What do the films “Showgirls,” “Glitter” and “Gigli” all have in common? Well, most would agree that they are utterly unwatchable. So awful, they are devoid of even an iota of cinematic pleasure. Then there are films that are so gloriously terrible, the director’s intentions seem curiously motivated. Films so awful, they convert to sheer awesomeness. Below are an eclectic assortment of films so bad they’re irresistible.

“Grindhouse” (2007)
Paying homage to the tasteless sensationalism of ’70s exploitation cinema, directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez deliver the goods with their gleefully violent three-hour double feature, “Grindhouse.” The first half, Rodriguez’s exceedingly gruesome zombie picture “Planet Terror,” is chock full of bad editing, disjointed visuals, hokey dialogue, gratuitous nudity and carnage, along with a perfectly cast Rose McGowan as Cherry Baby (a voluptuous go-go dancer with a machine gun serving as a prosthetic leg). Tarantino’s cheerful action/revenge flick “Death Proof” is an equally impressive movie about a malicious serial killer named Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell). He wields his amped-up vehicle as a weapon, but regrettably preys on the wrong band of bad-ass chicks (enthusiastically played by Rosario Dawson, Tracie Thoms, Zoe Bell and Sydney Tamiia Poitier). The inspired absurdity of these narratives is all in good fun with a genre that embraces such obscenity.

“Teeth” (2007)
Probably the most feminist horror flick ever made, writer-director Mitchell Lichtenstein’s wickedly clever “Teeth” is a true classic of its genre. High school student Dawn O’Keefe (Jess Weixler) is a seemingly ordinary teenage girl with the exception of one minor detail: She has a toothed vagina. Such a freakish physical abnormality only becomes present when she becomes the object of violence at the hands of her hormonal male counterparts. While bizarre and wonderfully cringe-inducing, the film is also wildly satirical. It’s as much a cautionary tale for men as it is a tribute to female empowerment.

“The Fifth Element” (1997)
To call Luc Besson’s “The Fifth Element” mere fantasy or sci-fi is to dismiss the film’s jovial campiness and glorious comic undertones. What other sci-fi flick contains a bleach-blond Bruce Willis, a fire-haired Milla Jovovich, a flamboyant Chris Tucker, a blue opera-singing alien and villains reminiscent of those in “Super Mario Brothers”? No other such film exists, which is why Besson’s visually stunning action spectacle works for his sheer fearlessness to toy with the audience’s expectations. The film is nothing if not original.

“Black Snake Moan” (2006)
Provocative sexuality, searing retribution, stirring blues music, excessive profanity and good old-fashioned Southern sentiment are all welcome friends in Craig Brewer’s darkly comic fable, “Black Snake Moan.” Starring a bitter, scruffy and outwardly remorseful Samuel L. Jackson alongside a wildly promiscuous Christina Ricci, Brewer’s powerful story has spurts of shock-and-awe as his narrative remains consistently preposterous. Aimed to cure Ricci’s character Rae, a relentless nymphomaniac, of her “wickedness,” Jackson’s character Lazarus’ brilliant plan of spiritual cleansing is to chain her body to his sturdy radiator to restrain her from her aggressive urges. The two of them form a rather unusual bond that is both unique and oddly touching.

“Piranha 3-D” (2010)
Between director Eli Roth being viciously decapitated, Jerry O’Connell’s manhood being nibbled on for a snack and Richard Dreyfuss’s flesh being reduced to a gory pulp, it’s not difficult to see why Alexandre Aja’s “Piranha 3-D” is a bloody brilliant genre picture that’s as brutal as it hilarious. As the story goes, an underwater tremor releases thousands of pre-historic flesh-eating piranhas with razor-sharp incisors and hefty appetites. Luckily for these predatory beasts, it’s spring break at Lake Victoria, giving them the license to indulge in the flesh of drunken sun-bathed teenagers going for a little dip. While certified cinematic schlock, the film is full of invention and piercing humor, and it showcases several wonderfully campy performances from Elizabeth Shue, Ving Rhames and Christopher Lloyd.