What Is The Best Cult Movie?

[theone1982]

Recently had a conversation about cult movies in another thread and thought I'd start a thread specifically about them. I'd define a cult film as a movie that wasn't nescessarily popular when it came out, but has steadily become more so over the years, it can be watched multiple times without getting tired of it, deep meanings can be interpreted out of them that probably weren't intended at all by the creators, and there's usually some sort of x-factor that makes them stand out. My pick is the original Dawn of the Dead. It's more popular today than when it came out, just look at the big bucks it's remake made, and how popular zombie movies and T.V. shows today are in general. I can watch it all the time and not get tired of it. A lot of people see it as a critique of mindless capitalism, with the mall setting being the temple of pointless consumerism and the shoppers as the zombies who are drawn there despite themselves, even though the director, George Romero, has stated he didn't really have any deep meaning in making the film. And, finally, the x-factor would be the over the top violence, and the tongue-in-cheek humor of the mall setting. So, what do you think is the best cult film?
YouTube - ‪Dawn of the Dead‬‏ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvkX19h8A5A)

[Dino Velvet]

Nice choice with Dawn Of The Dead. I have it in the Halloween rotation too.

I nominate the first cult film, El Topo.

[Jericho]

Botched (Possibly the only film where Sean Pertwee doesn't die horribly)
Or maybe Neon City - That's got that so bad it's great vibe going for it.

[theone1982]

Nice choice with Dawn Of The Dead. I have it in the Halloween rotation too.

I nominate the first cult film, El Topo.

Haven't seen El Topo, but I've heard about it. There are so many choices. Like the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Evil Dead, Cronenberg's The Fly, Videodrome, Planet of the Apes, Dune, Blade Runner, The Big Lebowski, Beetlejuice, This is Spinal Tap, Falling Down, Sgt. Kabuki Man N.Y.P.D., Pee Wee's Big Adventure, They Live, A Clockwork Orange....

[Dino Velvet]

I saw Cannibal Holocaust at the Nuart Theater on my birthday at a midnight show with my girlfriend back in 2001. It was memorable watching her trying to keep from barfing on the empty seat next to her. Ruggero Deodato was there speaking and introduced the film.

[iluvgia]

Bad Taste or Street Trash

[Willie Escalade]

Does Vice Academy count?

[robertlouis]

Withnail and I.

End of.

[Prospero]

There is a challenge.
Blue Velvet
The Saragossa Manuscript
Celine and julie Go Boating

more to follow

Withnail and i IS a cult film - inexplicable really

[turtle74]

Rocky Horror would be my pick. There was nothing more fun than going to the theater as Dr. Frank-N-Furter.

YouTube - ‪TRHPS "Sweet Transvestite"‬‏ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc80tFJpTuo)

[Pelheckitt]

Gummo - Its fucking insanity

Dead Snow - Nazis and Zombies, whats not to love

Thunderbolt & Lightfoot - Jeff Bridges does not make an attractive Tranny

American Pyscho - Everyone should be murdered to Huey Lewis and the News

Evil Dead II - Actually they are all good, they'll swallow your soul

Heavy Metal - Great music, great animation, Naked chicks and Black Sabbath com'n

Pink Flamingos - More insanity

[HbgDon]

I got to go with Evil Dead II.

Romero's Dead trilogy definitely holds a spot in the top 10 of cult movies.

[StlyeMeCunty]

Female Trouble by Andy Warhol :)!!!!! :wiggle::wiggle::wiggle:

[Ben]

I got to go with Evil Dead II.

Romero's Dead trilogy definitely holds a spot in the top 10 of cult movies.

Anything by George Romero. (He has firm cultish credentials.) One of the best horror directors.

[Deimos]

The Crow
...Waiting
House of 1000 Corpses
Night of The Living Dead
Beetlejuice

and

who could forget, To Wong Fu: Thanks For Everything!

[Prospero]

Performance

[MdR Dave]

Heathers. Watched it a lot with my college friends. Hysterical.

Though maybe it was just because we dosed every time we watched it.

[Prospero]

Though maybe it was just because we dosed every time we watched it.

That's make even a Bergman film seem funny.

[Jericho]

That's make even a Bergman film seem funny.


I'm thinking that's a stretch! :hide-1:

[MdR Dave]

That's make even a Bergman film seem funny.

I played chess with death once. He cheats.

