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“The Showa era” is the first continuity in the Godzilla franchise, encompassing the fifteen films released from Godzilla (1954) to Terror of MechaGodzilla (1975). The term comes from Japan’s Showa period, the reign of Emperor Hirohito, which lasted from 1926 to 1989. Since every Godzilla film released between 1954 and 1975 was produced during the Showa period, they’re referred to as “the Showa-era Godzilla movies,” and we have ranked every one of them here!

Ranking these films isn’t easy because they vary in style and ambition. Some are classic cinema, others are pure popcorn entertainment, and a few are strange curiosities. So this ranking considered several factors:

• Overall entertainment value
• Story quality and pacing
• Monster action and spectacle
• Visual effects and filmmaking craftsmanship
• Historical importance to the franchise
• Rewatch value

Quick Ranking List

• 15. All Monsters Attack (1969)
• 14. Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
• 13. Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
• 12. Son of Godzilla (1967)
• 11. Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)
• 10. Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)
• 9. Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)
• 8. Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
• 7. Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla (1974)
• 6. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
• 5. Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
• 4. Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
• 3. Destroy All Monsters (1968)
• 2. King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
• 1. Godzilla (1954)

#15. ALL MONSTERS ATTACK (1969)

• Director: Ishirō Honda
• Main Monsters: Godzilla, Minya, Gabara
• Release Order: 10th of 15 Showa-era Godzilla films
• Alternate Title: Godzilla’s Revenge
• Why It’s Ranked Here: Despite being a charming introduction to Godzilla for younger viewers, the heavy reliance on stock footage and simplistic story make it one of the least essential Showa-era entries.

Coming down from the large scale monster mash highs of Destroy All Monsters, director Ishirō Honda delivered a follow-up that is very small, cheap, and odd. All Monsters Attack, which also goes by the title Godzilla’s Revenge even though there is nothing dark or vengeful about it, is a uniquely strange children’s movie, the most direct appeal to the youngsters in the audience the series ever made. The lead character is Ichirô Miki, a bullied grade schooler who daydreams of visiting the monsters of Monster Island and befriending Godzilla’s son Minya, who is his height, speaks to him in a dopey voice, and happens to have a monstrous bully with the same name as Ichirô’s bully, Gabara. Both of the kids eventually stand up for themselves, then the final moment conveys the questionable idea that it’s okay to be a little punk sometimes, just as long as you’re not a wimp.

The interactions between Minya and Ichirô and the scenes involving Gabara are basically the only new monster footage that was shot for All Monsters Attack. The 70 minute running time is padded out with moments of the kids watching from a distance as Godzilla deals with multiple threats, and these Godzilla scenes are stock footage from the series’ other island-based entries.

The fact that this movie even exists is kind of confounding, and the amount of stock footage really drags it down. That said, it is a good film for the intended audience. This would be an excellent installment to show to a kid who has an interest in watching Godzilla movies. Adults might not get so much out of it, but as long as some children out there are being entertained and learning to love Godzilla by watching it, there’s nothing wrong with that.

#14. GODZILLA VS. MEGALON (1973)

• Director: Jun Fukuda
• Main Monsters: Godzilla, Megalon, Gigan, Jet Jaguar
• Release Order: 13th of 15 Showa-era Godzilla films
• Why It’s Ranked Here: Fun monster action and the novelty of Jet Jaguar help, but the rushed production and bargain-basement presentation place it near the bottom of the ranking.

The set-up: test detonations of nuclear bombs have been wreaking havoc on the kingdom of Seatopia, which was swallowed by the sea after being struck by an earthquake millions of years ago. The Seatopians are ready to retaliate and wage war on the surface world, and to do so they steal an inventor’s flying robot so it can guide the monster Megalon, who the Seatopians worship as a god, to the cities they want to see destroyed.

The robot Jet Jaguar, a character that was created by a Japanese grade schooler who had sent in a sketch of the robot as a submission in a contest Toho Studios was holding, is the entire reason this movie was made. If it seems like Godzilla was dropped in as an afterthought, that’s because he was! Director Jun Fukuda was developing this as Jet Jaguar vs. Megalon, then it became a Godzilla sequel when producers began to worry that Jet Jaguar wasn’t cool enough to carry his own movie. (They were right.) That’s also when another monster, the returning villain Gigan, was added into the story. Another good move, because Megalon is a doofus.

Godzilla was on a bad streak when Megalon hit theatres. The last few movies hadn’t been particularly well regarded, and this haphazardly slapped together, cheap, rushed production didn’t break the bad run.

#13. GODZILLA VS. GIGAN (1972)

• Director: Jun Fukuda
• Main Monsters: Godzilla, Anguirus, Gigan, King Ghidorah
• Release Order: 12th of 15 Showa-era Godzilla films
• Why It’s Ranked Here: Gigan’s debut and some memorable battles elevate the film, but extensive stock footage and sluggish pacing prevent it from reaching the upper tier.

Worried that Yoshimitsu Banno had made a brand-tarnishing disappointment with Godzilla vs. Hedorah, franchise producer Tomoyuki Tanaka brought Ebirah, Horror of the Deep and Son of Godzilla director Jun Fukuda back into the fold to deliver a more traditional sequel with the often-used “Godzilla must defend Earth from monsters controlled by evil aliens” plot. This time, cockroach aliens from Nebula Space Hunter-M set King Ghidorah and Gigan loose on Tokyo. The two monsters cause as much destruction as possible while military forces try their best to fight them off and, of course, man-made weapons have little effect on the monsters. The only hope lies in Godzilla and Anguirus, who finally arrive to confront them in a lengthy climactic battle.

A lot of this feels very familiar, and for good reason, as the monster scenes feature a lot of stock footage. At least there’s some awesome new monster battle footage. The movie improves greatly once King Ghidorah and Gigan are set loose, but the long build-up to that happening can feel like a bit of a slog, despite the quirkiness of the characters (including a struggling comic book artist and his tough-talking, karate-skilled girlfriend).

The new monster Gigan is a cybernetically enhanced creature with hooks for hands and a buzzsaw in its torso. One cool touch during the final battle is the fact that the monsters draw blood from each other, something which doesn’t happen very often in these movies. Specifically, Gigan bloodies his opponents with the use of his metallic appendages. So the movie ends up being enjoyable in the long run, but a lot of it is rough to sit through.

#12. SON OF GODZILLA (1967)

• Director: Jun Fukuda
• Main Monsters: Godzilla, Minya, Kumonga, Kamacuras
• Release Order: 8th of 15 Showa-era Godzilla films
• Why It’s Ranked Here: A lighthearted and surprisingly charming family adventure, though its child-focused approach limits its appeal for some viewers.

Another small scale entry in the franchise from Ebirah director Jun Fukuda, with the action taking place on a sparsely populated island for the second movie in a row. As the title promises, this one introduces us to Godzilla’s son, a creature you can call Minira or Minilla (as in Mini-Gojira or Mini-Godzilla), or even Minya. The series had been getting increasingly child-friendly as it went along, and the fact that Son of Godzilla is particularly aimed at the children in the audience shows through in the redesign of the Goji suit for this entry, as the King of the Monsters has been given a very cartoony look. The kid-friendly approach is also evident in the tone, as this movie almost comes off like a sitcom episode.

The story finds Godzilla crossing the ocean to find the source of radio-disrupting brain waves: Sollgel Island, where a research team is preparing to test their weather machine by freezing the swelteringly hot island, which is inhabited by massive mantises, an evil spider, and a mysterious native girl. Also on the island is a huge egg, which is the source of those disruptive emissions. They were telepathic cries the incubating monster was sending out to his dad, Godzilla.

Son of Godzilla is very much a typical B-movie sort of monster flick, along the lines of something like Attack of the Crab Monsters, but with a dash of Gilligan’s Island. The most entertaining scenes are when Godzilla and Minya go off into the wilderness for some father/son bonding time, which involves practicing roars and atomic breath-blasting.

