Bad Movies Can Teach You a Lot About Good Writing

We want to learn from the best. But sometimes, we can learn from really bad writing. In particular, badly written movies!

RiffTrax and Mystery Science Theater 3000 have been riffing and making fun of bad movies for over thirty-five years now. As a big fan of both, I have watched almost four hundred episodes and soaked up the horrible writing. (And horrible acting, special effects, etc.)

So, here is a list of things I have learned, along with examples from the RiffTrax/MST3K collection.

Every scene should have purpose

Random scenes that don’t further the story or add to character development have no place in a story. We can’t throw in an event or character that serves no purpose or slows down the flow.

Examples:
Hellcats has a dancing scene that is not only bad, it adds nothing to story. (Except for the guys singing along with their own lyrics – “I am losing my dignity!”)
Lost Continent has a rock climbing scene that goes on and on and on.
Both scenes needed to go!

Plot needs to stay on track

Subplots can be woven into the main story but be sure they doesn’t stray so far from primary plot that readers forget or get confused. Keep focused on the path leading to the ending.

Example:
Birdemic has so many plots and things going on – driving scenes after driving scenes, stock options, dating this girl, the birdemic – which doesn’t even happen until halfway into the movie. This film is all over the map.
Make sure the main plot is the focus!

Edit for inconsistencies

Do characters change names or appearances? Do people appear when they should be somewhere else? Keep a detailed list of all characters and events to keep them straight.

Example:
In Space Mutiny, a woman dies and later appears in another scene.
Again, watch for those inconsistencies.

Eliminate factual errors

Details matter. Readers are savvy and will know when you haven’t done your research. Make sure to know the history, how things work, etc.

Examples:
In Bloodwaters of Dr. Z, the scientist develops a formula that can turn a person into a catfish-like creature. Yes, a catfish. Not possible! Even stretching the imagination.
In Werewolf, all it takes is a scratch to turn one into a werewolf. Granted, werewolves are made up, but pretty sure it takes a bite.

All actions need to make sense

Make sure when a character does something, he would really do that. Would a person in that position do that? And action scenes sometimes push reality, but it still has to come together and make sense logistically.

Example:
In Plan 9 From Outer Space, one of the deputies scratches his head with the barrel of his gun.
No law enforcement is that dumb!

Characters need to grow and change

Readers are invested in the main characters and they need to evolve over the course of the story. If they don’t change, if things just happen to them, it won’t matter how good the plot.

Example:
For this one, I going outside of my two sources. World War Z – Brad Pitt’s character is exactly the same from beginning to end. The zombies don’t change him one bit.
Characters must change, for better or worse!

Dialogue needs to be good and flow well

Reading dialogue out loud is a great way to catch clunky phrases or unnecessary repetition. Would a person really say that? If it sounds odd when you say it, chances are it is awkward.

Example:
In Cave Dwellers, most of the dialogue is awkward. From every character. The lines were obviously the first thing someone spouted off.
Polish that dialogue!

Understand your reader’s expectations

Every genre comes with standards. Elements readers expect. A story also has to unfold as it was initially described, not stray off into another area or genre altogether.

Example:
Gumby the Movie – the title alone should pull up visions of what to expect. Wrong! There is a really dark element to the film. Plus Gumby and Pokey were created by an alien. From there, it only gets weirder.
Cater to your audience – don’t alienate them.

Write what we love

Are you writing what you love or in a genre that you just know will make money? When the passion isn’t there, it will show on the pages.

Example:
Atlantic Rim was a blatant ripoff of Pacific Rim. And it shows – the movie is just awful. The writers just went for a cash grab.
Write for love not money!



There you have it! And if you don’t believe me, go ahead and watch those riffed movies. I dare you.

What have you learned from watching bad movies?

What I Learned About Writing From Bad Movies

Admit it – you’ve sat through your fair share of really bad movies. You’ve moaned and groaned and wondered why on earth you were sitting through such meaningless drivel.

But all is not lost! Those awful films were a gold mine of research. Why? Because they can teach us valuable writing lessons.

Here’s a list of truly horrible movies (made less horrible by the fact I watched them via RiffTrax because I can only take so much torture) and the valuable lesson I learned from each one.

Grizzly – A grizzly terrorizes and kills campers but they don’t want to close the park. Basically, it’s Jaws on land. Lesson – make your plot original.

Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny – Santa’s reindeer abandon Santa and at the end the Ice Cream Bunny drives his truck to rescue Santa. However, Santa could’ve at any point in time simply got out of the sled on his own and walked off the beach. Lesson – fill in those plot holes.

Roller Gator – A miniature talking gator entices a roller skating girl to hide him from bad guys. Endless insults from gator, pointless scenes and chatter, and lots of meandering. Lesson – don’t make up for a lack of plot with empty padding.

Jack Frost – Death row inmate is transformed into obviously plastic snowman and goes on killing spree. Lesson – make the villain believable.

ROTOR – Futuristic robot cop goes on killing spree in science fiction thriller. In reality, very boring and the only thing more cardboard than the acting are the sets. Lesson – don’t dress up a story as one genre and then deliver something completely different.

The Little Unicorn – A girl and her unicorn avoid detection in this star-filled film. However, most of the stars are wasted and look really bored. Lesson – give your characters something interesting to do.

Birdemic – Vanity project about killer birds with one dimensional acting and no dimensional special effects. Possibly one of the worst films in the world. Lesson – just because you think it’s brilliant doesn’t mean it is–get a second (or third or fourth) opinion.

Zindy the Swamp Boy – Drama about boy living in swamp with grandfather and eventually on his own. He dies at the end. Lesson – if your story is aimed at children, make sure it won’t scar them for life.

Sharknado 2 – Category seven hurricane spawns sharknados in New York City. (Need I say more?) Lesson – readers must buy the story concept.

The Apple – A musical about a couple entering the music industry who find weirdness, drugs, and aliens. Featuring fourteen songs in ninety minutes, it’s a failed Rocky Horror Picture Show copycat. Lesson – fancy and colorful words won’t make up for a story that makes no sense and goes nowhere.

Cool as Ice – Featuring flash in the pan rap star Vanilla Ice. 1991 never looked so bad. Lesson – don’t use elements, terms, or slang that will date your work in less than five years.

Night of the Lepus – Giant, blood-thirsty killer bunnies. (Not making this up!) Lesson – threats in your story must be believable.

The Last Shark – Giant shark terrorizes coastal town. At one point, he jumps out of the water and takes down a helicopter. Lesson – make sure your thrills and scares work and don’t cause readers to roll their eyes or laugh.

And finally…

The Star Wars Holiday Special – Chewbacca’s family waits for him to come home to celebrate Life Day. Poorly acted, heavily padded, and featuring ninety minutes of mostly Wookie cries. Lesson – never rush a story (or sequel) and toss it out there just to please others.

There you have it! Next time a terrible movie crosses your screen, sit back and learn from it. If you can stomach the awfulness and can’t find it on RiffTrax, of course.

What lessons have you learned from bad movies?