What the hell is a "Cult" movie???

[Dehydrator]

Whenever I'm walking in a Videostore I can bet my Sperms that every third box I'm picking up somewhere mentions that the flick in question is "CULT". I know that there can never any "real" definiton of what a cult movie is or represents or whatever, but I'd like to know what other people think.

Example: Halloween is definitely a cult movie, and I can't think of anybody I know that doesn't like it. On the other Side "The Toxic Avenger" is a definitely cult movie too, but I can think of a whole lotta people I know that would hate it ( including me, couldn't stand it for more than 32 minutes!)

What's your criteria for "cult"? How much people love or hate a movie? How unique or special the story, the acting, the design is? If the movie is groundbreaking ? Or if the movie is just hiliarously bad ? What makes something "Cult" beyond the marketing aspect the word "cult" has become?

I think "cult" is very much a question of each own's mind. I've listed ten of my "personal" cult (not only Horror ) movies:

1.Perdita Durango
2.Dead Alive
3.Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
4.The Doors
5.An American Werwolf in London
6.Dead Man
7.A Nightmare on Elm Street
8.The Crow
9.Trainspotting
10.True Romance

Now I would like to know what you think!

[the night watchman]

I disagree that "Halloween," "Elm Street," "American Werewolf," or "The Doors" are cult movies, and I have never heard of "Perdita Durango."

"Toxic Avenger" is a cult movie, along with "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," "Spider Baby," many David Lynch films like "Eraserhead," all of Jordorowsky's (sp?) movies, and I suppose early Peter Jackson films like "Dead Alive" and "Bad Taste." Even "Blade Runner" has been labeled a cult movie.

I at first I thought that a cult movie was something made outside mainstream Hollywood for a low budget, and never garnered large popularity but endured in small circles. Now I believe that for a movie to reach cult status, it must do rather poorly on a box office and critical level when first released, but be kept alive in the public conscience by a small but fiercely loyal fan base (a la "Rocky Horror").

But, yes, you're right, the phrase "cult movie" has now just become a marketing tool, like "Special Edition" or especially "Collector's Edition."

Some cult movies can be enjoyed for their badness, like Ed Wood's efforts, intentionally bad, like "Toxic Avenger," or groundbreaking and quite good, like "Eraserhead" or "Santa Sangre."

[Dehydrator]

Ahh, those dumb German Video-Titles! Sorry people, I should have known! "Perdita Durango" is better known as "Dance with the Devil". It was directed by Alex del Iglesias and is freakin' great!

[the night watchman]

Ah, yes. Alex del. Julio Iglesias' evil twin. /ubb/wink.gif

[Brock Landers]

"Dance With The Devil" was a pretty good flick, although I get a little sick of Rosie Perez sometimes...anyhow, the film sure beat the tar out of the follow-up films in the "From Dusk Til Dawn" series (the original was best)...

"Santa Sangre" is one fucked-up flick, I really dug it..I mean how can you go wrong with disfigurement, a tattoed lady and a knife-throwing womanizer? Not to mention the cast of outcasts...Fellini/Forman-style...

I believe that somewhere in between both of your ideas on cult films lies a happy medium where so-called "cult" films can exist...I mean, I agree with the night watchman's perception of a cult film, but it does rather restrict the usage to a choice few...AND the Fluidtaker seems to think of cult films on a broader more mainstream level, which in fact is how most people see these flicks, as they are marketed...I mean, everybody wants to be unique and different, that's why independent films are flourishing and films sell because they are labeled "cult"...just a thought...

...of course, I don't know if I'd bet my "sperms" on it...

[This message has been edited by Brock Landers (edited 01-04-2001).]

[Dehydrator]

Hey Watchman!

I can't put del Iglesias whole Biography here since I don't know much more of him than you. I've seen two of his films, "Perdita Durango" and "El Dia de la Bestia" and I found them quite unique. But isn't that your definition of "cult"?

