attention for its “so bad it’s good” production.
Written, directed, produced, edited and acted by an architect from Las Vegas, Neil Breen, the trailer is enough to have audiences groaning in frustration at the lack of cinematic finesse.
Breen, along with Panorama Entertainment, targeted a handful of regional theatrical engagements for the film’s release, outside of the competitive L.A. and New York markets. Hoping mainly for word-of-mouth to draw viewers to the screenings, Breen has been involved in all aspects of the film’s release and marketing, even Tweeting about his project, and promising to make in-person appearances at screenings if the film’s popularity rises.
Certainly not the only film of its kind, it seems that films that are so bad that they actually garner attention and a fan base, have been around for quite a while.
However, it does take a particularly lame story line, combined with absurd characters, acting or even special effects, to generate the kind of curiosity that films like Fateful Findings do.
Tomorrow, Friday 25th October, The Orpheum cinema will even be hosting an “interactive experience”, playing Tommy Wiseau’s cinematic fail, The Room. Described as “so very bad that it becomes riveting”, The Room defied its own production value, becoming an attraction in L.A., where it was screened for ten years.
Films like Edward D. Wood Jr’s 1959 Plan 9 from Outer Space, have become classic bad movies. Plan 9 become notorious for its plot line, which follows aliens that use zombies and vampires to stop humans from creating a bomb. For modern-day low-budget cinema fans, Sharktopus and Sharknado have found fame as terrible-yet-lovable theatrical releases. These last two cater to lovers of the D-Grade horror movie: a weird “villain”, and some questionable CGI work.
The market for bad films is definitely a niche one, with the art of selling these movies mostly dependent on the audience “embracing the awfulness.” Regardless of the box-office takings though, Fateful Findings looks to have landed itself firmly in the same boat that had people flocking to see The Room for so long.
For those interested, here is the hilarious trailer for Fateful Findings:
Sources: Deadline, The Orpheum
– M.M.
