It is said that nothing is certain in this world except death and taxes.
To which I would add a third thing: As long as there are movies, there will also be bad movies.
(Then again, enduring a really bad movie sometimes feels like death, and is about as painful as paying your taxes, so maybe it’s a wash.)
For the proof of this truism that I just invented in the introduction of this listicle, check out the films below, the worst movie of every calendar year for over 50 years, starting with 1970 and going through through to 2025. Find the worst movie from the year you were born! Count up how many you’ve suffered through! See if the worst movie you’ve ever watched made the cut! Put off engaging with your loved ones for just a little while longer!
How did I select the worst of the worst for 50+ years of cinema? Simple: I spent decades watching movies, some good, some bad, a few epically awful. Those are the ones on this list. This may not be the comprehensive look at the most putrid pictures of the last half century; only one stinker from every year could make the cut, after all. So the other horrible films that were released in 2012 were safe, for example, because nothing was going to match The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure.
With all that said, let’s get to our chronological list of the worst movie of the year, every year, since 1970…
The Worst Movie Every Year Since 1970
Here are decades worth of crummy movies — the worst movie released every single year from 1970 to today.
READ MORE: 20 Movie Comedies That Could Never Get Made Today
The Worst Movie Prequels in History
Before there was a movie you loved there was … a way worse movie.