#11. GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (1971)

• Director: Yoshimitsu Banno
• Main Monsters: Godzilla, Hedorah
• Release Order: 11th of 15 Showa-era Godzilla films
• Alternate Title: Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster
• Why It’s Ranked Here: One of the franchise’s boldest and most distinctive films, but its experimental style remains highly divisive.

With Godzilla vs. Hedorah (a.k.a. Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster), director Yoshimitsu Banno delivered one of the most divisive entries in the Showa era of the franchise. Even the musical score for this one is divisive, with Riichirô Manabe replacing Akira Ifukube, the composer who created the most iconic music in the Godzilla series, and making some very memorable use of a slide trombone.

In figuring out the way to approach his Godzilla movie, Banno drew inspiration from the anti-nuclear statement of the original film and decided to focus on another issue the world was dealing with (and still is), pollution. He was heavily influenced by the then-modern hippie culture (he had been deeply moved by Woodstock), which is why there are hippie characters and a night club performance of the theme song “Return! The Sun” against a backdrop of psychedelic imagery. He had also noticed that manga was becoming popular with the kids in Japan, which accounts for the brief animated interludes he added into the movie.

As Godzilla takes on a monster that is the living, mutating embodiment of pollution, Banno reminds us of the death and destruction that comes along with these monster clashes. The film is unique, odd, and the darkest movie in the series since the first. Allegedly, when series producer Tomoyuki Tanaka first saw the finished film, he told Banno that he had ruined Godzilla. But if you want action, this one definitely delivers it, as the final battle goes on for almost 30 minutes! This is also the film where Godzilla uses his atomic breath to propel himself through the air and chase down his flying opponent.

#10. TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA (1975)

• Director: Ishirō Honda
• Main Monsters: Godzilla, MechaGodzilla, Titanosaurus
• Release Order: 15th of 15 Showa-era Godzilla films
• Why It’s Ranked Here: A solid and entertaining finale to the Showa era that benefits from strong monster action, even if it falls short of the series’ greatest achievements.

Following the success of Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla, Toho was eager to get another Godzilla movie into production – and rather than hire one of their in-house screenwriters for the project, they held a contest, asking their audience to send in ideas. Screenwriting student Yukiko Takayama sent in a pitch, and actually got hired to expand her ideas into a screenplay! Director Ishirō Honda returned to the helm for this one, which turned out to be the last Godzilla movie for a decade. This was the end of the Showa era, and it was also the last full feature film Honda made as the primary credited director.

The aliens from the previous film, the Simians, are still scheming to take over the planet, and this time they take control of an amphibian dinosaur called Titanosaurus so it can team up with the rebuilt MechaGodzilla and attack Japan. Of course, Godzilla isn’t just going to stand by and let that happen.

This movie isn’t the greatest, but it’s entertaining. The audience didn’t show up for it, though. Terror of MechaGodzilla was the least attended Godzilla movie of the entire series up to that point, a fact that probably has less to do with the quality of the film than it did with the economic situation in Japan at the time (they had been hit hard by the oil crisis of 1973). So Godzilla went on hiatus, with the final shot of him wading back into the sea assuring fans that he could return someday.

#9. EBIRAH, HORROR OF THE DEEP (1966)

• Director: Jun Fukuda
• Main Monsters: Godzilla, Ebirah
• Release Order: 7th of 15 Showa-era Godzilla films
• Alternate Title: Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster
• Why It’s Ranked Here: Smaller in scale than most Godzilla films, but an enjoyable island adventure that deserves more appreciation than it usually receives.

Directed by Jun Fukuda, Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (a.k.a. Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster) is widely regarded as one of the weakest entries in the series, but it’s not a bad movie, it’s just not the type of Godzilla adventure that viewers had become accustomed to. The movies had been getting bigger and bigger, and then there’s this one, which is set on a small island. Some of the oddness is due to the fact that Godzilla was a last minute replacement for King Kong. The original version of the script was written for a King Kong movie that was meant to be a co-production between Toho and the American Rankin/Bass Productions. Kong was entirely written out of this one, but the Toho-Rankin/Bass Kong project did come to fruition the following year with a completely different story. It was released under the title King Kong Escapes.

The wreck of a stolen yacht strands a group of people on Devil’s Island, which happens to be home to the militaristic terrorist organization Red Bamboo, with a giant lobster-monster called Ebirah patrolling the water. Luckily, Godzilla also happens to be taking a lengthy nap on the island – so our heroes wake him up with a bolt of lightning and set him loose on the villains.

The climax features plenty of damage and explosions, but it is on a much smaller scale than we’re used to seeing in a Godzilla movie, and this installment in the series is kind of jarring to come across when watching your way through the series. Despite the location and smaller story, the filmmakers did make a strong effort to keep the movie interesting and satisfying, throwing multiple combatants at Godzilla once he finally gets out of his cave bed. (Ebirah! Terrorists! A giant condor! Mothra cameo!)

#8. GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN (1955)

• Director: Motoyoshi Oda
• Main Monsters: Godzilla, Anguirus
• Release Order: 2nd of 15 Showa-era Godzilla films
• Why It’s Ranked Here: The first monster-versus-monster Godzilla movie remains historically important and entertaining despite not matching the emotional impact of its predecessor.

The second film in the franchise give Godzilla his first monstrous opponent. His enemy in this one is a creature left over from a prehistoric era: a spiky-shelled dinosaur-like creature called Anguirus. And while the first movie focused on the horror and the human consequences of the destruction Godzilla wreaked upon Tokyo, here director Motoyoshi Oda has the monsters do battle in an Osaka that has been emptied of civilians, making it, essentially, simply a ring for Godzilla and Anguirus to do battle within. There are no human lives at stake beyond anonymous soldiers and some escaped prisoners. This movie is all about the spectacle of watching two monsters clash. The most emotion on display during the battle sequence comes from the owner of a fishing company as he watches his business go up in flames.

The lead characters are former fighter pilots Tsukioka and Kobayashi, who now work as spotter pilots for the Kaiyo Fishing Company. We get a glimpse into their personal lives – Tsukioka is engaged to marry his boss’s daughter Hidemi, who also works at the fishing company and whom Kobayashi secretly has a crush on. But even more than on them personally, we see how the presence and destructive activities of Godzilla have an effect on the Kaiyo Fishing Company throughout the film.

The most impressive thing about Godzilla Raids Again is the fact that it was such a rushed production, it reached theatres less than six months after the premiere of the original Gojira. Oda was known as a man who could get a movie made quickly (he was pumping out up to seven movies a year for Toho), and he delivered a good Godzilla movie on an insane schedule, even if the particular brand of magic that Gojira had, its scope and its emotional effectiveness, were not recaptured.

#7. GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA (1974)

• Director: Jun Fukuda
• Main Monsters: Godzilla, MechaGodzilla, King Caesar, Anguirus
• Release Order: 14th of 15 Showa-era Godzilla films
• Why It’s Ranked Here: A welcome return to form that delivers strong action, memorable villains, and one of the franchise’s most iconic monster debuts.

Godzilla celebrates his twentieth anniversary by fighting… himself? The Mecha doppelganger introduced in this film quickly became one of Godzilla’s most popular enemies, and it first shows up as a Godzilla impostor that goes rampaging through Japan – until the real deal shows up to challenge it.

After so many lackluster installments in a row, Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla is a welcome return to form for the series and one of the best entries we got from returning director Jun Fukuda. The story is familiar, as there’s a prophecy element like we saw in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster and the bad guys controlling MechaGodzilla are another bunch of aliens (ape-like creatures in human disguise this time), but this isn’t another cheapie that’s filled with stock footage. Toho made sure this anniversary movie was done right and packed it with (surprisingly bloody) action.

