Top five cult movies of all time?

[Morgoth Bauglir]

I agree that Criterion DVD is great. I always wanted them make a part 2 of Hoop Dreams, and that’s what you get with the commentary from Arthur Agee and William Gates.

[mirrorman]

Darkcity

Versus

Warriors

Them

Cutie Honey -the movie

but I could really add:

Starship Troopers

Big Trouble in Little China

Long Kiss Goodnight

The Legend of The Seven Golden Vampires

Empire Records

[robgrob]

good shout on three o'clock high, very underrated movie!

top 5 is pretty difficult for me, ill give it a go;

Pi

el topo

The baby

enter the dragon

an american werewolf in london

revenge of the nerds & three o clock high would fit in the top also..

if I can find three o clock high on DVD MY LIFE Will be complete

[nectarsis]

Evil Dead 2

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Wizard of Speed and Time

Mystery Science Theater 300 The Movie

Revenge of the Nerds

Honorable mentions:

Starship Troopers

Fifth Element

Spaceballs

Transformers (1986)

Godzilla (all)

Battle Beyond the Stars

The Boondock Saints

[Guest bestmann]

let's see, a couple of movies that I thought should be on the list were:

army of darkness

a clockwork orange

reservoir dogs

and monty python and the holy grail

and maybe:

The Maltese Falcon or Trainspotting

[bearpower]

Army of darkness

Dog Soldier

Night of the living dead 1968

Them

Repo Man

[emeraldforest]

Jabberwocky

Eat the Rich

Leningrad Cowboys go Amerika

Roadie

Time Bandits

[Tigerstyle]

Please Delete Post

[ShaOW!linDude]

Night of the Living Dead ----- George Romero's classic b&w version.

Half Baked ------- to me this is funnier than anything Cheech and Chong ever did.

The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly ----- the definitive spaghetti western.

Dirty Harry ---- the definitive rogue cop movie.

Any Bruce Lee film ----- each a cult classic in their own right.

Honorable Mention: Monty Python's Life of Brian ----- I'm a Christian but this movie's depiction on Roman history and the way people respond to religion and government in general owns me.

[iron flag]

Interesting topic. and hard to pick with different genres! The obvious choice for #1 would have to be Rocky Horror Picture Show..My personal top 5: (not necessarily best, just "cult" imo)

1. Suspiria

2. Spider Baby

3. Shogun Assassin

4. Dawn of the Dead (original)

5. Django

[shootgringoshoot]

this is a tricky question.........

probably its more or less based on my favourite directers

oke in random order:

- The Good the Bad the Ugly

- M – Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder

- Golden Queens Commando (kick ass movie!)

- Banditi a Milano

- Pusher trilogy

when you ask em enxt month I will give you a complete other list ;-)

[ReverendYah]

Anything with Godzilla in it (bar the remake of course)

Attack Of the Killer Tomato's

The Day The Earth Caught Fire

Carnival Of Souls (again,not the remake)

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

[AlbertV]

My top 5 cult films

1) The Toxic Avenger

2) Class of Nuke 'Em High

3) Massacre at Central High

4) The Last House on the Left (the original)

5) Slaughter High

Updated list:

1) Class of 1984

2) Class of 1999

3) The Toxic Avenger I-IV

4) Class of Nuke 'Em High

5) Slaughter High

[massa_yoda]

1) SERENITY (Best film ever made)

2) ARMY OF DARKNESS

3) The Boondock Saints 1 & 2

4) The Blues Brothers

5) MST3K

Honorable Mention: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Obviously there are many I haven't seen yet, but these are the ones I love and introduce a lot of people to.

[So High]

Five is alot harder than I thought it would be. No I am not a Dolph Fan I just think those two movies dont get the appreciation they deserve. I feel the same way about Masters of the Universe. Ok that was a joke but it is still a good one too. Gwildor was pimpin in that Cadi.

