This month’s slate of movies includes yet another Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a horror spoof starring Cedric the Entertainer (A Haunted House), an Arnold Schwarzenegger “comeback” with Johnny Knoxville (The Last Stand), and an oft-delayed fairy tale turned action flick (Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters). Welcome to January! For decades, studios have used the first month of the year as a dumping ground, either to even out their equilibrium from the past few months of releasing intelligent Oscar bait or to serve lovers of shlock who have been dying of crap starvation through said Oscar season.

Still, 2013’s shaky lineup will have a hard time reaching the lows of Januaries past. (Will Gangster Squad raise the median? We shall see.) In an effort to see just how poorly Hollywood has historically treated January, we looked back at the major film releases in the maiden month for the past 25 years and averaged their Rotten Tomatoes scores, then listed them in order from worst to best. Interesting to note that the eighties are represented both at the top and bottom of this list, but this could be more a result of the fact that far fewer movies used to be released then, so it took less to sway the average. But even if you don’t care for the science, you’ll enjoy this walk down crappy-movie memory lane!

1989

Rotten Tomatoes average: 16 percent

Highest: Gleaming the Cube, 29 percent

Lowest: DeepStar Six, 0 percent

Other releases: The January Man, Physical Evidence, Three Fugitives

1996

Rotten Tomatoes average: 19 percent

Highest: From Dusk Till Dawn, 64 percent

Lowest: Big Bully, 0 percent

Also: Bio-Dome, Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, Dunston Checks In, Eye for an Eye, Lawnmower Man 2, Two If by Sea, Bed of Roses, Screamers

1988

Rotten Tomatoes average: 22 percent

Highest: The Couch Trip, 43 percent

Lowest: Return of the Living Dead 2, 0 percent

Also: For Keeps

2003

Rotten Tomatoes average: 23 percent

Highest: Final Destination 2, 47 percent

Lowest: Kangaroo Jack, 8 percent

Also: Just Married, A Guy Thing, National Security, Darkness Falls, Biker Boyz, The Recruit



2007

Rotten Tomatoes average: 24 percent

Highest: Freedom Writers, 69 percent

Lowest: Epic Movie, 2 percent

Also: Code Name: The Cleaner, Happily N’Ever After, Alpha Dog, Primeval, Stomp the Yard, The Hitcher, Blood and Chocolate, Catch and Release, Smokin’ Aces

2000

Rotten Tomatoes average: 25 percent

Highest: Fantasia 2000, 82 percent*

Lowest: Down to You, 3 percent

Also: Next Friday, Supernova, Isn’t She Great, Eye of the Beholder

2005

Rotten Tomatoes average: 26 percent

Highest: Coach Carter, 65 percent

Lowest: Alone in the Dark, 1 percent

Also: White Noise, Electra, Racing Stripes, Are We There Yet?, Assault on Precinct 13, Hide and Seek

1999

Rotten Tomatoes average: 27 percent

Highest: Varsity Blues, 40 percent

Lowest: Virus, 9 percent

Also: At First Sight, Gloria, She’s All That, In Dreams

1998

Rotten Tomatoes average: 27 percent

Highest: Fallen, 41 percent

Lowest: Firestorm, 12 percent

Also: Half Baked, Hard Rain, Star Kid, Phantoms, Spice World, Deep Rising, Desperate Measures, Great Expectations

2004

Rotten Tomatoes average: 28 percent

Highest: Teacher’s Pet, 75 percent

Lowest: My Baby’s Daddy, 4 percent

Also: Chasing Liberty, Along Came Polly, Torque, The Butterfly Effect, Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!, The Big Bounce, The Perfect Score, You Got Served