[Faldur]

Zombie Stripers! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekh3hsLpuSI)

[Stavros]

Female Trouble by Andy Warhol

Female Trouble was directed by John Waters, of Baltimore, MD -Andy Warhol was born in Pittsburgh descended from immigrants from Carpathian Ruthenia, before moving to New York City...

[Stavros]

The truly cult film of all cult films that I saw once and hope beyond hope never ever to encounter again is

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

The only reason I went to see it was because the poster had an image of a drag queen...I made the same mistake with Visconti's The Damned...

[kukm4]

A great documentary you might want to check out

Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream (2005)

saw it on IFC i think a few years back. They mention alot of the films listed
on here.

[Dino Velvet]

Female Trouble by Andy Warhol

Female Trouble was directed by John Waters, of Baltimore, MD -Andy Warhol was born in Pittsburgh descended from immigrants from Carpathian Ruthenia, before moving to New York City...

I was going to mention that. Many of John Waters' films belong in this thread. Female Trouble is good too. I saw Polyester way back in the theater in Odorama. I like.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3464/3304090087_a656a07757_z.jpg

[Jericho]

The truly cult film of all cult films that I saw once and hope beyond hope never ever to encounter again is

The Rocky Horror Picture Show


:dead:
Blimey, common ground!

[Dino Velvet]

I'm gonna catch a lotta shit for this but I like Phantom Of The Paradise better than Rocky Horror. There's just more Horror in The Phantom.

YouTube - ‪Phantom Of The Paradise Trailer‬‏ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n5qVJEg3qA)

YouTube - ‪Phantom Of The Paradise - Beef - Life at Last.wmv‬‏ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDX5Fs2ewQE)

[runningdownthatdream]

A lot of great selections. I'll add some of mine (can't pick one)

Repo Man
Napoleon Dynamite
Anything by Christopher Guest (Spinal Tap, Best in Show, For Your Consideration, a Mighty Wind)
4 Deadly Venoms
Enter the Dragon

[StlyeMeCunty]

I made a Mistake on the film title earlier! The film I meant to say was Women In Revolt, by Andy Warhol. :wiggle::wiggle::wiggle:

[nonnonnon]

the new spy kids movie will have smellorama

the more you know~

[Merkurie]

The best cult film depends on when you ask me.
But The Wall is one of the best
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aea-PSUiABQ&feature=related

[Deimos]

THE FLY! lol def a cult flick.

[Miss Aeryn]

No one's mentioned The Blues Brothers? Aliens? A Night At The Opera? 2001?

Evil Dead II is pure gold I agree :)

[Deimos]

Now that I think about it...

most all Timm Burton films reach cult status.... particularly amoung the same people that would listen to a group like London After Midnight.

[Dino Velvet]

Now that I think about it...

most all Timm Burton films reach cult status.... particularly amoung the same people that would listen to a group like London After Midnight.

I love London After Midnight. I wish they had the whole film so it could be restored. The version they have is put together as good as it can be. Lon Chaney Sr was a real master. He was supposed to play Dracula in the Tod Browning film but fell ill and soon died. Bela Lugosi was playing Dracula on stage, auditioned for the film, and received the part. Everything worked out well but it would've been interesting to see Chaney play The Count.

[Deimos]

Good film, good band too

YouTube - ‪London After Midnight - Kiss‬‏ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FowsRsMO6AQ)

[Deimos]

while I'm at it, the Hammer collection! Satanic Rites is one of my favorites

[Jericho]

Ah, Hammer.
Got to give Captain Kronos a mention.

What does the K stand for, is he a king?
Yes Caroline, he's a king...A king wandering about the forest with a hunchback and a box of pointy sticks! :rolleyes:

http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/3/38687/873763-kronos2_large.jpg

[Pelheckitt]

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

A classic cult flick.http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q54/Zombie_boy_Roy/Dr.Strangelove.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.blingcheese.com/image/code/113/dr%2Bstrangelove.htm&usg=__3c1cv1UhLyUAo_Rtd95KR8BW5Mc=&h=600&w=800&sz=36&hl=en&start=0&sig2=ZF8FreSjdIAh-K2YFN_2rw&zoom=1&tbnid=IlcCG4URgrQm6M:&tbnh=121&tbnw=162&ei=d2gaTsbPOYXUgQfE7OX8Dw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Ddr%2Bstrangelove%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%2 6sa%3DN%26biw%3D1366%26bih%3D581%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=1060&vpy=262&dur=30&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=166&ty=90&page=1&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:0&biw=1366&bih=581

[maaarc]

The Warriors
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV4cgs-bPic

Army of Darkness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QemcjQHJBmg

[theone1982]

THE FLY! lol def a cult flick.