1. Punisher (1989)

2.Kickboxer 2

3.Joshua Tree

4.Only the Strong

5.Equilibrium

[daisho2004]

This is a tough question so what is a Cult Film?:

Cult Films have limited but very special appeal. Cult films are usually strange, quirky, offbeat, eccentric, oddball, or surreal, with outrageous, weird, unique and cartoony characters or plots, and garish sets. They are often considered controversial because they step outside standard narrative and technical conventions. They can be very stylized, and they are often flawed or unusual in some striking way.

Most cult films cut across many film genres (science fiction, horror, melodrama, etc.), although some film genres are also more prone to being cultish, such as the horror or sci-fi genres. Teen comedies are also more often rated as cult films, such as American Graffiti (1973), (National Lampoon's) Animal House (1978), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), and Dazed and Confused (1993), with quotable lines of dialogue, and memorable characters and scenes. A sampling of the wide range of film genres (and sub-genres) covered by cult films includes:

•Cult Road films: Easy Rider (1969), Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)

•Cult Musicals: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975),Tommy (1975), Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982), The Sound of Music (1965) (the 'sing-along' version)

•Cult Blaxploitation: Shaft (1971)

•Cult Westerns: Johnny Guitar (1954)

•Cult Teen 'Chick-Flicks': Heathers (1989), Clueless (1995)

•Cult Sci-Fi: Blade Runner (1982), Repo Man (1984)

•Cult Comedy: Harold and Maude (1971), Pee Wee's Big Adventure (1985)

•Cult Documentary or Exploitation/Sexploitation Films: Reefer Madness (1936), Showgirls (1995)

Many cult films feature or effectively showcase the performance of newcomers or other unknown talented actors/actresses. Sometimes, they were revolutionary, brilliant films 'before their time' (i.e., Fantasia (1940)) and not bound by the conventions of their day. Most often, obscure and cheesy cult films are made by maverick, highly individualistic film-makers with low-budget resources and little commercial marketing. And cult films are rarely, if ever, sequels, since then they would have attained mainstream appeal and widespread success. Some directors/producers are more prone to making cult films, such as Roger Corman, John Waters, Ed Wood, Quentin Tarantino, the Coen Brothers, and David Lynch, especially early in their careers, because of their individualistic perspective and style, although they can often make a conventional 'mainstream' film too (such as David Lynch's The Straight Story (1999)).

More about Cult Films:

Many cult films fared poorly at the box office when first shown, but then achieved cult-film status, developing an enduring loyalty and following among fans over time, often through word-of-mouth recommendations. Cult movie worshippers persuasively argue about the merits of their choices, without regard for standard newspaper or movie reviews from critics. There's no hard-and-fast rule or checklist to gauge what makes a cult film. A cult film is often designated as such "in the eye of the beholder" without fufilling any definition. It's often a matter of opinion. One viewer's cult film may not be judged the same by another viewer.

They elicit a fiery and intense passion in devoted fans, and may cause cultists to enthusiastically champion and become devoted to these films, leading to audience participation, fan club membership, and repetitive viewings and showings at repertory cinemas. Cult films have tremendous followings with certain groups, e.g., college campuses, 'midnight movie' crowds, independent film lovers, etc. The first 'official' midnight movie was Alexandro Jodorosky's strange El Topo (1970, Mex.) (aka The Mole) - a mystical 'spaghetti western' about a black-clad rogue gunfighter on a quest to defeat the 'four masters of the gun.' It premiered at midnight in a rundown NYC theatre (on lower Eighth Avenue) and ran seven nights a week for many months. The concept of long-playing, taboo-breaking, eccentric midnight movies designed to appeal to urban film fans was thereby born.

But just because a segment of devoted viewers (pre-teen girls) repeatedly watch a film - such as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) - to view its star Johnny Depp, or Titanic (1997) (to see Leonardo Di Caprio), or to view the latest George Lucas Star Wars film, doesn't make a film a cult film. However, there are the most popular cult films, such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and any of the Star Trek films, that have developed cult followings with all the trappings.

