I admit that I am a sucker for bad horror movies. I enjoy them as much as the good ones on occasion. It’s true that most are formulaic and poorly written, yet it never fails to amaze me that recent movies are put out with virtually no regard for any accuracy. The key to quality horror is the suspension of disbelief. Within the confines of the world created the question becomes ‘do I buy this.’

• Rule 1 – Make the protagonist at least somewhat likable. If you don’t then why do I care.
• Rule 2 – Google police procedures. With the boom in cop shows, bad movies are no longer fooling anyone with convenient plot twists that fail miserably when measured against the basic realities of how the world works.
• Rule 3 – If your villain is supernatural, preternatural, or otherwise unworldly, then having them hit someone over the head with a bottle and forcing their head under water is lame. No two ways about it.

While most bad horror fails to entertain, I have found some amazing gems. Never judge anything by its cover. But, sometimes you know pretty quick if the cover was right.