cud sum1 plz give me a clear cut definition of a "cult classic" film?

Question

it will help settle an argument, and since i av u here wat is ur favorite 1???????thanks

Answer 1

The Wikipedia definition (which three others have already posted here) seems to match how I would define "cult classic" pretty accurately. But there really isn't any specific criteria to determine whether or not a film should be considered a "cult classic."

When I think of the term, I imagine a movie that didn't get a whole lot of attention during its initial theater release, one that subsequently developed more of a word-of-mouth reputation. As a result, more people later watched it, more people loved it (whether for being laughably terrible or surprisingly good), and it acquired a mass audience outside the normal channels of marketing.

They're usually movies produced by independent or smaller studios and whose subject matter is a bit more eclectic (a large number of them are B-movie grade sci-fi/horror flicks) than your typical, average mainstream filmgoer would care for (which is one of the reasons why these films inevitably get pushed to the fringes of the movie industry).

Also, this is going to sound pretentious, and it IS only my opinion, but I happen to believe that not all movies that have a "cult following" should be considered "cult classics." Star Wars, for example, has a HUGE cult following, but I've always thought of "cult classics" to be less... summer blockbuster-ish. Just my $0.02.

All that being said, I'll just list a few of my favorites:

Brazil (1985)
The Warriors (1979)
The Evil Dead series, particularly Army of Darkness (1992)
The Goonies (1985)
Kill Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
Planet of the Apes (1968)

and a couple that I've never seen but probably epitomize the cult classic mystique as I've come to know it:

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)

Answer 2

Would still have to be Rocky Horror Picture Show. Other Fave Cult Movies would be: Student Bodies - Basicly the early 80's Scary Movie, came out after Halloween took off. Funniest part when the killer called "The Breather" is going down a line of Knife, Saw, Hammer, Blade, Pencil, then he finds the Paper Clip and picks it up and unfolds it breathing heavier with excitement. Plan 9 from Outerspace - Called the worst movie of all-time. Ed Wood's masterpiece to me. Bella Lugosi and he had been working on the movie for sometime. Lugois died before the film could get going only getting a few minutes of footage in. The Toxic Avenger is a good one. Taruma films has got some wierd stuff and Toxie is their big Guy. Dirt Merchant is another good one. Danny Masteson from the 70's show, Anthony Michael Hall and Jenna Jameson. Pretty off the beaten path weir good though. Reefer Madness - The original. The anti Marijuana film. Pretty funny. Night of the Living Dead - The original. Classic. Still one of the best horror movies of all-time. Napoleon Dynamite- First time you watch you say WTH. But the 2nd you laugh and that leads to a 3rd 4th, can still watch it when it pops on. Sweet movie. Funny. Blair Witch Project-Cant really sit and watch it through again but the impact of this movie was huge. Still the all-time leader in the Ratio of Box office to cost of making the movie. First movie to really use the internet as a successful marketing tool and it worked. Not sure if some people understand what a Cult film, otherwise B movie is from the listings here. But saw some good ones on here.

Answer 3

Cult film is a colloquial term for a film that has accrued a highly devoted but relatively small group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside of this small group (however, there are some exceptions.) Sometimes, the group is bound to the film by a shared sense of ridicule for it, rather than artistic merit. Cult films often become the source of a thriving, obsessive, and elaborate subculture of fandom, hence the analogy to cults.

Answer 4

Cult film is a colloquial term for a film that has accrued a highly devoted but relatively small group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside of this small group (however, there are some exceptions.) Sometimes, the group is bound to the film by a shared sense of ridicule for it, rather than artistic merit. Cult films often become the source of a thriving, obsessive, and elaborate subculture of fandom, hence the analogy to cults.

Answer 5

wikipedia def: Cult film is a colloquial term for a film that has accrued a highly devoted but relatively small group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside of this small group (however, there are some exceptions.) Sometimes, the group is bound to the film by a shared sense of ridicule for it, rather than artistic merit. Cult films often become the source of a thriving, obsessive, and elaborate subculture of fandom, hence the analogy to cults.

my fave is donnie darko.

Answer 6

a Cult Classic is a film that did not do well when first released, either financially or critically, that has developed a following through the years. You cannot predict if a movie is going to be a cult classic or not because it takes years for it to become one. One of my favorite cult classics is Repo Man. I think some of the most recent films to become cult classics would be Fight Club, Snatch and Donnie Darko.

Answer 7

My definition is a film that has a huge following (hence the "cult") and is old (hence the "classic") Pretty much films that were popular during an era and people to this day will still flock to see them no matter how old they are. Watching the film evokes fond memories of years gone by....like Star Wars.
My favorite one is "Rocky Horror Picture Show"

Answer 8

Cult films/cult followers-is a group of fans devoted to a specific area of culture, people of similar interest like fantasy or sci-fi or comedy or horror.
Example of cult films:
Reefer Madness
Dracula
Sherlock Holmes
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Star Wars

Answer 9

A cult film is one that is outside normalk viewing channels, but has a groundswell of popularity

These films include Eraserhead and Rocky Horror, among others, but you do NOT state, this is a cult film; the cult comes to do

Answer 10

Goodness! Seems you have some good definitions, but I'll give some favorites of mine.
My favorite examples of cult film include Pulp Fiction, A Clockwork Orange, and Fight Club.