Just What Is A Cult Film, Anyway?Oct 21 '03 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Ultra-violence, transvestites, deformed babies and other bizarre stuff, definitely the stuff cult films are made of.
I've seen different explanations of what a "cult" film is, and I will now offer up my own thoughts on this subject. To me, a cult film is one that has a small, loyal (and usually rabid) following but is also one that mainstream movie-goers have no real interest in seeing. I usually count things like Frank Zappa's 200 Motels (or whatever it's called) as a cult film because I haven't seen it, but enough people are interested that my local Hollywood Video keeps a copy on the shelf, in the "cult classics" section no less. Even more interesting is the fact that it's always checked out when I see the box and consider renting it. I have no idea if the same guy is renting this movie over and over again, or if the film has a little bigger fan club, but the point I'm making is most cult films haven't been seen by just everybody you know. In fact, there are some that people you know wouldn't even admit to seeing let alone liking, but that's what seems to keep these films afloat. So, without further ado, here's my list... Freaks: This is Tod Browning's 1932 story of an evil trapeze artist who seduces and marries one of the circus midgets in order to inherit his wealth only to find that circus folks stick together and she messed with the wrong midget. I have little doubt that what disturbed people was that Browning brought in some of the most famous sideshow freaks of the day, including Siamese twins Daisy and Violet Hilton, Johnny Eck the Legless Boy and microcephalics Zip and Pip to star in the film. The ending scene where said trapeze artist gets what is coming to her is truly creepy stuff, but the whole film is pretty creepy so it all works. The Wicker Man: This is one of my favorite films, this is less a horror film and more a very literate thriller about modern paganism. A policeman (Edward Woodward) is sent to Summerisle (an island off the coast of Scotland) to investigate reports of a missing girl and finds the behavior of the residents unconventional to say the least. He's treated as an outsider and Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) has a serious advantage. As our policeman delves deeper into the mystery of the missing girl, he discovers a much darker reality to the colorful local customs. This is an odd little film, but while not a horror film in the strictest sense, it is very horrific. I can recommend this wholeheartedly for those folks who like a good, solid thriller with a gripping story, great acting and no gore to speak of. Eraserhead: I've only seen this once, and once was more than enough. A very strange movie about a guy named Henry who discovers his girlfriend, Mary, is pregnant and is forced to marry her by her parents. His apartment building appears abandoned, except for the lady who gives him phone messages from a pay phone and the woman who lives in the radiator who sings to him. When he and Mary pick up their baby from the hospital, it's the most deformed thing I've ever seen and it might not even be human. This is easily one of the most bizarre films out there and certainly won't appeal to just any taste. To be honest, I hate this movie with a passion, but it belongs on a cult film list just the same. Logan's Run: Made on a shoestring budget, this movie has a small band of loyal followers, such as myself, who just love it and will go out of their way to catch it on television. I have the DVD, but will still watch it on TV any opportunity I get. I have no rational explanation for that, it's just one of those things. The story of a futuristic society where your thirtieth birthday signifies death and the cop who chases the ones who run from this death only to find himself running too is pretty entertaining stuff, if you can get past the silly costumes and the glimpses of "futuristic" societies. I think it stands as an interesting look at 70's sci-fi and the story is fairly provocative. River's Edge: A truly disturbing film that's made all the more fascinating by the fact that it's based on a true story. Samson (Daniel Roebuck) murders his girlfriend for no apparent reason and leaves her body by the river's edge. He brings his friends out to see the body, just to prove he did it, but while they poke, prod and talk about the girl, nobody seems to *feel* much of anything. Keanu Reeves is good as one of the friends whose conscience starts to get the better of him, Ione Skye is another of the friends who wants to tell the truth but is afraid to and Dennis Hopper is great as an older friend of the group who is wanted for murdering his girlfriend years ago but can't understand how Samson can feel nothing over what he's done. Crispin Glover, however, pretty much steals the show as the group's leader, Layne, who becomes obsessed with hiding the body and keeping Samson out of trouble. The way he delivers his lines is both oddly funny and downright scary and his performance is tremendously good. It should be noted