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A movie called Seventh Son is opening in theaters nationwide this weekend. It stars Julianne Moore, Jeff Bridges, and its trailers make the film look like a D&D player’s nightmare barfed on celluloid. The film was initially supposed to be released two years ago, but then got pushed back unceremoniously to this weekend, which leads us to believe that it is very, very bad. However, it boasts some big name stars. What could attract Bridges and Moore to such a steamy pile of poop? Well, what attracts any of us to the genre of high medieval fantasy? It’s fun.

Come on, admit it. There’s something fun about suspending your disbelief and watching a story about knights and ladies and dragons and sorcery. Even when these stories are sloppily-told and bonkers, they are really enjoyable to watch. I would even argue that the more that is empirically wrong with a medieval fantasy film, that the more delightful it is to watch.

Maybe you’re a die hard for the genre and want to stream as many medieval fantasies as possible, or maybe you’re looking for a good alternative to Seventh Son. Either way, we’ve assembled seven titles on streaming that are sure to sweep you back in time and far away from reality.

When You Want To Pretend Camelot Was Real: 'King Arthur'

There has been a lot of research in recent decades to suggest that King Arthur and his exploits were inspired by a real life British ruler in the Dark Ages. Ten years ago, director Antoine Fuqua took this concept and ran with it and made one of the darkest, grittiest, and weirdest entries into the medieval fantasy genre: King Arthur. Now, I’m absolutely fascinated with this film because it’s one of the best cast films in history. I’m also fascinated with it because it’s a strange film that claims to be rooted in reality, and yet, Lancelot turns into a horse when he (SPOILER ALERT) dies. Or does he? And is Tristan talking to that hawk? What is going on?!?!? [Watch King Arthur]

When You Want To Pretend Camelot Was Full Of Cute People: 'Merlin'

Leave it to the BBC to turn Sir Thomas Malory’s medieval tome, Le Morte Darthur, into a pulpy adventure story starring a bunch of comely young adults. Merlin ran for five seasons and became a huge cult hit in the United States. This was in part because the show featured complex female characters, hot young men, and a riveting performance from leading man Colin Morgan. [Watch Merlin]

When You Want A Magically Cheesy Throwback: 'Krull'

What if you added LASERS to Dungeons & Dragons? That’s the bold question that Krull dared to answer. This gloriously cheesy film was shown non-stop on HBO during the mid-’80s, which meant that I watched it pretty much non-stop during the mid-’80s. And why not? It had everything that appealed to my then elementary school aged self: Warriors, princesses, monsters, cyclopses, quicksand, blind senior citizens with extra creepy fingernails, horses that ran so fast that flames shot out of their hooves, and Liam Neeson. Not to mention the most bad ass weapon ever invented, the Glaive, which somehow combined the properties of a frisbee, a boomerang and razorblades. — Mark Graham [Where to Stream Krull]

When You Want A Frothy Adventure Story: 'A Knight's Tale'

A Knight’s Tale doesn’t seem like high medieval fantasy at first glance. After all, it’s the story of how a peasant uses cunning and hard work to rise to the rank of knight. There are no dragons, no warlocks, and no quests beyond one guy just trying to better himself. But then the soundtrack kicks in. Writer-director Brian Helgeland tried to convey the raucous excitement of the age through stadium rock classics. The anachronistic songs don’t always work, but the courtly dance scene set to David Bowie’s “Golden Years” is the textbook definition of “magical.” [Watch A Knight’s Tale]

When You Want A Bawdy Romp: 'Your Highness'

There’s a lot in the fantasy genre to make fun of. After all, it’s a whole storytelling style that suggests that magical swords stuck in stones can stand in for democratic elections. Monty Python, Mel Brooks, and dozens of other comedic forces have unleashed their sharp eyes on the genre. Most recently, though, Danny McBride and James Franco teamed up for the medieval stoner comedy, Your Highness. The silly film features tons of giggles and some very gratuitous shots of Natalie Portman nearly nude. [Where to Stream Your Highness]

When You Want To Feel High Without Getting High: 'Ella Enchanted'

Ella Enchanted might be one of the weirdest films ever made — and I don’t say that lightly. It’s based on an absolutely charming young adult novel about a young woman in a magical kingdom who gets the dubious gift of obedience at her christening. The film starts off like this, and then veers into a bizarre fever dream of anachronistic references, stunt casting, crazy cover songs, and terrible CGI. At one point, Heidi Klum shows up as a hot giant. I cannot stress enough what a truly insane film this is. [Watch Ella Enchanted]

When You Want To See GOOD Medieval Fantasy: 'Game of Thrones'

Game of Thrones might be the par exemplar of great medieval fantasy. It’s got lords and ladies, knights and kings, dragons and dire wolves, and epic sex and violence. What makes the series work where other entries into the genre haven’t is that there’s always been a lot of care given to how the characters and their emotions are treated. Sure, some of the show is silly*, but we keep watching because we care more about the people we’re watching than how badass the dragons look. And those dragons look pretty damn badass. [Watch Game of Thrones]

*I still laugh when I think about the Children of the Forest from last season’s finale.

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