What I ment was that "cult" is basically what YOU and I got out of the movies we've seen. To me, that's pretty much the only way to define "cult". "A Nightmare on Elm Street" was one of the first Horror Movies I've seen and it scared me shitless. I will always remember that movie as an unique expirience that I never got elsewhere. Same with "The Doors" and "Perdita Durango".

By the Way, please drop me a line if you can tell me where to get one of Jorodowsky's Films. I've heard great things about them and I would be happy to see one of them

[the night watchman]

I was just joking with the del Iglesias thing. We have a Latin pop singer in the United States named Julio Iglesias. Most of his work is bland and colorless, and the idea that there was another Iglesias in the world making cult movies struck as funny. I've never seen any of Alex del Iglesias' movies, but they sound interesting.

And, yeah, a cult movie, to me, is something unlike anything else around, but also something that remains unpopular or ignored by the movie going audience at large. To an extent, the "Evil Dead" series is like that, or Cronenberg's early work (and later work) and the like. In the US, movies like "Elm Street" or "American Werewolf," on the other hand, were very successful when they were released. Freddy Krueger is of course a horror icon like Frankenstein's monster or Dracula. So that's why I, myself, wouldn't rank a cult movie. A cult movie, to me, is something that has a very small fam base.

I have some sites bookmarked that sell Jordorowsky movies. I'll e-mail you their addresses.

[the night watchman]

Hey, you don't have an e-mail address listed in your bio!

For Jordorowsky try: revok.com/film/

They have the most comprehensive selection of his work I have seen. For the record, I am not affiliated with this company in any way, nor have I ever done business with them.

[Sean]

Halloween,a cult movie?Uhh,no.Halloween is one of the most respected and well known horror movies out there.Toxic Avenger is most definitely a cult film.It is not known to mainstream society.HENRY could be called a cult movie,but it is also well respected by the likes of Roger Ebert.TCM is often referred to as a cult movie even though everyone and their brother has heard of it.The Crow is a cult movie because has devoted and passionate fans,but it pushes the defintion because it was very successful at the box office.NOE st.?Hell,no.A cult movie is simply something that is kept alive by the devotion of fans.It's something that is never forgotten.

[unicorn207]

This is a very good question. In my opinion a cult movie is a movie that has a strange name to it that evokes a response boardering on "that trash!!!" from the majority of people that hear its name. However, there are some people who would pay to see it anyday of the week in the movie theater.

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is definitely the king of cult movies.

However, if you want to see a cult movie that is not a horror movie see "Bikini Drive-In". It's really a salute to cult movies and beach movies. It's funny, sexy, and definitely a 3 star movie. You won't be disappointed

[Crazy Ol' Loomis]

I had always thought of a cult movie definition was a movie that people went to and dressed up to.

[slacker]

Like some other people, I believe that a cult movie is one that does poorly in the box office. But because of small groups of followers, its popularity grows quite large. My best examples for cult movies are the Evil Dead trilogy.

[The Texas Chainsaw Master]

Mostly movie that underated in my view. Dawn of the Dead wasnt underated but a lot of people damn near worship that movie. And of cource the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Which I think is a kick arse movie.

[PanicTicks]

From what I've seen, a cult movie is a movie that doesn't rake in cash during its initial box office release, but finds a small, LOYAL audience over the years through TV and video. However, the audience in and of itself has to be small. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE bombed in it's box office run, as did THE WIZARD OF OZ, but everybody has seen each, so they're not cult movies. Hardly anyone saw DEAD-ALIVE or EVIL DEAD 2 in theatres, but most horror fans have seen them, hence, they're cult films.

[teenkiller]

To me a cult movie is a movie not popular to the mainstream but has its own little "cult following" from the underground. Well thats all for now GOoD JOURNEY my fellow schmoes.

[KillerKlown]

I always thought the definition of a cult movie was a film that cost loads to make and fucked up spectacularly at the box office, such as 'The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen' and David Lynch's 'Dune'.

That would explain why that video store labels 'The Doors' as a cult movie :)