That action is a great capper to a film that harkens back to the franchise’s glory days and is as spectacular as the occasion demanded. Watch out for that MechaGodzilla vs. Anguirus battle, though. That’s one a heartbreaker, made all the sadder by the fact that this is the last time Anguirus is seen in this era of the series. He wouldn’t appear in another Godzilla movie until thirty years later, by which time there had already been a couple of reboots. This is the end of this iteration of Anguirus, and I’ve always felt bad for the guy.

#6. GHIDORAH, THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER (1964)

• Director: Ishirō Honda
• Main Monsters: Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, King Ghidorah
• Release Order: 5th of 15 Showa-era Godzilla films
• Why It’s Ranked Here: The film that transformed Godzilla into a hero and introduced King Ghidorah, even if its tone occasionally swings from serious to silly.

Released just eight months after Mothra vs. Godzilla, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster expanded the scope of the franchise. Up to this point, the kaiju threats in Toho’s movies had been earthbound horrors; legendary and/or ancient creatures usually awakened by nuclear bomb detonations. This one gives us a threat from outer space… and Godzilla evolves from villain to hero to handle it!

We had seen several clashes between giant monsters before, but this film presents for the first time the idea of giant monsters teaming up with each other to face a stronger opponent. The only hope Earth has at defeating the world-destroying King Ghidorah is if Godzilla, Rodan (a monster that was introduced in its own solo film – directed by Ishirō Honda, of course – in 1956), and Mothra join forces against it. It’s Mothra who convinces Godzilla and Rodan to come to the world’s aid.

For most of its running time, the movie has a dark and serious tone. The storyline is intriguing and convoluted, involving alien mind-control and a “prophetess from Venus,” and it adds a strange new level of science fiction and the supernatural to the series. Once the monster team-up comes together, it starts appealing directly to the children in the audience and moments get exceptionally silly. King Ghidorah is going to destroy our planet, he should be the thing of nightmares, but instead he’s making Godzilla hop around because he has zapped him in the butt. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster is a bit scattered, but still an entertaining film.

#5. INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER (1965)

• Director: Ishirō Honda
• Main Monsters: Godzilla, Rodan, King Ghidorah
• Release Order: 6th of 15 Showa-era Godzilla films
• Alternate Title: Godzilla vs. Monster Zero
• Why It’s Ranked Here: A fast-paced and highly entertaining science fiction adventure that perfects many of the ideas introduced in its predecessor.

With Ishirō Honda back at the helm and American producer Henry G. Saperstein pulling some strings behind the scenes, the movie launches right into the story and introduces lead characters up front so as not to test the patience of the American audience. In the not-to-distant future, the World Space Agency sends astronauts (including American Nick Adams) to investigate Planet X, a dark planet that has recently been discovered to be orbiting Jupiter. They find that the planet is technologically, architecturally, and mentally advanced (their spaceships run on brain waves), but it’s being ravaged by King Ghidorah – and the shady, emotionless residents want Godzilla and Rodan to be transported to their planet for a rematch with the three-headed monster.

Of course, this is all building up to the people of Planet X threatening to launch a full-scale invasion of Earth. Good thing we have some giant monsters on our side, and they’re now presented in a way to make them heroes to the youngsters in the audience. Invasion of Astro-Monster (a.k.a. Godzilla vs. Monster Zero) is the entry that’s best remembered for the moment where Godzilla does a silly little victory dance after he and Rodan force Ghidorah to retreat from one of their battles. Honda objected to that moment of goofiness, but was overruled.

The suggestions Saperstein made helped the film in its pacing and international appeal, and the result is a highly entertaining sci-fi adventure. It’s very much in the same vein as its predecessor Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, but even better.

#4. MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA (1964)

• Director: Ishirō Honda
• Main Monsters: Godzilla, Mothra
• Release Order: 4th of 15 Showa-era Godzilla films
• Why It’s Ranked Here: One of the strongest combinations of monster action, social commentary, and spectacle in the entire series.

In 1961’s Mothra, director Ishirō Honda took audiences to Infant Island, home to small fairies that communicate through song and a giant creature called Mothra. Three years later, Honda and Toho decided to have Godzilla and Mothra share the screen in a story of a clash not just between two giant creatures, but also between nature and human greed. Unscrupulous businessmen stick a Mothra egg in an amusement park called the Shizunoura Happy Center and try to force the twin fairies, the Shobijin of Infant Island, into a stage show.

Since Mothra is meant to be a beautiful, benevolent, kaiju goddess in her fully-grown form, the still-villainous Godzilla was given a more evil appearance in this film, complete with sharp, pointed claws that drive home the fact that he’s the bad monster in this situation). The opening stretch before Godzilla shows up can be a bit tiresome with the repetitious “give up the egg”/”you can’t have the egg” scenes, but once the big G enters the picture, the film becomes a nonstop action thrill ride.

The scenes with the military attempting to fight off Godzilla were the best yet, and though you may think a giant moth would be outmatched going against Goji, Mothra proves to be quite capable against him. Then Godzilla himself proves to be outmatched when faced with Mothra’s twin larvae, which is kind of a letdown, but it works well enough. Mothra vs. Godzilla is a whole lot of fun and earns a spot high in the ranking of the series.

#3. DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (1968)

• Director: Ishirō Honda
• Main Monsters: Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Rodan, Anguirus, Mothra, and more
• Release Order: 9th of 15 Showa-era Godzilla films
• Why It’s Ranked Here: A massive monster mash that successfully delivers on the promise of an all-star Godzilla event movie.

Toho had gone smaller with Ebirah, Horror of the Deep and Son of Godzilla, and while those entries had been cheaper to make, they had also seen a dip in audience attendance. It was possible that the series could be coming to an end – but if Godzilla was going to go out, Toho was going to make sure he went out in a big way. After a two film absence, director Ishirō Honda was brought back to take the helm and help craft the story for an epic monster mash that’s set in the future (1999!) and features a record number of creatures from the Toho stable. The line-up includes: Godzilla, Rodan, Anguirus, Mothra in larval stage, Gorosaurus (from King Kong Escapes), Minira/Minilla/Minya (who is no larger than he was in Son of Godzilla, despite this presumably being thirty years later), Kumonga/Spiga, Baragon (from Frankenstein Conquers the World), Manda (from Atragon), Varan the Unbelievable, and King Ghidorah. Ebirah and Maguma, a giant walrus creature from the 1962 sci-fi feature Gorath, were written into early drafts of the script, but they ultimately didn’t make the cut.

For twenty years, all of Earth’s monsters have been living in peace on an island called Monsterland. That peace comes to an end when aliens from the planet Kilaak set the monsters loose and send them to wreak havoc in cities around the globe. The story is perfectly simplistic, resulting in a spectacular sci-fi adventure that’s filled with action. There are monsters galore, scenes set all over the world, an incredible sequence in Tokyo, travel back and forth between the Earth and the moon, and interplanetary threats.

Destroy All Monsters is a welcome return to the large scale type of Godzilla film after its two low-key predecessors. It could have been a grand finale – but thankfully, this film’s success just paved the way for more sequels.

#2. KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (1962)

• Director: Ishirō Honda
• Main Monsters: King Kong, Godzilla
• Release Order: 3rd of 15 Showa-era Godzilla films
• Why It’s Ranked Here: One of the most purely entertaining films in the franchise, balancing monster spectacle, satire, and crowd-pleasing fun.

Original Gojira director Ishirō Honda came back for the third entry in the franchise, a movie that started life as a King Kong vs. Frankenstein idea. This time, Honda set aside the horror he brought to the first film and delivered something that is a blast to watch every step of the way. Godzilla dukes it out with his famous fellow monster King Kong, who first reached the screen 21 years before Godzilla did, in a goofball crossover that’s presented in full color.

