# Worthy cult classics. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 3, 2019, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324 "2019-12-03T20:11:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324/21 "2019-12-04T00:26:34Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > We are friends now. This is such an underappreciated movie. _“Daddy would have gotten us Uzis.”_ [Tapeheads](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096223/) [Eating Raoul](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083869/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324/22 "2019-12-04T00:35:20Z")
> [@Wolf333](#): > > [El Mariachi](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104815/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) - Robert Rodriguez’ first film, made for $7000. Much like Repo Man, just about every thing about the movie is bad (particularly the acting and dubbing), yet it still manages to be good. In the vein of “early films by famous directors”: The Frighteners THX 1138 ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324/23 "2019-12-04T02:26:36Z")
> [@Mike\_Mabes](#): > > The Stunt Man with Peter O’Toole. My wife LOVES that one. When it became available on tape, she ran out to get it and we watched it together. Didn’t do a thing for me. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324/24 "2019-12-04T02:29:42Z")
Angel Heart Pope of Greenwich Village ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324/25 "2019-12-04T03:27:08Z")
[The Gods Must Be Crazy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gods_Must_Be_Crazy) [After Hours](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Hours_(film)) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324/26 "2019-12-04T03:50:55Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > Oh yeah – Tangerine Dream – watch Sorcerer 1977 - Das Boot The Keep\* Das Boot can be an entertaining watch, or an epic marathon depending on which cut you get. I think the ‘Director’s Cut’ was longer than the actual war. (Yes, I know…) ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324/27 "2019-12-04T04:22:29Z")
Bad Santa. Escape from New York/L.A. Highway to Hell. (1992) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324/28 "2019-12-04T04:47:50Z")
One not mentioned that I was reminded of when someone above mentioned Peter O’Toole: _My Favorite Year_ (1982) And if you want something a little dramatic…Peter O’Toole and Katherine Hepburn in _The Lion in Winter_ (1968) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324/29 "2019-12-04T04:51:27Z")
[Strange Brew](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086373/) - Esteemed cerebral de-construction of one of Shakespeare’s classics. [Bad Taste](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092610/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) - Peter Jackson’s first feature film has brain-eating aliens, Morris Minors and, happily, Derek. [The American Astronaut](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0243759/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) - this B&W sci-fi western musical about a space trucker guy being chased by his insane murderous old friend Professor Hess is absolutely unforgettable and one of the most fun movies I have ever seen. It’s also weird as fucking hell. 10/10 ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324/30 "2019-12-04T04:59:26Z")
_The Specials_. Maybe doesn’t rise to “cult classic”, but it should. ([Here’s a clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osCVUNDxhZQ).) ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324/31 "2019-12-04T05:13:12Z")
Believe it or not, TCM recently showed [Beyond the Valley of the Dolls](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065466) so it must be worthy, just to see Roger Ebert’s name in the credits for screenplay. It’s pretty wild as long as you view it as the parody as it was intended. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324/32 "2019-12-04T05:22:19Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Theme music by Tangerine Dream, and one of the best vampire movies of all time, particularly because they never say the word “vampire.” “We’re… different.” I love _ **Near Dark** _. I only have about a dozen actual DVD’s left, and this is one of them. I don’t think it’s such a great movie, but it has some wonderful scenes and performances, and is filled with, “that guy” actors. If you’re looking for something different, well, this one is. . . finger-LICKIN’ good! I feel like _ **The 13th Warrior** _ misses being a great movie by just a hair. I’m not even sure how to classify this one: Action-Horror? Antonio Banderas, at the height of his good looks, stars as an Iraqi ambassador, who is punished for his infidelities by being sent to someplace Wikipedia calls the, “Volga Bulgars”, to do ambassador stuff. He is dragged into a mission with 12 Vikings to fight a mysterious, almost ghostly/demonic enemy who is plaguing a nearby kingdom. A couple performances here should have made stars of the actors, but the film was a notorious flop, costing an estimated $160 million to make. This film caused Omar Sharif to quit acting for awhile. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324/33 "2019-12-04T05:28:21Z")
Can’t believe I’m the first to mention _Eraserhead_. I had to watch it three times before I understood what was happening. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324/34 "2019-12-04T05:51:14Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Das Boot (Director’s Cut) Anything with six oscar noms is not a cult film. I nominate _Darkstar._ > **[Dark Star (film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Star_(film))** > > Dark Star is a 1974 American science fiction comedy film produced, scored and directed by John Carpenter and co-written with Dan O'Bannon. It follows the crew of the deteriorating starship Dark Star, twenty years into their mission to destroy unstable planets that might threaten future colonization of other planets. > Beginning as a University of Southern California student film produced from 1970 to 1972, it was gradually expanded to feature-length until it appeared at Filmex in 1974, and subse... ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324/35 "2019-12-04T06:44:42Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > - > > Das Boot\* I don’t know if you meant it that way, but “Das Boot” was scored by [Klaus Doldinger,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Doldinger) not Tangerine Dream. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324/36 "2019-12-04T08:32:44Z")