One of the biggest, best-known cult films was not intended to become so popular. It was a low-budget, government 'documentary' propaganda film from the mid-30s created to exploit or dramatize the dangers of marijuana use and demon weed - Reefer Madness (1936). However, Tod Browning's grotesque Freaks (1932), was deliberately advertised as "the strangest...most startling human story ever screened," and had alternate titles including Forbidden Love, The Monster Show, and Nature's Mistakes. It used real-life dwarfs, pinheads, and other human freaks (portraying sideshow circus performers) to present a jolting story of revenge.

When first released, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and Almost Famous (2000) were almost instantly pronounced as cult films, but as time progressed, they didn't really fit the category. They were highly-acclaimed, award-winning films that were prominently shown in the mainstream, and it had been too early to judge them as cult films. The media often labels an unusual film as a 'cult film' when it really shouldn't. It takes time for a film to reach cult status.

Camp films are cult-type films, but they are often poorly made or ludicrous, yet still enjoyable and appreciated. Cult films follow no rules or pattern - some cult films are popular only among certain limited groups of audiences or friends.

Music-Based Cult Films:

Some cult films are music-based, such as director Rob Reiner's This is Spinal Tap (1984), a tongue-in-cheek spoof of rock documentaries, following a faux British heavy metal band's disastrous US tour. Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982) was a bizarre film based on the popular rock album, and Ken Russell's Tommy (1975) was the Who's rock opera about a deaf, dumb, and blind kid who sure plays a 'mean pinball." Many cultists enjoyed the soundtrack of The Blues Brothers (1980), a farcical musical comedy involving two loser musicians who resurrected their old blues band.

The first of two other quintessential rock musical cult films included the transgender The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) - notable for inspiring the craze of interactive 'midnight movie' screenings. The iconic film was essentially a trashy tale set in a mysterious Gothic castle with kinky extraterrestrial Transylvanian transvestites, two stranded young people (including an underwear-clad Susan Sarandon), and a mad scientist. Fans of the film would line up wearing costumes and bearing props to be unleashed during the midnight showings. The second was a rebellious teenage musical comedy titled Rock 'N' Roll High School (1979) that featured a rock band named The Ramones. Perry Henzell's urban-crime drama The Harder They Come (1973) with musical star Jimmy Cliff, featured a reggae soundtrack and a seamy look at poverty and crime in Jamaica.

Well-Regarded Cult Films:

A number of cult films are well-regarded, such as Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946), that became popular many years after its initial release due to repeated television showings. Likewise, the classic weeper An Affair to Remember (1957) has developed a loyal following (it was a remake of Love Affair (1939), was paid homage in Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and remade as Love Affair (1994) with Warren Beatty and Annette Bening).

Others include the science fiction classic Forbidden Planet (1956) that has developed wide cult appeal, Kubrick's intriguing A Clockwork Orange (1971) - a surrealistic tale of an ultra-violent future and the danger of psychological reconditioning, Coppola's anti-Vietnam war epic of a terrifying journey into hell in Apocalypse Now (1979), or another Kubrick classic, Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb (1964).

Frank Darabont's subversive, allegorical, and life-affirming prison story about two life-sentenced prisoners, The Shawshank Redemption (1994), based upon a Stephen King story, didn't find its audience and failed at the box-office during its original release, but established a strong cult following its video release/sales and widespread word-of-mouth recommendations. [This became the new pattern of promoting cult films when midnight movie showings had died down.] George Roy Hill, the director of such Oscar-winning hits such as The Sting (1973) and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), also helmed the comedy-drama Slap Shot (1977) with Paul Newman - noted as one of the raunchiest, most foul-mouthed, macho sports films ever made. Another highly-regarded cult film was Monte Hellman's low-budget Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) - a late 60s to early 70s entry in the road film genre - that was both an existential character study and a car-chase/race film.