Yep! Brundlefly!:wiggle:

[hippifried]

Putney Swope:

YouTube - ‪Putney Swope- Part 1‬‏ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D_fq0KVjuw)

[Merkurie]

Putney Swope!
Dude.

[Marinus]

Plan 9 from Outer Space ....

[south ov da border]

http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1020/189675.1020.A.jpghttp://www.undergroundhiphop.com/store/covers_large/AVAT1122DVD.jpg

Some faves of mine

[iamdrgonzo]

Here are a couple that I have enjoyed:

Soylent Green and Seven Days In May

[Clind]

Warriors is my best

i mention also Cannibal Holocaust as a completely CULT, SPLATTER, GORE, B MOVIE, FILM

YouTube - ‪The Warriors Trailer‬‏ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV4cgs-bPic)

YouTube - ‪Cannibal Holocaust movie trailer‬‏ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwCaPKHybwk&feature=related)

[Bobzz]

Hmmmmm... define cult. I don't think it means (necessarily) blood and gore. Does it mean a movie that you've seen over and over and you never mind watching it again (and again)?

Pink Flamingos
Un Chien Andalou
Reefer Madness
Kentucky Fried Movie
The Groove Tube
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension a/k/a/ Buckaroo Banzai
The King of Hearts
Repo Man (ditto)
Brazil
My Dinner with Andre
Amelie
The Princess Bride
Nosferatu
Apocalypse Now
The Fly (ditto) (both versions)
Dazed and Confused
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Deep Throat
Behind the Green Door

.... man the list keeps going on and on.

[Prospero]

Surely a cult movie isn't one that you love to see over and over - but one around which a cult following has developed for some reason. For instance "The Rocky Horror Show" with screenings where people arrive dressed as the characters - or something like "Plan Nine From Outer Space" which has many followers simply because it is wholly dreadful.

[Stavros]

Prospero's definition is exact, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show fits the description more than most -Star Trek has a cult following even if no single film can be labelled a cult film but I might be wrong on that -apparently there are more then 300,000 people in the UK who claim Jedi as their religion...and you thought Scientology was bonkers?

Dark Star had a 'cult' following in the 1970s, that is, it was an obscure film that after disappearing from mainstream cinemas appeared in the 'repertory cinemas' London had in the 70s and 80s where people like me first saw all the classics -the point is people would say 'You haven't seen Dark Star? Wow, man...you need to see it!'....etc Great days!

[Stavros]

I would also like to put in a word for Walter Hill -I saw The Warriors I think three times in a week, he then made The Driver one of the best Americans films of the 1970s with car chases to match the best of Bullitt and The French Connection; 48 Hours launched Eddie Murphy's lopsided career but shares with its predecessors lean scripts, and tight editing -he is rather like Michael Mann in action films -really underrated but I havent seen his more recent films.

[Carrie_Parker]

OC and Stiggs
Repo Man

[robertlouis]

Surely a cult movie isn't one that you love to see over and over - but one around which a cult following has developed for some reason. For instance "The Rocky Horror Show" with screenings where people arrive dressed as the characters - or something like "Plan Nine From Outer Space" which has many followers simply because it is wholly dreadful.

Your definition would appear to embrace The Sound of Music on the dressing up criteria, Prospero.

Seriously, I do agree - that's why I nominated Withnail and I. I've never rated it as better than average and wouldn't care too much if I never saw it again, but it is without any doubt a cult movie.

[FawlenAngelle]

"PINK FLAMINGOS!"
The filthiest movie ever made!:ignore:
Starring the infamous drag icon: Divine!
Directed by John Waters
http://www.covershut.com/covers/Pink-Flamingos-Front-Cover-13637.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90ThWDQqQhg&feature=related

"Notorious Baltimore criminal and underground figure Divine goes up against Connie & Raymond Marble, a sleazy married couple who make a passionate attempt to humiliate her and seize her tabloid-given title as "The Filthiest Person Alive".
-http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069089/

"There are two types of people...my kind of people and ASSHOLES...":yayo:

[robertlouis]

I would also like to put in a word for Walter Hill -I saw The Warriors I think three times in a week, he then made The Driver one of the best Americans films of the 1970s with car chases to match the best of Bullitt and The French Connection; 48 Hours launched Eddie Murphy's lopsided career but shares with its predecessors lean scripts, and tight editing -he is rather like Michael Mann in action films -really underrated but I havent seen his more recent films.

