My family has evolved a tradition of sorts, without thinking too hard about it, of renting a bad movie to watch after Thanksgiving dinner. It has to be the right sort of bad movie though--cheesy, cheerful or schlocky, without being actually challenging.

I haven't been allowed to pick the movies ever since the Rob Zombie incident, when I took the two troubled pre-teens who had been invited to our house for dinner to the local video store and let them pick House of 1000 Corpses to watch. Hey, how was I supposed to know? I thought it was just low-level goofy schlock? It was kinda fun to see the latecomers blandly trying to eat their turkey dinners with the bloodcurdling shrieks, incredibly naughty words and bloody porny images emanating from the let.

I glanced guiltily at the troubled pre-teen's foster-father, who was watching with stone-faced bemusement, and said "I'm sorry. I'll pay for your kids' therapy after this traumatic incident." He said: "That's ok. They're already in therapy."

This Thanksgiving, I did a little better. I let another kid pick the movie again, and it was horror-schlocky, but it was 13 Ghosts, and it was actually much more what I had in mind. The best scene is when the lawyer 'splits.' Recommended.

Anybody else ever have Movie Choice Fiascos when asked to provide the family entertainment?