It’s always hard to do this, partly because it’s difficult to figure out the border between classics that someone who doesn’t watch a lot of older films isn’t familiar with and those that are obscure enough that they can be more easily classified as cult movies. It’s also hard to distinguish between those that you think are solid cult films and those that aren’t that great but have some very good parts. In any case, here are what I think are the lesser known ones on my list of my 100 favorite movies: _The Adventures of Baron Munchausen_ (1989, U.K./West Germany, dir. Terry Gilliam) _After Hours_ (1985, U.S., dir. Martin Scorsese) _American Splendor_ (2003, U.S., dir. Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini) _Army of Shadows_ (1969, France/Italy, dir. Jean-Pierre Melville) _Blood Simple._ (1985, U.S., dir. Joel Coen) _Chungking Express_ (1994, Hong Kong, dir. Kar Wai Wong) _Code of Silence_ (1985, U.S., dir. Andrew Davis) _Dark Star_ (1974, U.S., dir. John Carpenter) _Diner_ (1982, U.S., dir. Barry Levinson) _Excalibur_ (1981, U.K., dir. John Boorman) _Fantastic Planet_ (1973, France, dir. Rene Laloux) _House of Games_ (1987, U.S., dir. David Mamet) _Invaders from Mars_ (1953, U.S., dir. William Cameron Menzies) _La Jetée_ (1962, France, dir. Chris Marker) _The Last American Virgin_ (1982, U.S., dir. Boaz Davidson) _McCabe & Mrs. Miller_ (1971, U.S., dir. Robert Altman) _Moonrise Kingdom_ (2012, U.S., dir. Wes Anderson) _My Brilliant Career_ (1979, Australia, dir. Gillian Armstrong) _The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes_ (1970, U.K./U.S., dir. Billy Wilder) _Ride the High Country_ (1962, U.S., dir. Sam Peckinpah) _Salvador_ (1986, U.S., dir. Oliver Stone) _Seven Beauties_ (1976, Italy, dir. Lina Wertmuller) _Slacker_ (1991, U.S., dir. Richard Linklater) _Sorcerer_ (1977, U.S., dir. William Friedkin) _They Live_ (1988, U.S., dir. John Carpenter) _The Tree of Wooden Clogs_ (1978, Italy, dir. Ermanno Olmi) _The Year of Living Dangerously_ (1983, Australia, dir. Peter Weir) And now I’m afraid of having you tell me that some of those aren’t obscure and some of them aren’t good. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324/37 "2019-12-04T10:06:01Z")
The Red Shoes (1948) - the best movie about professional ballet ever made [Clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2e4I3HbJGI) The Secret of Roan Inish (1994) - Irish family movie - magical realism - definitely not Disney-like [Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dT-BCVjKkA) Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) - weird and wonderful [Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x05QuAhpq6o) ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324/38 "2019-12-04T11:39:59Z")
Iron Sky - The Nazi’s escaped and lived on the dark side of the moon for 50 years. Real Genius - Mentioned earlier, great teen movie. Pump up the volume - One of the teen movies often missed too. Twelve Monkeys - Probably not cult anymore Leon, The professional - Jean Reno as a hitman in New York, left with taking care of a 12 year old Natalie Portman. With one of the best “hits” ever. The greasy strangler - Recent. Exactly the title. Someone covers himself with grease and strangles people. Hawks - Timothy Dalton and Anthony Edwards humourous defiance when dying of cancer. Funny and Dark. Unfindable, never released on dvd, only VHS. The lobster - Probably less cult now the director did the favourite. In a world where when you find yourself single, you have to find a partner or change into an animal. Train to Busan - South Korean Zombie movie on a train. Best recent zombie movie. Daybreakers - In a world where the Vampires rule, and humans have been farmed to extinction. In a world - tale of a girl who does voiceovers for movies. ---
**Author:** ![SykoSkotty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SykoSkotty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SykoSkotty)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324/39 "2019-12-04T14:08:00Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > _“Daddy would have gotten us Uzis.”_ > > [Tapeheads](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096223/) > > [Eating Raoul](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083869/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) _“The car didn’t know the difference…”_ Another vote for Heathers, and for some campy fun if you haven’t seen it, Clue. Based on the board game with Tim Curry, Leslie Ann Warren, Martin Mull, Madeline Kahn and Michael McKean - I never get tired of watching that one. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324/40 "2019-12-04T15:27:27Z")
Let’s see… Lifeforce (1985). Come for the absolutely stunning naked Mathilda May; stay for the campy fun of London getting overrun by a plague of vampires. Plus Patrick Stewart! L.A Story (1991). More Patrick Stewart as the world’s snobbiest maitre’d. Really a very insightful, love letter to how surreal life in Los Angeles was in the late 80s. Steve Martin and Sarah Jessica Parker are great in it. The John Cusack movies of the 80s were good for a laugh. Better off Dead is I think the best of the bunch. Though Grosse Point Blank is even better. I’ll think of some more. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthy-cult-classics/844324.md?page=3)