Direct-to-video movies get a bad rap. They tend to have lower budgets than movies shown theatrically, and their release strategy indicates a lack of support from studios. They're also far less prevalent than they once were. As the film industry changed and adopted new technologies, direct-to-vod and streaming movies usurped the direct-to-video (Dtv) industry. In fact, Disney shut down its direct-to-video animation studio Disneytoon in 2018.

As such, Dtv movies represent a bygone era when the division between movies released in theaters and those released on video -– in both budget and perceived quality -– was more significant than it is today. Even the worst Dtv films feel special because these kinds of low-budget films produced by major studios no longer exist.

But not all Dtv movies should be thrown in the garbage. Some of these films became cult classics, despite their lowly Dtv status. Others remain beloved sequels to theatrically...