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So Bad It's Horrible Cleanup

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So Bad, It's Horrible is one of the more flame-bait-y parts of the site, so a cleanup thread is needed to ensure that works aren't added simply because someone doesn't like them.

If you want to list a work under this, keep the following in mind:

  • The work must have very few fans or defenders (both genuine and ironic). It should fail to appeal to any type of audience.
  • Being offensive in its subject matter isn't enough.
  • It isn't horrible just because a certain critic disliked it, though their reviews can be used as sources and citations.
  • The work should have notably poor reviews (e.g., less than 3/10 on IMDb, or single digit scores on Rotten Tomatoes)
  • For a Moral Substitute to qualify, it cannot even appeal to its target demographic.
  • Please be polite while writing and as much as possible, avoid falling into Complaining About Shows You Don't Like. Instead, focus on explaining why the work is horrible.

In addition, per No Recent Examples, Please!, a work must be at least one month old before it can be added, to prevent knee-jerk reactions.

Edited by GastonRabbit on Oct 6th 2024 at 3:34:45 AM

WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000)
#6451: Dec 29th 2023 at 1:45:51 PM

It has middling reviews on both IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes. That's not bad enough.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
ReginaldOgron5 Est Ut Squimplex Ut from Two blocks down from the Undead Burg Since: Mar, 2022 Relationship Status: I want you to want me
Est Ut Squimplex Ut
#6452: Dec 29th 2023 at 1:47:42 PM

Shoot. If I happened to have brought something up which this thread had already resolved, my apologies.

Wenn sie die Ente hierein lassen, lasse ich das Wasser hieraus!
WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000)
#6453: Dec 29th 2023 at 1:48:23 PM

That's not it; I just had to check and it seems as though the reviews are neutral enough for it to squeak by.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
TheLivingDrawing Lucas the Dreamer from The Town of Clayton Since: Apr, 2019 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Lucas the Dreamer
#6454: Dec 29th 2023 at 1:56:05 PM

Lady Ballers is popular among The Daily Wire's target audience. Granted it was because the movie pushed views they already agree with, but still.

Once Upon A Time.
JHD0919 (Life not ruined yet)
#6455: Jan 3rd 2024 at 9:08:25 AM

From Video Game Generations: Seventh Onwards:

  • Pacific Rim on PS3 and Xbox 360 could've been an awesome game about giant robots fighting giant monsters, but the final product was mind-numbingly boring and tedious. Both the Jaegers and Kaijus fight as though they're wading through molasses, the combat has the depth of a kiddie pool, the controls are highly uncooperative bordering on random, and much of the game's content (including new characters and Jaeger customization) is locked behind paywalls. The only positive thing Thomas McDermott from Darkzero had to say about the game was that it never crashed.

Sounds more like "generic bad movie tie-in game" that outright Horrible. Plus, this paragraph is shorter than most of the others on the page.

  • The 2009 PC game Cadetstvo (Кадетство) is often considered the worst Russian video game ever. 99% of the game consists of walking from place A to place B and watching cutscenes. It feels more like a movie than a game, but there's no real plot, and the only real gameplay is easy and boring minigames. Watch some gameplay footage here.
  • Dimension Witches, a free game that at one point was apparently for sale at a price, plays off the Touhou Project style of Bullet Hell but fails horribly. The gameplay's botched, and the designs of all the characters are even worse and cliched. It was taken down from the IndieCity site and would've been forgotten if it weren't for MikeNnemonic posting a somewhat NSFW video of him playing it on a livestream on his YouTube channel.

These two paragraphs are extremely bare-bones and do a poor job describing what makes the games Horrible. As someone who's never heard of these games, I don't know if these are on the same "generic bad" level that I believe Pacific Rim to be, but it's possible.