King Kong is the focus of the main plot, while Godzilla lurks around in a subplot before the two finally come together in the last third of the film… and this monster clash is as silly as it can be when it gets the chance. The filmmakers were very self-aware about the appeal of these monster fights; the characters share the interest in seeing the outcome that the audience has. Characters wonder which of the two is stronger, the title “King Kong versus Godzilla” is spoken aloud, and bets are made on which monster will be the victor. Kong and Godzilla cause a lot of destruction in Japan, but the consequences are not dwelt upon. It’s just spectacle, destruction as eye candy.

There is a bit of social commentary in the mix, as King Kong vs. Godzilla satirizes television and marketing between the monster moments, but the focus is making every moment as fun as possible. This was made to mark Toho’s 30th anniversary, and it truly does feel like a celebration. The result is a highly entertaining film, and one of the most purely fun entries in the entire Godzilla franchise.

#1. GODZILLA (1954)

• Director: Ishirō Honda
• Main Monsters: Godzilla
• Release Order: 1st of 15 Showa-era Godzilla films
• Original Japanese Title: Gojira
• Why It’s Ranked Here: A landmark monster movie whose anti-nuclear themes, emotional power, and technical achievements remain unmatched in the franchise.

More than seventy years after its release, the original Gojira (not the American edit, Godzilla, King of the Monsters, although that’s entertaining as well) is still effectively disturbing and horrific. Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka had the initial idea for the iconic character that would become known as Gojira / Godzilla. Gazing out the window at the ocean below while on a flight from Indonesia back to Japan in 1954, Tanaka began to wonder what sort of secrets – what sort of creatures – the sea could hold. What could be lurking beneath the surface? The filmmakers took a concept that could’ve just been the makings of an average B-level creature feature and made a truly a great film, one of the all-time best monster movies. Sure, it’s about a creature rising from the sea and wreaking havoc, but there’s a weight to it because the story – crafted by Takeo Murata and Shigeru Kayama, then expertly brought to the screen by director Ishirō Honda – tied in to the horrors the Japanese people had just recently endured because of nuclear weapons.

Godzilla is a prehistoric creature that has been awakened and irradiated by nuclear bomb test detonations, and when he reduces Tokyo to a sea of flames, you can’t help but think of what had just happened in Japan a decade earlier. This is not merely destruction spectacle eye candy. This is pure horror. Everything that makes Godzilla the memorable classic that it is are on display during the Tokyo destruction sequence: the back-breaking work the performers in the Godzilla suit put into making the monster move across the screen; the special effects work of Eiji Tsuburaya in the mixture of suitmation and puppetry as Godzilla smashes into the 1/25 scale miniature replica of Tokyo, which was built with meticulous detail; composer Akira Ifukube’s score, which moves the action forward and amplifies the intensity, and, of course, Honda’s direction. For the human element at the heart of it all, surrounded by death and destruction, we get the story of a love triangle and a tragic hero.

To varying degrees of success, Gojira has been sequelized, rebooted, spun off from, adapted for animated television, etc. many times over during the decades since. While some great things have followed it, the original film still stands tall among the pack.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Best Showa-Era Godzilla Movie?

Godzilla (1954) remains the best Showa-era entry. Its combination of horror, social commentary, groundbreaking special effects, and emotional storytelling has never been surpassed.

What Is the Worst Showa-Era Godzilla Movie?

All Monsters Attack (1969) ranks last due to its extensive use of stock footage and limited scope, although it remains an effective children’s film.

What Is the Most Underrated Showa-Era Godzilla Movie?

Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966) is the most underrated. While often dismissed as a minor entry, it offers a fun island-adventure atmosphere unlike any other Godzilla film.

How Many Showa-Era Godzilla Movies Are There?

There are fifteen Godzilla films in the Showa era, released between 1954 and 1975.

Which Showa Godzilla Movies Are Essential Viewing?

If you’re new to the franchise, start with:

• Godzilla (1954)
• King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
• Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
• Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
• Destroy All Monsters (1968)

What Are the Showa-Era Godzilla Movies in Release Order?

The Showa era consists of fifteen Godzilla films released between 1954 and 1975. In order of release, they are:

1. Godzilla (1954)
2. Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
3. King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
4. Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
5. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
6. Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) (also known as Godzilla vs. Monster Zero)
7. Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966) (also known as Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster)
8. Son of Godzilla (1967)
9. Destroy All Monsters (1968)
10. All Monsters Attack (1969) (also known as Godzilla’s Revenge)
11. Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) (also known as Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster)
12. Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
13. Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
14. Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla (1974)
15. Terror of MechaGodzilla (1975)

Although several other Toho productions from the same period feature Godzilla or take place in the broader kaiju universe, including the television series Zone Fighter (1973), the fifteen films above are generally recognized as the complete Showa-era Godzilla film series. For viewers who want to experience Godzilla’s evolution from terrifying nuclear allegory to globe-trotting monster hero, watching these films in release order provides the clearest picture of how the franchise developed over its first two decades.

Which Showa Godzilla Movie Has the Best Monster Fights?

Destroy All Monsters and Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla contain some of the era’s strongest monster battles, but Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster deserves special recognition for introducing the concept of multiple monsters teaming up against a common enemy.

Which Showa Godzilla Movie Introduced King Ghidorah?

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) introduced King Ghidorah, who would go on to become Godzilla’s greatest recurring rival.

Which Showa Godzilla Movie Introduced MechaGodzilla?

Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla (1974) introduced MechaGodzilla, the robotic duplicate that quickly became one of the franchise’s most popular villains.

What Was the Final Showa-Era Godzilla Movie?

Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) was the final film of the Showa era before the series went on a nine-year hiatus and returned with The Return of Godzilla (1984).

Is Zone Fighter Part of the Showa-Era Godzilla Series?

Yes and no. Zone Fighter was a live-action television series produced by Toho and broadcast in 1973, during the Showa era of the Godzilla franchise. Although it is not one of the fifteen Showa-era Godzilla films, it shares continuity with the movies and features appearances by Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Gigan, and other Toho monsters. Godzilla even teams up with the hero Zone Fighter in several episodes. Because it was a television series rather than a theatrical feature film, Zone Fighter is generally considered a companion piece to the Showa era rather than an official entry in the film series itself.

Final Thoughts

The Showa era contains everything from serious nuclear allegory to outrageous alien invasion adventures and all-star monster brawls. Not every installment is a classic, but together they established the mythology, characters, and tone that turned Godzilla into one of the most iconic creatures in cinema history. More than seventy years later, the original films continue to influence every era of the franchise that followed.

The post All 15 Showa Era Godzilla Movies Ranked Worst to Best appeared first on JoBlo.

Before becoming one of the most influential filmmakers in history, Steven Spielberg directed episodes of Night Gallery, Columbo, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Psychiatrist, The Name of the Game, and several television movies including Duel, Something Evil, and Savage. These early television projects helped Spielberg develop the suspense, visual storytelling, emotional depth, and filmmaking techniques that later defined classics like Jaws, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, and Schindler’s List.

• Spielberg’s first major directing assignment was the Night Gallery segment “Eyes” starring Joan Crawford.
• Columbo: Murder by the Book is widely considered his television breakthrough.
• Duel remains one of the greatest TV movies ever made.
• Many Spielberg trademarks first appeared during his television years, including ordinary people confronting extraordinary situations.
• His television work served as a training ground before his theatrical breakthrough with The Sugarland Express and Jaws.

This ranking considers historical significance, influence on Spielberg’s later films, critical reputation, technical achievement, and overall importance to his development as a filmmaker.

11. Marcus Welby, M.D. — “The Daredevil Gesture” (1970)

Release Year: 1970
Series: Marcus Welby, M.D.
Genre: Medical Drama
Why It Matters: Helped Spielberg develop emotional storytelling and character-driven drama.