I agree, Stavros. The Driver also has Ryan O'Neal's best performance in a movie, because he has one expression throughout the film and barely speaks a word. And 48 Hours is imo one of the best US movies of the 80s, precisely because of the attributes that you've listed. Arguably Nick Nolte's best too.

[Deimos]

haha as long as drag is thrown in the mix

Tootsie
and
Ed Wood

oh shit, HAIRSPRAY lol! obviously the one with Divine

[Dino Velvet]

"PINK FLAMINGOS!"
The filthiest movie ever made!:ignore:
Starring the infamous drag icon: Divine!
Directed by John Waters
http://www.covershut.com/covers/Pink-Flamingos-Front-Cover-13637.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90ThWDQqQhg&feature=related

"Notorious Baltimore criminal and underground figure Divine goes up against Connie & Raymond Marble, a sleazy married couple who make a passionate attempt to humiliate her and seize her tabloid-given title as "The Filthiest Person Alive".
-http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069089/

"There are two types of people...my kind of people and ASSHOLES...":yayo:

If you want filth and sleaze, check out A Serbian Film. It's a real sickie.

YouTube - ‪A Serbian Film (Srpski Film) - Official Trailer‬‏ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T6YM7RE5wQ)

[Jericho]

If you want filth and sleaze, check out A Serbian Film. It's a real sickie.

Fukkin gruesome in places! :hide-1:

[Dino Velvet]

Fukkin gruesome in places! :hide-1:

You saw it? You see The Life And Death Of A Porno Gang? Serbs are crazy but I like 'em.

YouTube - ‪LIFE AND DEATH OF A P***O GANG - OFFICIAL TRAILER‬‏ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12T9Bwe-2co)

[Jericho]

You saw it? You see The Life And Death Of A Porno Gang? Serbs are crazy but I like 'em.

It's on the list but, haven't got around to seeing that one yet.

But yeah, A Serbian Film, definitely not for the queasy!

[Deimos]

lol when it comes to splatter gore, tha japanese are really unique. tokyo gore police, the machine girl, i could go on. very grindhouse feel to them aswell

[Dino Velvet]

lol when it comes to splatter gore, tha japanese are really unique. tokyo gore police, the machine girl, i could go on. very grindhouse feel to them aswell

Tons of great stuff from South Korea too. I miss those crazy Hong Kong Cat. III Movies from the 1990s especially The Untold Story and The Ebola Syndrome.

[Prospero]

I find the taste for splatter gore or whatever you call this repulsive stuff, allied to pornography rather worrying. It veers towards those "mythical" things - the real snuff movie which, if they exist, are truly sick. Worrying.

[Prospero]

How about Andy Warhol's epic "Chelsea Girls?"

YouTube - ‪The Chelsea Girls 1966 clip‬‏ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCnBVZG3GhU&feature=related)

[Stavros]

Chelsea Girls...I sat through the whole thing once, and once was enough...if its a cult film its like the great books nobody has honestly read all the way through -cult by reputation rather than experience.

[Prospero]

That is the point isn't it... they can be as dire as hell but a cult has certainly built up around Chelsea Girls (Yes it is dull dull dull)

[Clind]

Stavro to idio evala kai go (milao gia tous Warriors) apo ti gnorizo girizetai remake

I think about warriors that is in development the remake of "the Warriors"

[robertlouis]

That is the point isn't it... they can be as dire as hell but a cult has certainly built up around Chelsea Girls (Yes it is dull dull dull)


Which goes directly to the heart of the contradiction inherent in the OP's question. How can anyone define "best" in the context of the cult movie?

Any judgement has to be subjective - otherwise it could not be a cult.

And as you've noted, most "cult" movies are drivel.

[theone1982]

You saw it? You see The Life And Death Of A Porno Gang? Serbs are crazy but I like 'em.

YouTube - ‪LIFE AND DEATH OF A P***O GANG - OFFICIAL TRAILER‬‏ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12T9Bwe-2co)

Thanks for the tips on these movies Dino! They look sweet, and I'm going to check them out.

[robertlouis]

Thanks for the tips on these movies Dino! They look sweet, and I'm going to check them out.


