The Onion helpfully reminded me of one film that presents a strong case for WORST FILM EVER, a film so bad it’s considered unreleasable. I’ll let The Onion explain:

For lovers of kitsch and bad taste, the 1972 Jerry Lewis Holocaust comedy The Day The Clown Cried represents the Holy Grail, a fabled, oft-whispered-about pop-culture legend that cast director Lewis as a disgraced circus clown who runs afoul of the Third Reich and ends up leading children into the gas chambers of Auschwitz. Alas, litigation rather than taste kept the film from shocking and offending moviegoers the world over. Lewis initially bristled at the prospect of playing the lead role. In his autobiography, Lewis writes of asking producer Nathan Wachsbeger, “Why don’t you try to get Sir Laurence Olivier? I mean, he doesn’t find it too difficult to choke to death playing Hamlet. My bag is comedy, Mr. Wachsberger, and you’re asking me if I’m prepared to deliver helpless kids into a gas chamber? Ho-ho. Some laugh—how do I pull it off?” Legal and financial battles between Lewis, the producers, and the screenwriters led to the film being shelved, perhaps permanently. Lewis is rumored to possess the only existing copy of the film, and he refuses to discuss it publicly, though veteran comedy writer/actor Harry Shearer has seen it and insists it’s just as mind-bogglingly offensive and tasteless as its reputation suggests.

For “TDTCC” completists, there is a rather extensive fan (?) page, which includes links to two versions of the script, the wonderful 1992 SPY magazine article about the film, and even brief making-of clips. I only hope I live long enough to see this unseen masterpiece released.