After Night Gallery, and taking an entire year off just to write, Spielberg moved into more traditional television with Marcus Welby, M.D., directing the episode “The Daredevil Gesture.” This is not the kind of credit people bring up when they talk about Spielberg. Nobody says, “Ah yes, the true beginning of Jurassic Park is Marcus Welby.” But these assignments mattered. They taught him discipline. They taught him speed. They taught him how to deal with actors, emotion, structure, and dramatic storytelling.

Spielberg would later become known for spectacle, but spectacle only works if the people inside it matter.

The episode deals with teenagers and how our protagonist deals with bullying and an unstable home life, both of which Spielberg could relate to. A medical drama forces a director to deal with suffering and healing. Young Spielberg needed that. He needed to learn that cinema is not just movement. It is empathy.

10. Night Gallery — “Make Me Laugh” (1971)

Release Year: 1971
Series: Night Gallery
Genre: Horror / Fantasy
Why It Matters: An early showcase for Spielberg’s growing confidence as a visual storyteller.

Spielberg returned to Night Gallery for “Make Me Laugh,” another Rod Serling story. This one is about a failing comedian who desperately wants the power to make people laugh.

Again, the theme feels strangely Spielbergian. A performer wants to connect with an audience. He wants magic. Spielberg uses the episode to experiment. That experimental hunger becomes one of the defining features of Spielberg’s career. He never stops treating filmmaking like a problem to solve.

“Make Me Laugh” shows Spielberg playing with rhythm and tension. That is what makes these episodes beautiful. They’re not masterpieces, they’re practice swings.

9. Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law — “Eulogy for a Wide Receiver” (1971)

Release Year: 1971
Series: Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
Genre: Legal Drama
Why It Matters: Spielberg gained increased creative control and experience with institutional drama.

By this time Spielberg had a little more power and weight to throw around at the studio. He initially turned down the job due to not liking the script. But the studio wanted the hot young talent, so they allowed a rewrite and gave him more creative control.

This is another legal-drama assignment that could easily disappear into the fog of forgotten television. But in the larger Spielberg story, it matters because it places him inside institutions: law, authority, public judgment, and moral conflict.

Like many classic television episodes, it has become difficult to find today.

8. The Psychiatrist — “The Private World of Martin Dalton” (1971)

Release Year: 1971
Series: The Psychiatrist
Genre: Psychological Drama
Why It Matters: Introduced themes involving lonely and misunderstood children.

This episode matters because it brushes against one of Spielberg’s deepest lifelong subjects: The lonely child.

A troubled young boy retreats into fantasy, and suddenly you can feel the early shape of a theme that would follow Spielberg for decades. Spielberg understands childhood not as cuteness but as intensity. Childhood in his films is enormous. Children are frightened, ignored, misunderstood, or left alone with impossible feelings. But they also carry wonder. They carry belief. They carry the ability to see what adults have forgotten how to see.

7. Savage (1973)

Release Year: 1973
Format: Television Movie
Genre: Political Thriller
Why It Matters: Allowed Spielberg to explore media, politics, and institutional power.

Spielberg’s final television movie before his theatrical feature debut with The Sugarland Express was Savage, starring Martin Landau as a television journalist investigating a political scandal.

This is one of the least remembered projects in Spielberg’s career. Even Spielberg reportedly wasn’t fond of it. But it still matters. It shows him creating tension without fantasy, monsters, aliens, or supernatural threats. The themes of journalism, power, scandal, and truth would later appear in films such as The Post.

6. Something Evil (1972)

Release Year: 1972
Format: Television Movie
Genre: Horror
Why It Matters: Feels like an early blueprint for ideas later explored in Poltergeist.

After Duel, Spielberg directed Something Evil, a television horror movie about a family moving into a Pennsylvania farmhouse occupied by a demonic force. This one is often forgotten, but it is fascinating.

A family moves into a haunted house. That is Poltergeist energy before Poltergeist. The film is not as strong as Duel, but you can see Spielberg’s eye developing. He is interested in atmosphere. He is interested in children in peril. He is interested in unseen forces hiding inside ordinary American life.

5. The Name of the Game — “L.A. 2017” (1971)

Release Year: 1971
Series: The Name of the Game
Genre: Science Fiction
Why It Matters: Spielberg’s first major science-fiction world-building exercise.

Here’s one of the strangest early Spielberg credits: “L.A. 2017.”

This one is wild. It presents a futuristic nightmare where environmental collapse forces people underground. It is darker, colder, and stranger than many people associate with Spielberg. Yet that darkness would remain throughout his career.

You can see traces of Minority Report, A.I., and other future projects beginning to emerge here.

4. Night Gallery — “Eyes” (1969)

Release Year: 1969
Series: Night Gallery
Genre: Horror
Why It Matters: Spielberg’s first major professional directing assignment.

Imagine being in your early twenties and suddenly your job is to direct Joan Crawford. Not some random actress. Joan freakin’ Crawford. Classic Hollywood royalty.

The legendary actress was hesitant to work with such an inexperienced director. Somehow Spielberg won her over. Crawford would later insist the crew treat him with respect and reportedly predicted he would become one of the biggest directors in the world.

“Eyes” tells the story of a wealthy blind woman who undergoes an operation that allows her to see briefly before a citywide blackout. Even here, Spielberg is already experimenting with camera movement, light, shadow, and emotional point of view. He is trying to make television feel bigger than television.

3. The Psychiatrist — “Par for the Course” (1971)

Release Year: 1971
Series: The Psychiatrist
Genre: Drama
Why It Matters: Spielberg later called it his best television work.

This episode deals with a golf champion confronting cancer and mortality. Look closely and you can see another Spielberg theme emerging: Ordinary people facing forces larger than themselves.

Before he made audiences afraid of sharks, dinosaurs, and extraterrestrials, he was learning how to photograph fear in a hospital room and in a human face. The power of the close-up goes a long way here.

Spielberg later referred to this as his best television work. Many who have seen it in recent years continue to praise it as one of the hidden gems of his early career.

2. Columbo — “Murder by the Book” (1971)

Release Year: 1971
Series: Columbo
Genre: Mystery
Why It Matters: Spielberg’s television breakthrough.

Here’s one of the big ones: Spielberg directed the first regular episode of Columbo.

Suddenly, the young director starts looking like a major filmmaker. The episode is stylish, confident, clever, and beautifully controlled.

What makes it fascinating is that Spielberg does not direct it like anonymous television. He gives it shape, atmosphere, and visual intelligence. You can feel him thinking in images.

Peter Falk reportedly needed convincing before agreeing to work with the young director, but after seeing Spielberg’s earlier work he became a believer. The result remains one of the most celebrated episodes in the history of Columbo.

1. Duel (1971)

Release Year: 1971
Format: Television Movie
Genre: Thriller
Why It Matters: The project that launched Spielberg’s career and paved the road to Jaws.

This is where everything changes. Duel is one of the greatest television movies ever made.

A man driving through the California desert is terrorized by a massive truck. That is the premise. A man, a car, a truck, a road, and fear. But Spielberg transforms that simplicity into pure cinema.

The truck becomes a monster. Not the driver; the truck itself.

It is impossible not to see the connection between Duel and Jaws. Both feature ordinary protagonists facing relentless predators. Both rely on suspense, anticipation, and the fear of what may be coming next.

Duel was such a success that it eventually received an international theatrical release. The student had become a filmmaker, and Hollywood noticed.

Steven Spielberg’s Television Career Timeline

• 1969 — Night Gallery: “Eyes”
• 1970 — Marcus Welby, M.D.: “The Daredevil Gesture”
• 1971 — Night Gallery: “Make Me Laugh”
• 1971 — The Name of the Game: “L.A. 2017”
• 1971 — The Psychiatrist: “The Private World of Martin Dalton”
• 1971 — The Psychiatrist: “Par for the Course”
• 1971 — Columbo: “Murder by the Book”
• 1971 — Duel
• 1971 — Owen Marshall: “Eulogy for a Wide Receiver”
• 1972 — Something Evil
• 1973 — Savage
• 1974 — The Sugarland Express
• 1975 — Jaws

What Television Gave Spielberg

The beautiful thing about Spielberg’s television career is that it reminds us television is not a lesser art form. It’s where artists learn to move fast. It is where they learn discipline, and where they learn to survive.