"Sweet???". Err, I don't think so............:hide-1:

[theone1982]

"Sweet???". Err, I don't think so............:hide-1:

Lol, well not sweet like, say, a kiss from Ashley George would be, but sweet, as in, Oh hell yeah this movie is going to be awesome!:)

[Paladin]

Rocky Horror would be my pick. There was nothing more fun than going to the theater as Dr. Frank-N-Furter.

YouTube - ‪TRHPS "Sweet Transvestite"‬‏ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc80tFJpTuo)

Rocky horror came to my mind first as well.

The gore flicks - well, no real appeal to me..

[YasminLee]

showgirl!!!! ?

[theone1982]

showgirl!!!! ?

That's a good one! Nothing like cast members from Saved By the Bell being fully nude! Except for Screech.:)

[YasminLee]

That's a good one! Nothing like cast members from Saved By the Bell being fully nude! Except for Screech.:)

i agree...i had the biggest crush on zach

[theone1982]

i agree...i had the biggest crush on zach

He was actually partly naked on the new show that he is on. They showed the clip on Conan. He gets up and walks out of a hot tub, and it shows his whole backside.

[LibertyHarkness]

Planet Terror for me :) or Braindead

[Jericho]

"Sweet???". Err, I don't think so............:hide-1:


Oh No...You've Madonna'd him! :hide-1:

[muh_muh]

no ones mentioned "gayniggers from outter space" yet?

[needsum]

How about 'Bloodsucking Freaks'???? Anybody??? OMG I remember my buddy and I rented this when we were in Highschool. We were blown away and started talking about it with other people and before long it became something of an underground phenomenon in our school. Necropheliacs, sexually deviant torture, and midgets who give themselves head with freshly severed womens heads.... come on, now THATS a cult classic!

[the_unnatural]

Planet Terror for me :) or Braindead

I love Plant Terror, too.

Any fans of Visitor Q?

[theone1982]

Planet Terror for me :) or Braindead

Braindead, also known as Dead Alive is a great movie! I remember going to the video store as a kid and seeing the crazy box cover and always being intrigued.

[theone1982]

And for those of you out there who can't stomach gore, cult movies like Alien and Texas Chainsaw Massacre are notorious for people thinking they've seen a lot of blood and guts after watching them, when, in actuality, there is little, if any, gore, within them. To me, that's a sign of a good movie, getting people to think they've seen something when it wasn't really there at all. Take Jaws, for instance, as well. People always think they've seen a really scary shark after watching that movie, but the shark is only seen briefly at the very end. Spielberg couldn't use the mechanical shark as much as he would have liked because it looked phoney, so he set up the movie so that the audience subtly thinks they've seen it throughout the entire movie.

[Prospero]

I have never understood what it is that makes people enjoy being nauseated or terrified when they go the cinema. What is the appeal of splatter films? What IS the reason for the popularity of things like the Saw movies. is it the same thing that made the romans enjoy seeing christians thrown to the lions or people kill each other?

C'mon TheOne1982 - you enjoy this stuff. Please explain to a naive Englishman.

[LibertyHarkness]

i enjoy splatter movies as they make me laugh ... they are just a poke of fun and escape from reality ... much the same as sci fantasy films ....

people back in the day were of much more strong constitution than our current era of people. death,blood were all part of life, as war was so rife ... over the centuries we have dumbed down our inbuilt nature side to a weaker version ...and also civilised abit more in some fashion ..

[Stavros]

Any fans of Visitor Q?

I have about 17 of Miike's films, including Visitor Q. Miike is in some ways a conventional man using unconventional means to tell a moral tale: in his Yakuza films which usually include an orgy of violence, one person acting out of greed or revenge will bring down the whole of the crime family; in his family films, it is quite often the reverse: a negative act will inspire the reformation of the unit, or what's left of it. His trilogy Shinjuku Triad Society -Rainy Dog -Ley Lines is a set of powerful films which also, unlike a lot of Japanese films, moves out of the 'pure Japanese' social milieux to look at how Japanese born in Korea or China, or Chinese gansgters operating in Japan, deal with the existing gang cultures, for which you can read Japanese society as a whole. The focus on Brazilian-Japanese in The City of Lost Souls is less successful as I think its also an hommage of Sergio Leone's westerns; however Miike also uses transexuals in his films, often appearing as 'normal' characters although in Gozu the staff in the restaurant scene can hardly be described as normal in that films! And Gozu is a critique of that boring 18thc moralist David Lynch, whatever...

