How does a movie attain cult status, or, where's the next Eraserhead coming from?

There’s been a lot of “cult” movies over the years like Eraserhead, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Plan 9 From Outer Space, and Blade Runner. When you look at most “cult” movies some things come to mind:

  1. low budget
  2. box office failure
  3. critical lambasting
  4. just plain weirdness

Of course, Blade Runner was fairly expensive at $28 million, but the others, I believe, were fairly cheaply made (especially Eraserhead). Any guesses as to what the next “cult” movie will be? Will expensive bombs like Waterworld have a rabid following 20-30 years from now?

Opinions?

That’s a good question…

IT definately has to be a movie that doesn’t have mass appeal (for any number of reasons really, I think Rocky Horror Picture show I found rather, well, not my type - I guess). It was different enough and quirky enough that it’s definately going to have a following…

I guess I think the key to making a movie a cult classic, is that it has to be different, really different (not so much weird, although some are). A movie can also be really bad.

As for the newest cult classic…If I have anything to say about it, it’ll be “Meet the Deedles”. It’s just bad enough to be a cult classic, and it’s one of my favorites.

Can a mainstream film be a cult classic, if a significant number of people are fanatically devoted? (Think “Star Wars” or “The Wizard of Oz.”)

I don’t really think so since these movies were enjoyed by a wide range of people. Usually “cult” movies start with a small, but fiercely loyal, group of people and pick up others along the way.

Actually, these are not necessary for a film to gain cult status. “A Star is Born” with Judy Garland, for instance, has a cult and it was none of these. “Rosemary’s Baby” doesn’t meet the first three, and only technically meets four (there are witches, but what makes them striking is that their so normal).

A cult film is one that attracts a large number of avid fans over the years after its release. Occasionally, they are manufactured (e.g., “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” or “Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai”) solely to attract a cult. More often a group begins to discover a film slowly by word of mouth.

I’d say the possibilities for cult films are rarer these days, as Hollywood plays it safe and conservative. The film I’ve seen recently that I think is most ripe for cult status is Francisco Arou’s “Picking up the Pieces,” but I’m afraid it’s just too obscure to catch on. It’s possible that “Galaxy Quest” may create a cult in time, too, and I think “The Usual Suspects” is also a possibility.

A mainstream film like Star Wars is not a ‘cult classic’. It is simply a ‘classic’.

Examples of cult classics IMHO are:

Big Trouble in Little China
Clerks
Office Space
The Last Dragon
Friday
Evil Dead trilogy

Cult classics are characterized as independent or low budget films. The usually have a poor showing in the box office. Often, many people couldn’t tell you when they were released.

What distinguishes cult classics from regular bad movies is that years after the fact, there is still a large group of people who not only watch the movies, but remeber every line.

“I wasn’t in the back room.”

and

“37!”

I pity all those people watching new Kevin Smith films who don’t get all the self-referential comments. So far my favourite is Randall selling guns in Dogma.

I’d have to add Escape from New York.

“I thought you were dead.”

I actually liked Waterworld. Or at least his boat. That was one damn cool boat.

Never.

Remember, most of the cult films mentioned in this thread became cult films in the 1970s.

Back in those days, we had things called “repertory theaters,” and “midnight movies.”

Rep theaters showed old flicks…classics, cult films, and various other things. Sometimes at midnight they would roll ERASERHEAD or EL TOPO or PINK FLAMINGOS, and we would all smoke marijuana and go watch them with great glee.

Since the mid-1980s and the widespread popularity of the VCR, 99% of these places have closed down…no one goes OUT any more to see CASABLANCA or DUCK SOUP; they rent the video instead.

You can’t create a cult with people sitting alone or in small groups in their living rooms. You need to get a whole bunch of people together, waving their arms at the screen and reacting in loud tones. Drugs are optional, but they help.

Ike – your forgetting one thing – the Internet. People pick up the video, then begin talking about the film in newsgroups and bulletin boards. That’s quite conducive toward creating a cult. Also, a lot of cult films never were shown in rep theaters, and a lot of areas had none in any case.

Movies like “12 Monkeys,” “The Princess Bride,” and all Kevin Smith films got cult status after the death of repertory theaters.

After Hal Ashby (Harold and Maude, Being There et al) died in late '89, Rolling Stone got a quote from Bud Cort (Harold). “H&M is always referred to as a ‘cult movie’, but I’ve never been wild about that ‘cult’ angle. It’s made X amount since it was released in 1971. I think you’d call that a successful movie.”

I can see his point: people often use the term “cult” when they mean “unsuccessful”. But if five films are released in the same month and year, and one becomes ‘cult’, it will continue to earn over the years, while the others pretty much stop earning after the first run.

Has anyone seen a comedy called “And God Spoke…”? It’s a mock documentary about people trying to film the Bible (don’t ask), and shows the production going further and further down the tubes. When it’s finally released, it gets scathing reviews and initially grosses about $10. But the last scene shows people lined up to see it at a revival house, wearing Biblical costumes, reciting dialogue, and so on. “It’s become totally cult!” Mr. Rilch rejoiced when we saw it the first time. So the impression is that the producer and director will make back at least what they spent filming it.

Ed Wood is regarded as the worst director of all time…but I wonder what his estate is worth now?

I see a cult classic as being one that

  1. Wasn’t a box office smash when released.
  2. Has since developed a very devoted group of fans who take it very seriously.
  3. Is watched over and over again by these fans.
  4. Is discussed and debated in minute detail by these fans.
  5. Leaves non-fans shaking their heads as to why people care so much.

I think that the following are relatively recent movies that weren’t box office smashes, but have developed

By these criteria, I can see several relatively recent (say, since 1990) movies that have cult followings.

Clerks
Reservoir Dogs
The Usual Suspects
Fight Club
Fargo
Carnosaur
Crash

Repeat three times: Preview first when you make changes.

Has anyone seen that they’re making a movie of Hedwig and the Angry Inch? Seems tailor-aimed at the “cult” genre.

How can anyone forget the classic Repo Man!
You can’t get any better than the sound track!