Standing in front of about 40 Boston University students last Friday night, student event coordinator Rachel Richmond immediately began apologizing.
“Before we get started, I want to say I’m sorry,” the College of Communication freshman said. “These movies hurt me, and they’ll probably hurt you.”
From Justin to Kelly, Gigli and Glitter, some of the film industry’s biggest blunders, lit up the screen as willing students gutted it through BU Central’s annual Bad Movie Night Lock-In.
Based around the theme of pop stars as wannabe actors, students paid a $3 entrance fee and received $1 back for each movie they stayed to watch.
“It’s a challenge to see if I can endure this type of punishment,” said College of Arts and Sciences freshman David Shire before the event. “I’m going to try to make it through the whole thing.”
After the first 10 minutes of the first film, From Justin to Kelly, a film centered around two American Idol contestants, audience members burst out laughing when the actors began singing “Timeless Love.”
“I think the best thing was the audience participation,” Richmond said. “People were throwing out jokes all night instead of just sitting and watching quietly.”
Students who stayed for all three movies were entered in a raffle to win prizes as incentive for staying.
“The goal is to entertain people and have them laugh,” Richmond said. “People should let their guard down to laugh at the crap this industry puts us through.”
Film and television professor Robert Arnold said before the event that “cliché, pretentiousness and the assumption that certain combinations will light up the screen” are some components of a bad movie.
Richmond said it was wise to not release the movie titles ahead of the event.
“There is an element of surprise,” she said. “We thought we would do a sneak attack.”
CAS freshman Drew Cornwall said although he stayed to watch all three movies because he wanted to win one of the prizes, he admitted he secretly enjoys bad movies as a guilty pleasure.
“I’m a bad movie connoisseur,” he said. “They’re fun to make fun of and they provide jokes for later.”
Richmond, along with student event coordinator Evelyn Ratigan, a COM freshman, said they are thinking of hosting another bad movie night this year in which students can pick the films’ genre.
The event organizers did not give out an iPod as advertised, but instead gave away a $25 gift certificate to Newbury Comics, movie posters and two of the DVDs showcased that night.
“It was rough but worth it,” Shire said at the end of the third movie. “It was a fun way to spend a Friday night.”