Ichi the Killer and Audition are his most profound films, behind the sickening violence of Ichi the Killer is a meditation on what happens to people for whom 'normal sex' is not enough, whose satisfaction goes beyond most people's boundaries, a subject that rarely gets treated in films, and which Barbet Schroeder at least tried in Maitresse...Audition ask deeper questions of family love than Visitor Q...

[dderek123]

Audition was awesome! Miike is a sick fucker! I think he has a needle fetish.

[Edwoodwoodwood]

From Dusk til Dawn - Classic vampire movie with early appearance of Tarantino & Harvey Keitel



http://www.moviepilot.de/files/images/0156/6311/upload_download.jpg

Who could ever forget that magnificent scene with georgeous Salma Hyak and the snake (soundtrack by Tito & the Tarantulas). If you've never seen it just watch the youtube clip below - classic.

http://screencrave.frsucrave.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/from-dusk-till-dawn-12-2-10-kc.jpg

‪From Dusk Till Dawn - Salma Hayek Table Dance‬‏ - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYxxgvA8rlM)

[Stavros]

Sorry I thought this was precisely where the film went awol, that and the invitation to enter the club, and George Clooney -does this guy have more than 3 facial gestures?

[Edwoodwoodwood]

Aw come on Stavros, its not meant to be taken seriously, its a vampire spoof.

[robertlouis]

Ummm. How about an alternative cult movie thread for films which don't involve buckets of gore and body parts flying about?

[Birgitta]

I like david lynch coz he is able to show the parts of reality and the moods and images one sees in dreams yet seem te be very real, not knowing if what you dream is true and if what seems real is a dream, and about not beeing able to make sense of different experiences and feelings in your life and trying to solve that puzzle but it changes you along the way...i know of no other moviedirector that does this stuff, his films feel very 'realistic' to me, in a strange way...

I did have a scare one day when i took the bus and two passengers sitting across me where 2 identical twins that looked like 'bob' from Twin Peaks...hihi
That was sooo strange lol !

As a teenager i loved twin peaks and laura palmer, in an odd sorth of way it was easy for me to relate to that world...

Inland empire i thought was interesting too, like visiting past life's witnessing yourself, your life staged, as a movie....the filmset being often visable in supposedly "real life" situations, story and real life entwined, past present and future and being more then just one personality, i like that kind of stuff...

[Birgitta]

Whatever happened to baby jane
Mommie dearest
Santa sangre
Harold and Maude

[Dino Velvet]

Santa sangre


Nice pick.:cheers:

[muh_muh]

btw has any of you seen rubber? im still unsure whether i like it or not

[Prospero]

Rubber? what is it - new or old, US or European? is it a film is it a plane?

[muh_muh]

it is the weirdest cinemagoing experience ive ever had
Rubber (2010) - IMDb@@AMEPARAM@@http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTU2Nzg2NDQ2Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDk5MjMzNA@@._ V1._SX94_SY140_.jpg@@AMEPARAM@@BMTU2Nzg2NDQ2Nl5BMl 5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDk5MjMzNA@@@@AMEPARAM@@SX94@@AMEPAR AM@@SY140 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1612774/)

and it does feature one of the best opening scenes ive ever seen in a movie
‪Rubber - Prologue‬‏ - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWjtR1DpNFo)

[robertlouis]

Thanks for the reminder about David Lynch, Birgitta.

You could legitimately claim that any of his films stands up as meeting the criteria for cult status, but the one the stands out for me and is still one of the most unsettling movies I have ever seen is Eraserhead from 1977. The soundtrack of hisses and bangs, essentially industrial noise, the starkly black and white photography, the use of shadow, and above all the nightmarish creations - that crying thing, purportedly a baby, is giving me the creeps even as I type this.

[moonman]

Friday?

[Yvonne183]

I'm sorry but I didn't read all the posts here so if I repeat an answer, sorry.

Suburbia
Liquid Sky
Smithereens
My Beautiful Launderette
Repo Man
Sid and Nancy

and Brother from another Planet

[SP27]

great cult movies:

Dune
Brazil
The Warriors
RHPS
Time Bandits
Blade Runner
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Office Space
Harold & Maude
Clerks
The Big Lebowski
Heathers
Alien
Logans Run

[jaydubb]

Flash! Ah-Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Need I say more

‪Flash Gordon‬‏ - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh8KVG8j68I)

[eddymunster90]

Office space. Totally bombed at the theater, but is must see comedy.