A visually rich Philip-Marlowe style detective film, director Ridley Scott's Blade Runner (1982), set in futuristic, proto-punk Los Angeles in 2019, told about an ex-cop (Harrison Ford) who hunted down renegade human replicants - it has developed a wide cultish following. An early 70s big-cult favorite was director Hal Ashby's dark, eccentric and macabre Harold and Maude (1971) about a strange taboo romance between a 20 year-old boy (Bud Cort) and a fun-loving, joie-de-vivre 79 year-old woman (Ruth Gordon) to the tune of a Cat Stevens soundtrack - with ingenious scenes of the spoiled rich boy's mock suicide attempts staged to upset his mother. A year earlier, Bud Cort had starred in Robert Altman's quirky and satirical fairy tale Brewster McCloud (1970) as a bespectacled boy living in the Houston Astrodome where he was building a machine to escape and fly away. The Sound of Music (1965) when re-released in the late 20th century was presented as a sing-along version (with subtitles) along the lines of the participatory Rocky Horror, with fans dressing up as nuns, lonely goatherds and Nazis.

Conversely, some of the most praised films have pornographic origins, such as the ground-breaking Behind the Green Door (1972) due to its star Marilyn Chambers appearing in her first adult role (she was a former All-American Girl and Ivory Snow detergent model). Also in the early 70s during the height of a sexual revolution, the X-rated Deep Throat (1972) became one of the most influential (and successful) porn films of all time, attended by middle-class whites - it featured an unlikely plot about a sexually-dissatisfied young woman (Linda Lovelace) with a misplaced sex organ who required 'deep throat' fellatio for fulfillment.

[So High]

I don't know if that post was to poke at my choices but if it was I'll be sure to check with wikipedia to make sure I am properly listing "Cult" films. According to Wikipedia I did list two cult films. I would call Joshua Tree a cult film as it didn't do well when released and most don't even know of the movie. Now has a cult following but I dont know. Only the Strong is a cult classic among Capoeira enthusiasts. I got no defense for Kickboxer 2. Although wikipedia does list the first one as a Cult film. I guess I'll have to do better next time.

[Guest Markgway]

Some of my fave cult movies...

Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

Dazed and Confused (1993)

Gladiator (1992)

Hard Target (1993)

Judgment Night (1993)

The Principal (1987)

Toy Soldiers (1991)

[daisho2004]

@So High: Hey Bro I was just posting a definition of Cult Films, if I was goofing on your choice of movies you would know! lol

Its kinda hard to really define my cult films.

Definitely one is

1) Boondock Saints

2) Blade Runner

[So High]

Awesome choices mark though they are not all on the wikipedia list for cult films. I'm just playin bro I just feel like that fella attacked my choices. I mean there hadnt been any post here in awhile. Not even a half hour after I posted my choices he post that like I dont know what a cult film is.

[So High]

My bad bro like i just said I felt like you was going after me. No trouble I dont want problems just friends

[So High]

Glad thats Ironed out. It would be easy to make fun of em. Kickboxer 2. "For that choice you should change your name to 2 High" Only the Strong "Have you watched it lately thank god we have waaaayy better sound effect. Seriously they were that bad.

[daisho2004]

@So High: Its all good Bro sometimes when you read something yes it might seem like it comes out wrong, but on this site believe me everyone gets knocked around once in awhile! LOL

[TheBigBoss]

We're talking Cult Film Favorites?! Two Words...

BLADE RUNNER!!!

Also,

Clerks, The Big Lebowski, Fight Club, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Enter The Dragon, A Clockwork Orange, Pulp Fiction, Snatch, Reservoir Dogs and Almost Any 80's Slasher film (Friday The 13th Part III and Halloween for me)

[fatcat]

Two-Lane Blacktop!! American Grafitti, Up In Smoke, Fastimes at Ridemont High, Pulp Fiction