Horror. Mystery. Science fiction. Medicine. Law. Politics. Childhood. Monsters. Suspense. It was all there. Watching early Spielberg is like watching lightning learn where to strike. Before Steven Spielberg became the filmmaker who changed Hollywood, television gave him a place to practice. Assignment by assignment, problem by problem, episode by episode.

Then came The Sugarland Express. Then came Jaws. Then came the rest of film history.

FAQ

What was Steven Spielberg’s first directing job?

Spielberg’s first major professional directing assignment was the Night Gallery segment “Eyes” in 1969.

What was Steven Spielberg’s best television movie?

Most critics and historians consider Duel (1971) to be Spielberg’s greatest television production.

Did Steven Spielberg direct Columbo?

Yes. Spielberg directed the acclaimed episode “Murder by the Book,” one of the most celebrated episodes in the series.

Which Spielberg TV project most influenced Jaws?

Duel is often considered a direct precursor to Jaws because both stories feature an ordinary man hunted by an almost mythical predator.

What was Spielberg’s final television movie before becoming a theatrical filmmaker?

Savage (1973) was Spielberg’s last television movie before his theatrical breakthrough with The Sugarland Express.

How many television episodes did Steven Spielberg direct before Jaws?

Before directing Jaws in 1975, Spielberg directed multiple television episodes across several series, along with television movies including Duel, Something Evil, and Savage.

Final Thoughts

Steven Spielberg’s television career may be overshadowed by the success of Jaws, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Jurassic Park, but these early television projects reveal the foundations of his filmmaking style. From the suspense of Duel to the visual experimentation of Night Gallery and the storytelling precision of Columbo, Spielberg’s television work remains essential viewing for anyone interested in the evolution of one of cinema’s greatest directors.

The post Steven Spielberg’s Early TV Career: Every Show and TV Movie Before Jaws Ranked appeared first on JoBlo.

Director George Miller decided to continue the Mad Max franchise with the Mad Max: Fury Road prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, but while the movie got good reviews (like the 9/10 review from JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray), the worldwide box office numbers just barely passed the $168 million budget. The Furiosa story was clearly not something a lot of movie-goers were exceptionally eager to see on the big screen. But what about another Max movie? In 2015, Miller announced that he had already written a screenplay and a novella of further stories, and Max himself would return in a film called Mad Max: The Wasteland. Now, Matthew Belloni of Puck reports that Miller is trying to make Mad Max: The Wasteland happen.

What do we know about Mad Max: The Wasteland?

We now know that when Miller said he had a screenplay and a novella written, Furiosa was the screenplay. In fact, the Furiosa script was “virtually complete” before Fury Road even started filming. Within the novella is the foundation for Mad Max: The Wasteland – and as recently as 2022, Miller described the story as “still not fully evolved”.

As for what exactly the Wasteland novella deals with, Miller told AV Club, “We also wrote, not a screenplay, but almost in novel form, Nico Lathouris and I, what happened to Max in that year before (the events of Mad Max: Fury Road), and that’s something that we’ll look at further down the track later.” Since the story is set “before”, Miller has confirmed that the Furiosa character is not involved.

It’s worth noting that Miller and Lathouris did craft another Mad story that was published as a two-part tie-in comic book when Fury Road was released. That story showed Max competing in a Thunderdome gladiator battle at Gastown to win a V8 engine for his car, then being asked by a mother to venture into the ruins of a city to save her young daughter from a group of cannibals called the Buzzards. It would need to be expanded, but that story could have served as the basis for a cool movie – and it would be interesting to see if anything from it makes its way into Mad Max: The Wasteland.

The long delay between films does bring up the question, if Mad Max: The Wasteland does ever go into production, will Tom Hardy still be playing Max, or would he be replaced?

Could the movie finally happen?

First off, some bad news: the studio that the Mad Max franchise has long called home, Warner Bros., has reportedly already passed on the chance to stay in the Max business with Miller… which makes some sense, after the financial disappointment of Furiosa.

So, Puck reports that Miller was just in Hollywood to meet with other studios about a new Mad Max movie. Amazon, Universal, and Sony Pictures are said to be showing interest.

According to Belloni’s source, “Miller is saying he would like to make one last Mad Max pic, then a TV series, then sell the whole property to the highest bidder.“

Are you glad to hear that Miller is trying to push Mad Max: The Wasteland (and a TV series) forward? Would you like to see the franchise move to Amazon, Universal, or Sony? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Last year, it was officially announced that IllFonic, the makers of horror-centric video games like Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game, and Predator: Hunting Grounds, are teaming with Gun Media, the studio behind The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th: The Game, Layers of Fear 2, and Breach & Clear, for a new video game based on the Halloween franchise. The game launches on September 8, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, via Steam and Epic Games Store – and it has now been confirmed that Laurie Strode and other characters from the original film will be playable characters!

What will the Halloween video game be like?

Halloween will offer a single-player mode, offline bot combat, and online asymmetrical PVP gameplay. It will also include multiple maps and “authentic locations” from the classic film. The teaser embedded above takes us to Haddonfield, Illinois, on Halloween night. As the residents of the sleepy town prepare for an evening of tricks and treats, we find a woman running for her life from door to door, hoping to get someone, anyone, to help her escape the masked killer following close behind. As she scambles to gain the upper hand, we hear the wise warnings of Dr. Samuel Loomis (thanks to a solid Donald Pleasence impersonator), warning us about the black-hearted Boogeyman who comes to Haddonfield. 

John Carpenter is on board as an executive producer. The motion-capture performance for Michael Myers has been provided by Nick Castle, who played Myers in the original film, and stuntman TJ Storm, whose mo-cap credits include Deadpool (as Colossus), Captain America: Civil War (as Iron Man), The Predator (as the Predator), and Godzilla and Godzilla: King of the Monsters, where he played Godzilla. Castle, who was absent from the Halloween franchise for decades before being brought back for cameos in the recent Blumhouse-produced trilogy of sequels, told the official website that being asked to do the mo-cap performance for Myers in the game made him “go watch the movie again to see just what the hell I did that contributes to the success of the character.”

In the recent Friday the 13th video game, counselors could radio for help from Tommy Jarvis, a character from the fourth, fifth, and sixth films – and, in the game, the only character capable of killing masked slasher Jason Voorhees. No one could choose to play as Tommy from the start; a player whose counselor character was killed by Jason early on during the match would be brought back into the game as Tommy. Sounds like that’s the same way Michael Myers’ iconic nemesis Doctor Loomis will be brought into matches of the Halloween video game.

Characters from the original film will be playable

The game’s developers have announced that Halloween heroine Laurie Strode will be a playable character, along with her friends from the movie (all of whom fell victim to Michael Myers), Annie Brackett, Lynda van der Klok, and Bob Simms. The developers say the characters have been “reimagined” for the game. They join six other Civilian characters who have been created for the game; Jennifer, Tanya, Rachel, Eric, Marcus, and Thomas.

Art Director Cole Gray said, “We aren’t just adapting a widely adored movie; we’re building an entire world around it. To do justice to this classic, everything and everyone within it had to feel like they belonged together. Reimagining these characters from the ground up allowed us to seamlessly weave them into a fresh, cohesive landscape that respects the era while presenting new ideas and honoring the film’s roots.“

Chelsea Krause provides the voice of Laurie Strode, with Kaitlyn Robrock as Annie Brackett, Angela Carbone as Lynda van der Klock, and Nicholas Leung as Bob Simms.

