From The Rocky Horror Picture Show to Monty Python and the Holy Grail to Eraserhead, cult films seem to last forever.
But, what exactly is a cult film and what keeps them going? Which ones deserve to live in our memories and up on the big screen?
On Friday's Central Standard, Russ Simmons is joined by fellow movie critics, Thom Poe and Loey Lockerby to discuss what it takes to become a cult film and chat about the local venues that screen them.
Many definitions have been created for cult films. In his 1981 book, fittingly titled, Cult Movies, film critic Danny Peary defined cult films as "special films which for one reason or another have been taken to heart by segments of the movie audience, cherished, protected, and most of all, enthusiastically championed."
Our own film professor, Thom Poe, divides up cult films into different areas. Some cult films fall into the "so bad they're good" category. This would include anything made by Ed Wood or more recently, anything made by The Asylum.
Another category would be considered "quality" cult films. These are films that didn't get any notice when they were first released, but over the years, have developed very loyal followings. Films like Shock Corridor, Freaks, Donnie Darko, and The Big Lebowski keep audiences returning to theaters year after year.
Lastly, Poe mentions the cult of "camp," where the fun of watching the movie is being part of a community like with The Rocky Horror Picture Show ,The Room, Glen or Glenda?, and Mommie Dearest.
We also got a third opinion from Ryan Davis of the Alamo Drafthouse who believes that the experience of finding a film is how cult films originally came to exist. Movies that existed and persisted based solely on word-of-mouth or home video rentals. A film like Boondock Saints continues to be screened and enjoyed only because people regularly talk about it, and pass on praise of the film. Davis says, "People discover hidden gems of cinema, and they become a meaningful part of their life."
All three of these things typify "cult" films, which is why the list of cult movies grows longer every year, but here are some that the film critics and callers mentioned on the program.
Cult Movies:
- Plan 9 From Outer Space
- Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
- Freaks
- Detour
- Shock Corridor
- Donnie Darko
- Glen or Glenda?
- Mommie Dearest
- Somewhere in Time
- Little Fugitive
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show
- The Room
- Dead Snow
- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
- Scanners
- Birdemic: Shock and Terror
- Harold and Maude
- Eraserhead
- Monty Python & The Holy Grail
- The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai
- Since Otar Left
- The Big Lebowski
- Repo Man
Reviews (out of 5 Stars):
- August: Osage County - 2 Stars
- Lone Survivor - 3.5 Stars
- Her - 4.5 Stars
- The Legend of Hercules - 1.5 Stars
- Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit - 3 Stars
- The Invisible Woman - 3 Stars
- I, Frankenstein - 1.5 Stars
- Gimme Shelter - 1.5 Stars
- Labor Day - 3 Stars
- That Awkward Moment - 2.5 Stars
Guest:
- Ryan Davis, Creative Director for the Alamo Drafthouse - Kansas City