1994

Rotten Tomatoes average: 28 percent

Highest: Tie between Blink and Iron Will, 64 percent

Lowest: Tie between House Party 3 and Car 54, Where Are You?, 0 percent

Also: The Air Up There, Cabin Boy, Intersection, Blink

2008

Rotten Tomatoes average: 29 percent

Highest: Cloverfield, 77 percent

Lowest: One Missed Call, 0 percent

Also: First Sunday, In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything, 27 Dresses, Mad Money, How She Move, Meet the Spartans, Rambo, Untraceable

2006

Rotten Tomatoes average: 33 percent

Highest: Nanny McPhee, 73 percent

Lowest: BloodRayne, 4 percent

Also: Grandma’s Boy, Hostel, Glory Road, Last Holiday, Tristan and Isolde, End of the Spear, Underworld: Evolution, Annapolis, Big Momma’s House 2

1997

Rotten Tomatoes average: 34 percent

Highest: Gridlock’d, 88 percent

Lowest: The Shadow Conspiracy, 0 percent

Also: Jackie Chan’s First Strike, The Relic, Turbulence, Beverly Hills Ninja, Metro, Fierce Creatures, Zeus and Roxanne, Meet Wally Sparks

1991

Rotten Tomatoes average: 34 percent

Highest: White Fang, 63 percent

Lowest: Eve of Destruction, 0 percent

Also: Lionheart, Not Without My Daughter, Flight of the Intruder

2001

Rotten Tomatoes average: 35 percent

Highest: The Pledge, 78 percent

Lowest: Double Take, 12 percent

Also: Antitrust, Save the Last Dance, Sugar & Spice, The Wedding Planner

1993

Rotten Tomatoes average: 35 percent

Highest: Matinee, 92 percent

Lowest: Body of Evidence, 6 percent

Also: Leprechaun, Alive, Nowhere to Run, Aspen Extreme, Hexed, Children of the Corn II, Sniper

2010

Rotten Tomatoes average: 36 percent

Highest: Tie between Daybreakers and Youth in Revolt, 67 percent

Lowest: The Spy Next Door, 13 percent

Also: Leap Year, The Book of Eli, Extraordinary Measures, Legion, Tooth Fairy, Edge of Darkness, When in Rome

2009

Rotten Tomatoes average: 36 percent

Highest: Taken, 58 percent

Lowest: Tie between Bride Wars and The Unborn, 11 percent

Also: Not Easily Broken, Hotel for Dogs, My Bloody Valentine 3-D, Notorious, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Inkheart, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, New in Town, The Uninvited

2002

Rotten Tomatoes average: 37 percent

Highest: The Count of Monte Cristo, 73 percent

Lowest: Kung Pow! Enter the Fist, 11 percent

Also: Impostor, Orange County, Snow Dogs, The Mothman Prophecies, A Walk to Remember

2012

Rotten Tomatoes average: 39 percent

Highest: Haywire, 80 percent

Lowest: One for the Money, 2 percent

Also: The Devil Inside, Joyful Noise, Contraband, Red Tails, Underworld Awakening, The Grey, Man on Ledge

2011

Rotten Tomatoes average: 39 percent

Highest: The Way Back, 75 percent

Lowest: Season of the Witch, 10 percent

Also: The Dilemma, The Green Hornet, No Strings Attached, The Mechanic, The Rite

1995

Rotten Tomatoes average: 41 percent

Highest: Far From Home, 57 percent

Lowest: Houseguest, 15 percent

Also: Demon Knight, Higher Learning, Murder in the First

1992

Rotten Tomatoes average: 44 percent

Highest: Juice, 83 percent

Lowest: Freejack, 15 percent

Also: The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Kuffs, Shining Through

1990

Rotten Tomatoes average: 63 percent

Highest: Tie between Internal Affairs and Tremors, 88 percent

Lowest: Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, 14 percent

1987

Rotten Tomatoes average: 79 percent

Highest: Radio Days, 95 percent

Lowest: Outrageous Fortune, 50 percent

Also: The Bedroom Window, The Stepfather

*This post initially stated that Fantasia 2000 had a Rotten Tomatoes score of 25 percent.