Are you looking forward to playing the Halloween video game, and are you glad to hear that Laurie Strode and other Halloween 1978 characters are in the mix? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Nine years ago, Ben Young really impressed me with his feature directorial debut, the serial killer thriller Hounds of Love. (You can read my 9/10 review HERE.) Since then, Young has directed the sci-fi thriller Extinction, the coming-of-age adventure Devil’s Peak, and episodes of multiple TV shows. Now, Deadline reports that Young is set to take the helm of the Stephen King adaptation Mister Yummy.

What is Mister Yummy about?

Described as “a haunting tale,” the story follows Ollie Franklin, a charismatic resident of an assisted living facility who begins experiencing disturbing visions after the death of a fellow resident. As the line between memory, regret, and the supernatural begins to blur, Ollie is forced to confront long-buried secrets from his past before time finally catches up with him. Troy Abruzzise has written the screenplay with Young. King’s short story Mister Yummy was featured in the author’s 2015 story collection The Bazaar of Bad Dreams.

Wikipedia provides more information on the short story: Mister Yummy details the last days in the life of Ollie Franklin, in particular his relationship with another elderly gentleman at the Lakeview Assisted Living Center named Dave Calhoun. Ollie recalls his experiences growing up as a gay man in America, losing friends to the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, as well as his one-time encounter at a dance club in New York with a young good-looking fellow who he and his clique of friends called “Mister Yummy.” Although he never saw him again in person, he has recently been seeing him again as a sort of avatar heralding his impending death, getting closer every time, and reasons that all people see different avatars when getting close to death’s door.

The film is being produced by Aimee Schoof, Isen Robbins, and Megan Freels Johnston of Intrinsic Value Films, along with Josh Kesselman and Thomas Mahoney of Handsome Watson.

I always think that it’s worth mentioning that Megan Freels Johnston is the granddaughter of one of my favorite authors, Elmore Leonard. (Stephen King also ranks highly on that “favorite author” list.) Johnston directed the 2014 horror film Rebound and the 2017 horror film The Ice Cream Truck. You can read my review of The Ice Cream Truck at THIS LINK.

What has been said about Mister Yummy?

Young provided the following statement: “Stephen King was one of the first authors I ever read religiously, so getting to work on something that came from his imagination is a genuine honour. What I love about Mister Yummy is that the horror is inseparable from the humanity. It’s creepy, moving, character-driven, and exactly the kind of movie I’d line up to see. It’s also the first feature I’ll direct that I’ve also written on since Hounds of Love, so helping shape the script into the kind of Stephen King film I’d want to experience myself has been a real joy.“

Are you glad to hear that Hounds of Love director Ben Young is bringing Stephen King’s Mister Yummy to the screen? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Alex

While Tommy Wiseau’s notoriously awful The Room is often called the worst movie ever made, many critics and cult-film fans argue that films like Troll 2, Manos: The Hands of Fate, and Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever are even more poorly made and just as hilariously bad. This ranking examines ten movies that rival or surpass The Room in terms of technical incompetence, bizarre creative decisions, and unintentional comedy.

Movies were evaluated based on filmmaking quality, entertainment value, cultural impact, cult status, technical competence, and overall reputation among bad-movie fans.

Rank	Movie	Year	Primary Reason It’s Considered Worse Than The Room	Cult Status
10	Gross Out	1989	Extremely low-budget and largely forgotten	Obscure
9	Freddy Got Fingered	2001	Intentionally abrasive humor that alienates many viewers	Polarizing Cult Classic
8	Plan 9 from Outer Space	1959	Legendary technical mistakes and amateur effects	Major Cult Classic
7	Manos: The Hands of Fate	1966	Severe filmmaking and pacing problems	Major Cult Classic
6	Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever	2002	Big-budget action movie that many find boring rather than entertaining	Bad-Movie Curiosity
5	Titanic: The Legend Goes On	2000	Poor animation and bizarre creative choices	Internet Cult Favorite
4	The Underground Comedy Movie	1999	Sketches that frequently fail to land as comedy	Limited Cult Following
3	United Passions	2014	Infamous real-world irony and FIFA propaganda	Infamy-Based Cult Status
2	Mac and Me	1988	Shameless product placement and E.T. imitation	Major Cult Classic
1	Troll 2	1990	Unintentionally hilarious dialogue and incoherent storytelling	Major Cult Classic

TROLL 2

Field	Value
Release Year	1990
Director	Claudio Fragasso
Genre	Horror, Fantasy, Comedy
Notorious For	Awkward acting, bizarre dialogue, no actual trolls
Cult Status	One of the most famous bad movies ever made
Why People Watch It	Unintentional comedy and audience participation screenings
Most Infamous Moment	“They’re eating her! Then they’re going to eat me!”
Why It’s Worse Than The Room	Its plot is even less coherent, its performances are more uneven, and its technical shortcomings are more severe.
Summary	Troll 2 is widely considered one of the worst movies ever made due to its nonsensical story, poor acting, and accidental humor.

What I would give to see a Disaster Artist style behind the scenes film about the making of Troll 2. This movie, completely tonally and stylistically different from the first Troll, is the epitome of crap cinema. Unintentionally funny and completely terrible, Troll 2 is the stuff nightmares are made of and not because it is scary. This is a movie you have to experience to appreciate why it is worthy of Rocky Horror levels of fandom.

MAC AND ME

Field	Value
Release Year	1988
Director	Stewart Raffill
Genre	Family, Science Fiction
Notorious For	Heavy product placement and similarities to E.T.
Cult Status	Meme favorite thanks to recurring TV jokes
Why People Watch It	To laugh at the effects and blatant marketing
Most Infamous Moment	The wheelchair cliff scene
Why It’s Worse Than The Room	It lacks Wiseau’s unique personality and often feels like feature-length advertising.
Summary	Mac and Me became infamous for excessive product placement, weak effects, and its reputation as an E.T. knockoff.

There was a long-running gag on Conan O’Brien’s talk show where guest Paul Rudd would say he was going to share a clip from his latest movie and it would be a scene from Mac and Me. The blatant E.T. rip-off has become a cult classic since it was initially released due to the pervasive McDonald’s branding through the movie as well as the poor special effects. The movie does not hold up well but it certainly has turned into quite the meme.

UNITED PASSIONS

Field	Value
Release Year	2014
Director	Frédéric Auburtin
Genre	Sports Drama, Historical Drama
Notorious For	FIFA-funded self-promotion
Cult Status	Political curiosity rather than traditional cult classic
Why People Watch It	To witness one of cinema’s most misguided sports dramas
Most Infamous Moment	Its portrayal of FIFA executives as heroic visionaries
Why It’s Worse Than The Room	The film’s real-world context makes its self-congratulatory tone unintentionally hilarious.
Summary	United Passions is notorious for glorifying FIFA leadership shortly before major corruption scandals became public.

Somehow, FIFA managed to produce a film about their own history and got actors like Gerard Depardieu, Sam Neill, and Tim Roth to appear in it. Roth plays former FIFA head Sep Blatter who appears like a hero cleaning up the soccer organization when in reality he was being taken down for all sorts of criminal enterprises just as the film was hitting theatres. Roth has since disowned the film, which was already painful to watch but now becomes quite hilarious.

THE UNDERGROUND COMEDY MOVIE

Field	Value
Release Year	1999
Director	Vince Offer
Genre	Sketch Comedy
Notorious For	Crude humor and disconnected skits
Cult Status	Limited cult following
Why People Watch It	Curiosity about one of the lowest-rated comedy films
Most Infamous Moment	Numerous intentionally offensive sketches
Why It’s Worse Than The Room	It is deliberately trying to be funny and frequently fails, while The Room succeeds accidentally.
Summary	The Underground Comedy Movie is remembered for juvenile humor, uneven sketches, and overwhelmingly negative reviews.

