In the modern world of infinite options that cater to every taste, the concept of a "guilty pleasure" can be hard to pin down. Taken literally, it's something we enjoy but feel bad about doing so. The question of whether we have a good reason to feel bad, or whether that's just some sort of internalized snobbery, is even harder to establish with certainty. In putting together a list of guilty pleasure sci-fi movies, we've tried to avoid movies that are merely considered bad. If a bad movie gives you pleasure, after all, why is that something to feel guilty about?
Instead, these are movies that make heavy use of some sort of exploitative element. Movies that either don't quite reflect modern values, or deliberately eschew those values in the pursuit of something stranger and more complicated. That's not to say we judge anyone for enjoying these movies, or suggest that you should. But if you feel a bit guilty about them, we certainly understand and even relate.
