Summary
- Scott's schlock horror films may not have big budgets, but they offer a love of craft and entertainment value.
- Films like Piranha Sharks and Flu Bird Horror show Scott's knack for unique ideas and memorable kills.
- From werewolves to vampires, Scott's movies cover a range of genres with impressive creature design and action scenes.
Leigh Scott may not be a household name, but the kinds of movies he makes are in a memorable class that, while some may bristle at, others can't help but adore. Scott began his directing career in 1996 with Beach House, a coming-of-age indie film. While Scott began to develop his visual style as a director on these early films, it wasn't until 2004 that he began working on the types of movies he would end up being best known for starting with Syndrome of the Trespasser Island — that is to say, schlock horror and science fiction movies.
These films, many produced with the independent production company The Asylum, are in the vein of "so bad they're actually good movies". A writer, producer, and director, Scott has directed 30 movies, and while he's dabbled in a variety of genres, he's always returned to the well of grindhouse-esque horror and mockbuster films based on better-known blockbuster hits. They may not be for everyone, but there's a real love of craft even if the budget isn't there, and even Scott's lower-rated ones can be a blast to watch on entertainment value alone.
10 So Bad They're Good Comedies From The 2010s
The 2010s had its fair share of bad movies, but these 10 comedies are so bad that they're actually good.
10 Piranha Sharks (2017)
A Sharknado Mockbuster With A Hybrid Creature
In Piranha Sharks, great white sharks are engineered to be the size of piranhas so that the wealthy can have them in their aquariums. Of course, that idea results in miniature great whites being released into the New York City water system, wreaking havoc of the highest order. Like many of these horror movies, Piranha Sharks is a mockbuster based on similar films from the era, specifically Piranha 3D and 47 Meters Down. Piranha Sharks goes down another level of meta, as it is a copy of another mockbuster: the Sharknado series.
There are some fun moments in the film. It being a bizarre Christmas movie makes for the unique angle as the piranha sharks are delivered as gifts, leading to some memorable kills. The kills in general are great. Scott uses the sharks' diminutive size to great effect and usually finds a creative way to get a hapless victim in the water with them.
9 Art House (1998)
Scott's Second Stab At A Coming-Of-Age Indie Movie
The first two films Scott directed were not horror movies; they were instead indie films, clearly looking at movies like Kicking and Screaming for inspiration rather than The Hills Have Eyes and Lake Placid. Art House is the second movie Scott helmed, and it tweaks and improves on what he was going for in his debut with Beach House. Scott's sophomore film follows Ray McMichael (Dan O'Donahue), a struggling director who asks script doctor Weston Craig (Chris Hardwick) to punch up his writing and ends up losing control of his movie as it becomes an art house flick.
It's a fairly strong and clever story that does drag in places, but it offers an interesting look into the world of filmmaking. It's also a bit of a meta-commentary on Scott himself. After this film, Scott stepped away from his own indie-type movies and went on to direct horror and action films. It could be assumed Ray and Weston are both parts of Scott, pulling him in opposite directions about where his career should go.
Art House is not currently available to rent, stream, or buy digitally.