[Stavros]

I think some people are just listing their favourite wacky movies rather than thinking what a cult film is, as discussed a few pages ago. I also find it hard to believe that intelligent people can't see beyond the slick veneer Lynch draws across his films which in terms of content preach the kind of moral lessons that the Women's Institute in the UK or the Daughters of the American Revolution in the USA would approve of, particularly in Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive. If Eraserhead is different from the rest, it may be Lynch's belief at the time that marriage and the family were not all they were advertised as being, perhaps that is why, when he has the money and Republican family values to promote, he makes such reactionary films. He also deliberately creates meaningless people and situations in his films, and throughout Twin Peaks -as the cop at the beginning of Rubber says, 'for no reason' -come to think of it, I won't be watching Rubber, I can't think of a reason why I should.

[robertlouis]

I think some people are just listing their favourite wacky movies rather than thinking what a cult film is, as discussed a few pages ago. I also find it hard to believe that intelligent people can't see beyond the slick veneer Lynch draws across his films which in terms of content preach the kind of moral lessons that the Women's Institute in the UK or the Daughters of the American Revolution in the USA would approve of, particularly in Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive. If Eraserhead is different from the rest, it may be Lynch's belief at the time that marriage and the family were not all they were advertised as being, perhaps that is why, when he has the money and Republican family values to promote, he makes such reactionary films. He also deliberately creates meaningless people and situations in his films, and throughout Twin Peaks -as the cop at the beginning of Rubber says, 'for no reason' -come to think of it, I won't be watching Rubber, I can't think of a reason why I should.

I agree with your summary of Lynch's later works, but Eraserhead IS different. Hell, I can't think of a single movie that's like it at all.

And yes, as I said earlier, surely "cult" shouldn't be defined by the amount of gore that's unnecessarily spilled.

"L'Annee Derniere a Marienbad" meets my criteria for being a cult movie - beautiful to watch, exquisitely filmed, beautiful people too. But I'm buggered if I know what's going on.

Visited Schloss Schleissheim north of Munich where much of it was filmed, in early June this year. The evening sunshine helped me pick out some of the scenes in my mind's eye. Quite something to see the backcloth to a great screen enigma played out in three dimensions in front of you.

[giovanni_hotel]

Putney Swope:

YouTube - ‪Putney Swope- Part 1‬‏ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D_fq0KVjuw)

Man it's hard to believe this film was even greenlighted at the time.

Watch it whenever it comes on,(not enough!!) on TCM!!!

[aprilian]

Favorite. Liquid Sky. Aliens in a spaceship the size of a pizza land in NYC. They find the perfect duo to park above. A herion pusher and a Nympho. The feed on the brain energy released while high on H or while orgasming.... PERFECT 10.

Just watched RUBBER on Netflix. Very interesting.

Just finish Thankskilling...... I want my fucking hour back

[cokezero]

The Room

[giovanni_hotel]

Cult movie can't be a blockbuster or have a huge production budget.

Cult movie = loyal, devoted cult like following among a small(ish) group of movie fans.

Too bad the era of hole-in-the-wall VHS rental stores are extinct, they were the petri dish for cult film classics.

Netflix etc. are going to promote their top rentals, not the movies most people don't know exist therefore hardly ever watch.

[Prospero]

Giovanni and Robert Louis both generally accord with my view of what a cult film is - though it COULD be a big box office film with big budget (something like The Sound Of Music for instance which has a slavish set of followers who'll see it thousands of times and dress up as characters or the full length cut of Heavens Gate - which was a total flop at the box office and bust the studio but which does have a devoted coterie of followers). By and large though it probably is films which attract a smaller and evoted following of people who seek them out in obscure corners.

I think Stavros misses the point a little by launching into a critical attack on David Lynch. You could argue that Blue velvet et all have a big mainstream following, so are not cult. But not that, because the values it bottles are conservative, that its not to be considered cult. A bad film can still be a cult film - ie The Three Stooges' films have a cult following as does Plan 9 from outer space.

Sometimes the cult is drawn to the film because it is obscure - a sort of hipper than thou position - sometimes because they feel it should be given acclaim but isn't and sometimes because they just love it - warts and all.

[Stavros]

Does anyone here rate Heaven's Gate? I used to work with someone who was in the opening scene which was filmed in Mansfield College, Oxford where he was a student at the time...I thought it over-ambitious but some of the scenes were brilliantly choreographed, mostly the crowd scenes. I just dont like David Lynch and use the opportunity to knock his work whenever it arises, same with Peter Greenaway and a few others I can't resist -which doesn't mean I am right. Although I also don't like slasher movies, there is a fair bit of slashing in Miike's Ichi the Killer, but it makes sense there, and that's the point.

