Five movie titles so bad they made you miss a great film
How important is a good movie title? Quite important, actually.
You’ve got to reel your audience in with a snappy title, but some films critically fail on that front. Think about the movies you’ve watched purely because of the name. Who wouldn’t be enticed by something like There Will Be Blood or The Good, the Bad and the Ugly? These movie names just reel you in, taking on an effortless sense of cool that you know is going to guarantee a good film.
However, some filmmakers possess the talent for making a great movie that just doesn’t translate to naming it. Who in their right mind would think The Englishman Who Went up a Hill but Came Down a Mountain is a good title? Movies with titles that are simply too long or too convoluted (I’d argue that the bang-average Netflix movie The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society has the worst name ever) simply don’t work.
In some instances, a bad movie title can put you off watching a film, misleading you or leaving you feeling a little disturbed. Anyone in the mood to watch Trash Humpers is not something you can say when you’re hanging out with your family.
It’s a shame that many of us will miss out on watching an interesting movie because of its questionable title, so here are five that you should not be put off by, despite their bad names.
Bad movie titles hiding great films:
‘Trash Humpers’ (Harmony Korine, 2009)
This is easily the most controversial film on this list, because whether you think it’s ‘good’ depends on how willing you are to watch an experimental film shot on VHS of people wearing creepy old people masks while humping trash bags. Harmony Korine has always been a provocative and controversial filmmaker, with movies like Kids and Gummo cementing him as an enfant terrible. Here, Korine doesn’t hold back in going fully unhinged, and if you’re a fan of subversive cinema that rebels against the mainstream, then Trash Humpers has got you covered.
Unfortunately, the name doesn’t leave much to the imagination, and when you imagine that image, it’s understandable why you’d want to skip over it. What kind of person humps trash? And why? Do we really want to find out? Korine has the answers if you’re interested in finding out. Although you probably don’t.
‘Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging’ (Gurinder Chadha, 2008)
Sure, Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging might not be on the levels of 2001: A Space Odyssey or Citizen Kane, but Gurinder Chadha’s classic teen comedy is good, in all of its cringey glory. It captures the awkwardness and drama of being a teenage girl perfectly, and it teaches us to value friendship and not get caught up in the selfishness that naturally comes with growing up.
But how many people missed the film because of its admittedly off-putting title? Who is Angus? Does he have something to do with skimpy pants and lots of kissing? It turns out that Angus is just Georgia’s cat, and thongs and snogging are just a few things that she navigates as a 14-year-old. Still, it’s not the most charming title out there, and one that many teenagers were certainly banned by their parents from seeing in the cinema because of its scandalous name.
‘The Englishman Who Went up a Hill but Came Down a Mountain’ (Christopher Monger, 1995)
Long movie titles are rarely a good idea – because who can remember such a mouthful? Not only does The Englishman Who Went up a Hill but Came Down a Mountain not make any sense, but it’s not easy to remember. What’s the point? We’re clearly meant to be intrigued by the fact an Englishman has gone up a hill but returned on a mountain, although my main source of curiosity relates to how the title got the greenlight in the first place.
The film is one of Hugh Grant’s less remembered vehicles from the 1990s, set in Wales during the First World War, and it’s not half as bad as it sounds. If you skipped the movie because of its nonsense title, perhaps it’s worth adding to your watchlist if you’re a fan of Grant’s classic charm or period dramas.
‘Pecker’ (John Waters, 1998)
A word also used as slang for penis might not be the most enticing name for a film, but John Waters’ Pecker is actually one of his most underrated movies. A love letter to his native Baltimore and the act of creating art, the film follows the titular character, an 18-year-old budding photographer, as he rises to sudden acclaim. His name comes from the fact that he used to peck at his food as a kid, but of course, in true Waters fashion, the name of the film is a cheeky nod to the world of vulgarity that his films always revel in.
Surprisingly, apart from a bit of tea-bagging, Pecker is one of Waters’ cleaner films and perhaps one of his more accessible movies. Yet, he gave it one of his most directly suggestive names, making Pink Flamingos sound like an exotic cinematic treat and not a movie about pure filth. Clearly, you can never trust Waters, because Pecker is a deceiving title for a film that actually celebrates art.
‘The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover’ (Peter Greenaway, 1989)
Helen Mirren starred in the erotically-charged The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover in 1989, a crime drama full of gangsters, food, and nudity. Yet, the title really doesn’t do the art film justice, with its confusingly vague descriptions that make it quite the mouthful. How are all of these people connected? I guess we’re meant to find out, but without knowing anything else about the film, this is the kind of title I’d skip without further thought.
Yet, Peter Greenaway’s film is a disturbing yet exhilarating film, with Mirren’s character embarking on a secret affair away from her violent husband. The set design and costumes are all striking, creating strong emotional responses in the viewer through their vivid, sometimes harsh, use of colour. Don’t be put off by the boring title, the movie is far from it.