Furian1996 Since: Sep, 2013
#6456: Jan 4th 2024 at 6:57:35 PM

I was wondering if Little Clowns of Happytown qualifies for inclusion. I've heard nothing positive about it, being the product of the same consulting firm that messed with The Real Ghostbusters, and it ran for only one season before it was cancelled.

mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#6457: Jan 4th 2024 at 7:22:03 PM

I only know of it because of Mr. Enter and I remember he used the review less to call the cartoon bad and more to rant about Political Overcorrectness. The IMDB rating is about 5/10 so it's too high to pass, and seems just 'cheap kids' content' bad as opposed to 'uniquely and distinctly horrible.'

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
BKelly95 Tame Racing Driver (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Tame Racing Driver
#6458: Jan 4th 2024 at 8:24:24 PM

Was there any discussion to remove 25 to Life from Video Game Generations: Fifth to Sixth? Because Sanmitvtropes removed it with the following edit reason:

25 to Life, despite it's bad reviews, are a functional and average (or below average) third person shooter with nothing terrible particularly stands out.

SpongeBat1 We stan Clippy in this house from Quittersville, Failuretown, and Loserburg (Y2: Electric Boogaloo) Relationship Status: It's a god-awful small affair
We stan Clippy in this house
#6459: Jan 4th 2024 at 9:46:00 PM

[up]GameFAQs user rating is 2/2.5 star average and Metacritic is 39 critic score, 5.1 user score so maybe it could get a pass? I don't know, I've never played it nor have I seen any notable critics (professional or otherwise) talk about it.

At the very least I agree we should've discussed it first.

Edited by SpongeBat1 on Jan 4th 2024 at 10:46:18 AM

Came for the tropes, stayed for the cleanup.
BocchiTheRock Since: Feb, 2023
#6460: Jan 5th 2024 at 3:05:19 AM

I noticed Bolsomito 2K18 has a page, and while the game might look terrible, unfortunately I don't think it qualifies as it has "Very positive" reviews on Steam. Granted this is probably because the people agree with the game's extreme politics rather than the game's quality, but that's an issue with a lot of these types of political media, even if they are considered poorly made and hated by most of the general public, people who agree with the political beliefs will support it regardless of how it is received.

lee4hmz 486-powered rotating frosted cherry Pop-Tart from A shipwreck in the tidal Potomac (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
486-powered rotating frosted cherry Pop-Tart
#6461: Jan 6th 2024 at 12:05:07 AM

@6456: I was just barely in the target demo for Little Clowns of Happytown when it first aired, and I remember liking it then, so that may count for something.

online since 1993 | huge retrocomputing and TV nerd | lee4hmz.info (under construction) | heapershangout.com
TheLivingDrawing Lucas the Dreamer from The Town of Clayton Since: Apr, 2019 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Lucas the Dreamer
#6462: Jan 6th 2024 at 11:19:27 AM

[up] Kids aren't really critical of the media they consume, so it is questionable if kids liking something is enough to disqualify it.

Once Upon A Time.
Libraryseraph uu~ from Canada (Handed A Sword) Relationship Status: Raising My Lily Rank With You
uu~
#6463: Jan 6th 2024 at 11:23:24 AM

[up]Yeah, but it's kind of unfair to call something aimed at kids sbih on the basis adults don't like it

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FOR MARIA
WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000)
#6464: Jan 6th 2024 at 11:26:24 AM

I mean, kids aren't super critical but that doesn't mean they'll just watch anything. If it's bad enough, kids will notice it too. And the kids being the primary audience for this work, we can't just discount them.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
GastonRabbit C'est la vie. (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
C'est la vie. (he/him)
#6465: Jan 6th 2024 at 12:05:21 PM

The OP (which hasn't been edited since 2022) says a work should fail to appeal to any kind of audience. The existence of a Periphery Hatedom doesn't make something SBIH if the target audience likes it.

Edited by GastonRabbit on Jan 6th 2024 at 2:12:35 PM

I got a rock for Halloween.
TheLivingDrawing Lucas the Dreamer from The Town of Clayton Since: Apr, 2019 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Lucas the Dreamer
#6466: Jan 6th 2024 at 6:55:06 PM

Fair enough.

