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Tomorrow is “Gingerbread House Day.” (No, really. It is.) And when I think of gingerbread houses, I think of Hansel and Gretel. And when I think of Hansel and Gretel, I think of Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. And when I think of Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, I ask myself, “How did this movie become so popular?”

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is popular. As much as the film was initially panned, it has found a unique cult audience amongst horror and comedy fans. It made so much money overseas that there is a sequel in development that should come out in 2016. Oh, and it’s constantly showing up on my Netflix home page.

I confess that I first watched Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters when I was in the throes of a wild hangover. While I don’t think it’s a good movie, I do believe it’s a good hangover movie. It’s crazy and silly and shocking and inadvertently funny. It’s written to be a clever horror comedy, like Shaun of the Dead, but the film’s biggest joke is how stupid the film is. Meaning, we’re laughing at the film, and not with the film. It’s a disgustingly gory and totally ridiculous movie. There are exploding heads and vengeful witches and at one point, a witch saves Jeremy Renner from dangling from a tree, cleans him up, and then invites him into a pond to have sex. Just because, I guess. It’s utterly ludicrous, and yet, in spite of all the crazy shenanigans unfolding onscreen, the film’s leads, Gemma Arterton and Jeremy Renner, look bored to be there. It’s just so silly.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPIS_d-UgwQ]

That’s why it’s so bad, and according to some, that’s precisely why it’s so good. Movies.com put it, along with The Bling Ring and Fast & Furious 6, in their list of the Best “Worst” Movies of 2013. They argued that the film “doesn’t take itself too seriously, letting it get away with Hansel’s diabetes, a steampunk arsenal, a one-note villain, a doofy troll named Edward and loads more.” Okay. Sure.

I would say that Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters was stupid, dumb, mindless entertainment, but it has some bizarre merit. Following Hansel and Gretel after they grow up is a decent idea for a story. In fact, Bill Willingham used the concept to beautiful effect in his epic fairy tale series, Fables. In Willingham’s version of events, Hansel is still a kind of witch hunter; he’s a puritanical minister obsessed with witch trials. He hates all magic, and therefore, becomes one of the series’ greatest villains. Willingham’s Hansel is creepy and scary; he turns on Gretel when he discovers that she has grown up to become a witch. In contrast, the characters in Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters are tonally lost. You can see from the clip above that the characters don’t know if they’re supposed to be cool or campy. It’s hard to be both at once.

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is also pretty to look at. The costumes are great. Hansel and Gretel are dressed like absolute badasses. The pretty witch is covered head to toe in an alluring mustard yellow color that makes her stand out from everyone else in dark, drab medieval garb. The set design is fun. I’m not morally opposed to steampunk weaponry and someone in the special effects department had a lot of fun working on all those gruesome deaths. To put it simply, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is shiny.

So, I guess I know why it’s popular. It’s got blood, it’s got guts, it’s got a pretty girl’s butt. It’s a distraction. Sometimes when you’re going through Netflix, you see wonderful films that you know you should watch, but you also know that you don’t have the brain power for them. You just want to relax. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters might appall you. It might thrill you. It might offend you. But it won’t burden you with heavy-handed philosophy.

Just like a big, dumb Gingerbread House that’s only on your dining room table for decoration, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters only exists to amuse you. [Watch Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters]

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[Photos: Everett Collection]