A look into HU’s B-Movie Club.

By Thad Arnold, Staff Writer 

Every Friday evening, students gather in the screening room in Becker Hall to watch a movie. While enjoying a film is not an unusual occurrence on campus, these students are not hoping that the film they are watching is a good one. In fact, they are hoping for just the opposite. These students have discovered the B-Movie Club.

A B-movie is a low-budget or poorly made film. The term comes from when movie theaters used to play double features during the first half of the twentieth century. The higher-budget, often better-quality film, was the A-movie and the lower-budget movie that followed was the B-movie.

B-Movie Club is the brainchild of senior animation major David Rozema, who wanted to find a way to share his passion for B-movies with the rest of campus.

“I really always liked watching those so-bad-they’re-good movies, and I wanted to share that with people,” explained Rozema.

Rozema began the B-Movie Club during his sophomore year. After less than a year, however, students were forced to return home at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. When they returned to campus the following semester, he soon realized that B-Movie Club would have to be put on hold.

“We couldn’t have any gatherings in the screening room, and I think the screening room is very important for B-Movie Club,” said Rozema.

With students now being allowed to use the screening room again due to the relaxation of COVID restrictions,  Rozema decided to bring the club back to HU. Although the turnout has been no more than a few students each week,  he is not surprised as he realizes, “B-Movie Club is not for everyone.”

“I remember overhearing people off-handedly make remarks of ‘Who would go to such a thing? What a strange idea: going to or intentionally watching a bad film?’ and that was a little disheartening, but we have regulars and stuff,” shared Rozema.

So far, these regulars, as well as those trying B-Movie Club out for the first time, have been able to enjoy such titles as “Horror High,” “Crater Lake Monster,” “The Dancing Ninja,” “The Killer Shrews,” “Karate Dog” and “Robot Monster.”

Rozema recommends B-Movie Club to anyone with “weird, niche humor.” He also believes that a bad movie can teach someone just as much about filmmaking as a well-made one.

“When you watch a good movie, what’s good about it is almost invisible, but with a bad movie, it almost heightens the filmmaking,” he said. “ If an aspect is really bad, it’s really obvious. I think it’s a lot easier to dissect the craftsmanship of a film.” 

Senior Madison Morehouse has been a regular attendee of B-Movie Club this semester. She enjoys being able to hang out and mock bad movies each week.

“I would recommend it to people who don’t take movies too seriously and just want to have a good time,” said Morehouse.

For those interested, B-Movie Club meets in room 305 in Becker Hall on Fridays at 7 p.m. While riffing on bad movies might not be for everyone, Rozema thinks that everyone should give it a try at least once.

Rozema goes on to say, “I didn’t think B-movies were something I would want to watch regularly until I started doing it regularly.”