Once Upon A Time.
CompletelyNormalGuy Am I a weirdo? from a place where folks put cream cheese on hot dogs (Oldest One in the Book)
Am I a weirdo?
#6467: Jan 6th 2024 at 7:01:21 PM

As someone who was subjected to a lot of Christian children's media growing up, I can tell you that children can absolutely tell when they're being shown shit. I assure you that there are plenty of children's media that children can't stand (and I assure you that I've seen more than enough of it).

Bigotry will NEVER be welcome on TV Tropes.
Nen_desharu Nintendo Fanatic Extraordinaire from Greater Smash Bros. Universe or Toronto Since: Aug, 2020 Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Nintendo Fanatic Extraordinaire
#6468: Jan 6th 2024 at 7:32:54 PM

[up]There is no doubt there is a large number that belong in The Moral Substitute that are also So Bad, It's Horrible.

However, it is important to note that if an intended audience likes a work, it is disqualified.

Kirby is awesome.
JHD0919 (Life not ruined yet)
#6469: Jan 9th 2024 at 6:16:36 PM

From the Advertising subpage:

The linked video's like/dislike ratio is split down the middle, and the still image does look pretty nice. I've not heard the tone nor do I want to hear it (I had the video on mute) but does that by itself make the ad Horrible?

Also bumping my earlier question.

AudioSpeaks2 Since: Apr, 2022
#6470: Jan 9th 2024 at 6:32:13 PM

[up] The ad is horrible on a production standpoint and almost deafening if you have headphones on and don't know how loud it will be.

Btw, I might just write a Nightmare Fuel entry for this one. Jesus.

MurlocAggroB from the second-most ridiculous province of Canada Since: May, 2015
#6471: Jan 9th 2024 at 8:04:07 PM

[up][up] What do you mean "nice"? It's just a poorly-cropped model on a completely still image for 16 seconds. That's not nearly enough to save it from the frankly deafening tone used, especially since most people would presumably be watching TV with sound on.

regulation pigeon
WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000)
#6472: Jan 9th 2024 at 8:07:25 PM

I mean... yeah. It's a single image. Maybe for a normal advertisement it'd be nice, but it utterly fails as a commercial.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#6473: Jan 9th 2024 at 9:25:07 PM

I've not heard the tone nor do I want to hear it (I had the video on mute)

I think when the only thing that makes it a video commercial and not a print ad is the tone, you really should consider the audio to judge it as Horrible. That's enough to push it into Horrible, because it's just an objectively bad commercial to be both visually uninteresting and have terrible audio.

Edited by mightymewtron on Jan 9th 2024 at 12:25:31 PM

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Lumberwood Outdated af account from Wouldn't you like to know? Since: Aug, 2018 Relationship Status: And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson
Outdated af account
#6474: Jan 9th 2024 at 11:19:40 PM

I say keep the Goya ad. The still photo is subpar at best and the production quality, lack of actual product promotion, and bizarre and deafening tone are all enough to make it Horrible.

EDIT: Looking through the YouTube comments, it seems the tone was to fool people into thinking there was an emergency broadcast on the television, and I'd say that deceptive practice actually makes it worse. Not only is it incredibly dishonest, but it could potentially cause real emergency broadcasts to go overlooked if the person can only hear the tone and assume it's just the annoying commercial again.

Edited by Lumberwood on Jan 9th 2024 at 11:25:31 AM

Sincerely, Lumberwood
TheLivingDrawing Lucas the Dreamer from The Town of Clayton Since: Apr, 2019 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Lucas the Dreamer
#6475: Jan 10th 2024 at 9:23:08 AM

[up] Using dirty manipulative tactics like that is grounds for keeping it in my opinion. I saw the ad and agree with keeping it.

Once Upon A Time.

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