that, once again, this is a pretty disturbing film and is not for all tastes, but if you can make it through this, it's engrossing viewing. Repo Man: Michael Nesmith's bizarre mixture of punk rock, science fiction and violent action films, Repo Man is getting harder and harder to find on video or DVD. Emilio Estevez stars as a young punk who finds himself an apprentice to a whacked out veteran repo man (Harry Dean Stanton) and there's a car that everybody in town is hunting, without realizing what's hidden in the trunk. While it all sounds very chaotic, this is kind of like Snatch and Pulp Fiction, where everything comes together in the end and it's a fun movie but not everybody will be able to get into it. It features a very cool soundtrack with some of the biggest names in punk rock, which, sadly, is also very difficult to find these days. Dead Ringers: In this film, David Cronenberg serves up the story of identical twin gynecologists, suave Elliot and the more sensitive Beverly (both played by Jeremy Irons) and how they share their lives, their work and their women. This works until a soap actress (Genevieve Bujold) enters their lives and challenges their bond, they descend into sexual confusion, drugs and madness. VERY disturbing film, with some of the most twisted medical instruments you will ever see, this movie is one of Cronenberg's best. One of the biggest reasons to see this is Jeremy Irons' tour-de-force performance as both twins; that he was not even nominated for an Oscar was a travesty. This film will, in all honesty, probably disturb the average viewer too much to sit through it, but it's an amazing film nonetheless. Blood Feast: A serial killer is on the loose and Egyptmania is seizing a small Florida town in Blood Feast. Fuad Ramses runs an "exotic catering" business and business is booming, plus his book on Ancient Weird Religious Rituals is the topic of conversation at the local book club. Is there some connection between Fuad Ramses and the killings? Well, DUH! If you're expecting such things as plot and suspense, you've rented the wrong movie. Everything takes a back seat to the gruesome gore--there's a reason H.G. Lewis is called the "godfather of gore", folks. The effects don't stand up as well as I'd like, but they are certainly plentiful and when this was released, it was considerably ahead of its time. Released in 1963, Blood Feast is one of the first, best exploitation flicks and was followed by what would be called the "Blood Trilogy" which also includes 2000 Maniacs and Color Me Blood Red. A Clockwork Orange: Stanley Kubrick's film of the Anthony Burgess novel is a true masterpiece, but one that is distinctly cult-like in it's following. There were a great many people who found this too disturbing to sit through in the 70's and it's just as true today. The film is about a young thug, Alex (Malcolm McDowell), and his band of "droogies" and how their ultra-violence lands Alex in prison. While in prison, he volunteers for a government experiment to rid him of his violent tendencies but the catch is, he will become physically ill at even the thought of violence. Sent back into the world and pronounced "cured", Alex is haunted by his previous misdeeds and finds violence everywhere he goes, ultimately trying to do himself in. The film works on many levels, but the disturbing imagery coupled with Walter/Wendy Carlos's electronic classical music seems to just leave viewers uneasy. Not as terribly violent by today's standards, A Clockwork Orange is, indeed, a disturbing film with a exceptional performance from Malcolm McDowell. Rocky Horror Picture Show: The ultimate cult classic, Rocky has become a little more mainstream than it used to be, but is still reigning champion on most cult classic lists. A bizarre mixture of horror, science fiction and musical, Rocky is about Brad and Janet (Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon) and the odd creatures they meet when they stop to use the phone. The castle they visit has no phone, but it does have a transvestite from outer space, Dr. Frank N. Furter (Tim Curry), who is building his own man and the freaky inhabitants of his home planet who've come to see his success. The best way to see this is at the theater, where this was a midnight movie staple for years, so that you get the full effect. This full experience of Rocky isn't just seeing the movie, oh no. The fans talk to the screen and throw items in conjunction with the action onscreen, they dance and sing, shoot water pistols and the lines are often pretty funny. Still, with the sexual activity in the film and the nuttiness going on in the theater, it's still not a film that most people are particularly inclined to sit through. If you do go, just some friendly advice, NEVER sit in the back row. Well, that's my cult movie list and I know some people won't agree with some of these choices, but I will stubbornly stand by my picks until the bitter end. To me, these little films embody what a cult film is and if you don't believe, watch them and then decide.  |
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