Many people actually like this collection of comedy sketches directed by informercial host Vince Offer. Recognizable faces like Michael Clarke Duncan and Damon Wayans appear in the unconnected skits that range from competent to amateurish. The result is a subpar mash of things that are supposed to be funny but would never even make it onto shows like Saturday Night Live or Mad TV. Perfectly suited for YouTube audiences, this “movie” is an affront to what makes real comedic sketch movies like Kentucky Fried Movie so funny.

TITANIC: THE LEGEND GOES ON

Field	Value
Release Year	2000
Director	Camillo Teti
Genre	Animated Family Film
Notorious For	A rapping dog aboard the Titanic
Cult Status	Internet bad-movie legend
Why People Watch It	Morbid curiosity and bizarre creative choices
Most Infamous Moment	The musical animal sequences
Why It’s Worse Than The Room	It turns a real-life maritime disaster into an unintentionally absurd cartoon.
Summary	Titanic: The Legend Goes On is infamous for poor animation and bizarre comic relief that clashes with its historical setting.

Right after James Cameron made box office history with Titanic, this animated debacle was quickly dubbed from the original Italian. Three years in the making, The Legend Goes On is poorly animated to begin with, but producers decided to recut and excise entire sections of the film while adding unnecessary one-liners and even an anachronistic rapping dog that has nothing to do with anything in the film. This movie was already terrible but the updated version is an embarrassment…of riches for anyone who loves bad movies.

BALLISTIC: ECKS VS SEVER

Field	Value
Release Year	2002
Director	Wych Kaosayananda
Genre	Action, Thriller
Notorious For	Being frequently ranked among the worst action movies ever made
Cult Status	Bad-action curiosity
Why People Watch It	To see how a major studio production failed
Most Infamous Moment	Overblown action scenes with little narrative context
Why It’s Worse Than The Room	Unlike The Room, many viewers find it boring rather than entertainingly bad.
Summary	Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever is often cited as one of the weakest studio action films of the 2000s.

Often ranked as one of the worst movies ever made, this Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu action flick was meant to ride the wave of Matrix hype but instead is somehow worse than the cheapest action movies you could find on a free streaming service. Banderas does everything he can to be a badass here but keeps getting derailed by terrible dialogue and awful choreographed fight scenes.

MANOS: THE HANDS OF FATE

Field	Value
Release Year	1966
Director	Harold P. Warren
Genre	Horror
Notorious For	Technical incompetence in nearly every aspect of production
Cult Status	Mystery Science Theater 3000 favorite
Why People Watch It	To experience one of cinema’s most famous failures
Most Infamous Moment	The introduction of The Master
Why It’s Worse Than The Room	Its pacing, editing, and filmmaking are even rougher than Wiseau’s effort.
Summary	Manos: The Hands of Fate is widely regarded as one of the worst horror films ever produced.

A staple of Mystery Science Theater 3000, Manos is just bad in every sense of the word. But, like the legendary Plan 9 from Outer Space, it as a charm to it that makes you laugh when you should be taking it seriously. When a film crosses that line, it can never return, but Manos still manages to be ridiculously bad enough that it serves as a good testing ground for the burgeoning heckler.

PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE

Field	Value
Release Year	1959
Director	Ed Wood
Genre	Science Fiction, Horror
Notorious For	Visible production mistakes and low-budget effects
Cult Status	Legendary cult classic
Why People Watch It	Historical importance in bad-movie culture
Most Infamous Moment	Flying saucers suspended by visible strings
Why It’s Worse Than The Room	Its production values are lower, though many fans find it more charming.
Summary	Plan 9 from Outer Space became famous as a quintessential example of low-budget science-fiction filmmaking.

Ed Wood was someone only hardcore movie buffs would know until Tim Burton brought him back into the mainstream with his biopic. While Wood’s movies are certainly not good, they have evolved into charming kitsch that are fun and safe to watch. The nostalgia factor remains high with old movies but Wood’s have an innocence to them that you cannot help but enjoy.

FREDDY GOT FINGERED

Field	Value
Release Year	2001
Director	Tom Green
Genre	Comedy
Notorious For	Deliberately outrageous gross-out humor
Cult Status	Polarizing cult comedy
Why People Watch It	To decide whether it is genius satire or terrible filmmaking
Most Infamous Moment	The “Daddy, would you like some sausage?” sequence
Why It’s Worse Than The Room	Many viewers find its intentionally abrasive humor harder to enjoy than Wiseau’s sincerity.
Summary	Freddy Got Fingered remains one of the most divisive comedies ever released.

There was a time when Tom Green was one of the most popular entertainers in the world. I am ashamed to say I fell into the zeitgeist along with the rest of you. While he has faded into obscurity, his studio-backed feature film remains a testament to how much Hollywood will pony up to try and milk a fad while it is hot.

GROSS OUT

Field	Value
Release Year	1990
Director	Bill Osco
Genre	Gross-Out Comedy
Notorious For	Extremely low-budget production
Cult Status	Obscure regional cult oddity
Why People Watch It	Curiosity about forgotten shot-on-video cinema
Most Infamous Moment	The siblings’ escalating attempts to disgust their mother
Why It’s Worse Than The Room	It lacks the quotability, notoriety, and accidental entertainment value that made The Room endure.
Summary	Gross Out is a little-seen low-budget comedy remembered primarily by bad-movie enthusiasts.

The most obscure film on this list, Gross Out is virtually impossible to find anywhere. Having watched it on VHS years ago, I struggled to find any clips of the forgotten movie that had a budget lower than the cheapest porno flick. Featuring a loose story of three spoiled siblings trying to gross out their mother to gain an inheritance, this movie tries to be gross but is just awful. Even John Waters would be ashamed.

Category	Winner
Most Famous Bad Movie	The Room
Most Famous Alternative	Troll 2
Worst Studio Action Film	Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever
Worst Animated Film	Titanic: The Legend Goes On
Most Historically Important	Plan 9 from Outer Space
Most Technically Incompetent	Manos: The Hands of Fate
Most Bizarre Real-World Context	United Passions
Most Obscure Entry	Gross Out

Frequently Asked Questions

What movie is considered worse than The Room?

Many bad-movie fans frequently cite Troll 2, Manos: The Hands of Fate, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, and Plan 9 from Outer Space among the strongest contenders.

Why is The Room more popular than many worse movies?

Despite its flaws, The Room has memorable dialogue, a unique creative vision, and an earnest sincerity that audiences find entertaining.

What makes a movie “so bad it’s good”?

A “so bad it’s good” movie becomes enjoyable because its mistakes create unintentional comedy rather than simple boredom.

Is Troll 2 worse than The Room?

Many viewers think so because of its confusing plot, awkward performances, and infamous dialogue, although both films have passionate cult followings.

Why is Plan 9 from Outer Space famous?

The film became legendary because of its visible production mistakes, ambitious ideas, and association with director Ed Wood.

What is the worst-reviewed movie on this list?

Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever is often cited among the worst-reviewed major studio releases ever made.

Are any of these movies intentionally bad?

Most were made sincerely, but Freddy Got Fingered remains debated because some critics view it as an intentional satire of studio comedies.

Which of these movies became cult classics?

Troll 2, Manos: The Hands of Fate, Plan 9 from Outer Space, Mac and Me, and The Room all developed substantial cult followings.

While The Room is the gold standard for “so bad it’s good” cinema, these films prove that Tommy Wiseau’s masterpiece is far from alone in the pantheon of cinematic disasters. From the baffling storytelling of Troll 2 and Manos: The Hands of Fate to the misguided ambition of United Passions and the infamous product placement of Mac and Me, each movie has earned its reputation through a unique blend of technical flaws, questionable creative decisions, and accidental comedy. Whether you consider them worse than The Room or simply different shades of awful, all ten have achieved something most bad movies never do: they remain memorable years after audiences first experienced them. For cult-film fans, that’s often the difference between a movie that’s merely bad and one that becomes a legend.

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