Irreversible could be a cult film -I was challenged by it the first time I saw it, on second viewing I was offended at the way my emotions/moral were being manipulated and instead of being a brave and challenging film, I now think of it as a mistake. Or at least, it suggests that explicit violence has to be treated with care, it seems to work in some films, and not in others.

[Prospero]

I do rate Heavens gate actually. i saw the full length (six hour? ) version on its brief release and thought it a very fine piece of Marxist film making. After that it got truncated and doesn't make sense in the shorter cut.

Yep - well i have a visceral dislike of Greenaway too - his films that is. i saw an art installation he did in a Venetian palace once and it was a very atmospheric piece.

[Stavros]

Six hours?? Now that's a film I would like to see; I do recall thinking that the version I saw was incoherent. I went to Paris to see it in the days when nobody in the UK would screen it, I think it was about 3 hours when I saw it. I recall the wonderful opening sequence in particular, but I definitely think it needs further viewing. Thats also because I loathed The Deer Hunter when it was released, but have seen it a couple of times since and think its much better than I thought at the time. Cimino hasnt made that many films, I don't know how his film about Salvatore Giuliano [The Sicilian] compares to Rosi, I think Cimino might be an underated auteur..

Last Year in Marienbad is a classic film about memory and loss, I probably watch it these days once a year, but I also note the nouveau roman of Robbe-Grillet has gone out of fashion.

[Yvonne183]

How bout any Russ Meyer film, like Super Vixens or Up.

Is,, "I spit on your grave" a cult movie?

Killer Clowns or Killer Tomatoes????

[needsum]

Cult movie can't be a blockbuster or have a huge production budget.

Cult movie = loyal, devoted cult like following among a small(ish) group of movie fans.

Too bad the era of hole-in-the-wall VHS rental stores are extinct, they were the petri dish for cult film classics.

Netflix etc. are going to promote their top rentals, not the movies most people don't know exist therefore hardly ever watch.


bingo.

[Deimos]

"Sometimes the cult is drawn to the film because it is obscure - a sort of hipper than thou position - sometimes because they feel it should be given acclaim but isn't and sometimes because they just love it - warts and all. "

this

[Jericho]

Damn, but some of you people over-think things! :shrug

[eaglesrule36]

Maybe I missed something, but I'm surprised there hasn't been any love for "Myra Breckinridge"

[Prospero]

Do YOU love that film then eaglesrule36?

[eaglesrule36]

You have to love a movie with Raquel Welch and an over sexed, geriatric Mae West!

[tskisser]

I'm gonna go with Hegwig and The Angry Inch

[robertlouis]

Maybe I missed something, but I'm surprised there hasn't been any love for "Myra Breckinridge"

And of course, Ms Welch does play a transsexual in the film as well.

Cult double whammy!

[twowaybro]

Five Deadly Venoms

[theone1982]

I have never understood what it is that makes people enjoy being nauseated or terrified when they go the cinema. What is the appeal of splatter films? What IS the reason for the popularity of things like the Saw movies. is it the same thing that made the romans enjoy seeing christians thrown to the lions or people kill each other?

C'mon TheOne1982 - you enjoy this stuff. Please explain to a naive Englishman.

I compare it to post-modern art, which, to really simplify it, is weird for the sake of weird. Well, splatter films are violent for the sake of violence. Though, as I pointed out in an earlier post, I think the best cult horror films are the ones that rely on subtly making you think that you have seen a lot of gore, when, in reality, you really haven't. However, I also think there are a lot of really good horror films that have a lot of over the top gore, like the films mentioned by Miike. I wouldn't really compare it to the Romans, after all, people were really dying in the Colosseum. But, as an interesting aside, much like I mentioned about the subtle convincing of the audience that they had seen gore when they really hadn't, a lot of the Christians being thrown to lions events was overly hyped throughout the centuries to the point where, today, many people think that that sort of thing happened all the time on a massive scale, when, in reality, it was a relatively rare event.

[Stavros]

Myra Breckinridge was cited I think 10 days or so ago; the film is rubbish, there is nothing else one can say about it.

The question on slasher movies would be -are they satirical? Defenders of Tarantino -Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction in particular,- use the Satire argument.

[tvkim]

bladerunner!