What Is A Cult Film

When considering, what is a cult film, it reminds this writer of a great line in one of the episodes of send-up of chat shows Alan Partridge’s ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’. A TV producer is talking to the great maestro about producing a late night TV programme. She describes it by saying it’s a cult series, to which he replies with “ah…right, low viewing figures.”

And there you have it. One of the two main definitions of cult is a movie that has a fanatically devoted, yet relatively small number of fans. And the other definition is a movie that for some reasons hits a cord in the cultural imagination and remains as such for many years.

Cult films are usually famous only within their small fanbases; they do not transcend out into the mainstream market. This does not mean they might not eventually breakthrough out into a wider audience, but initially, they appeal to the fans that are receptive to the themes and ideas they portray.

Many cult films have the dubious distinction of being so bad, that they are good, and eventually build a loyal and happy fanbase on that basis.

And a cult film can lead to a whole subculture of activity, which is marked by people re-enacting, or basing their whole life on themes developed by the movie.

Cult films usually do not follow traditional movie making ideals; they do not rigidly follow the money making template demanded by the big studios and producers. And their subject matter is often controversial, allowing them to explore concepts and ideas that would disappoint mainstream audiences.

This doe not mean to say that certain cult movies have not been extremely successful, as they reach out to a wide audience and say pinpoint the ideals, or problems of a certain generation.

And for many producers, a film that bombs at the box office, might eventually do very well in the DVD sales market, recouping its losses. Furthermore, movies that are deemed not commercially viable for cinema release and have the indignity of going ‘straight to DVD’, might turn out to be huge hits.

Take the 1999 movie ‘Office Space’ which bombed at the cinema, but more than made its money when it was considered a great film to have out on video. And when ‘Harold and Maude’ was released in 1971, it was poorly received, yet following its release on video and later DVD, it has gathered a huge fanbase, gaining it the status of a very successful cult movie.

And another distinction with cult movies is they are made from independent producers who have sought finance from alternative sources.

Some of the biggest examples of this happening involved movies that were never expected to be runaway commercial successes, but despite this belief, made money. Such movies as ‘Basket case’ (1982), ‘The Evil Dead’ (1981), ‘Eraserhead’ (1977) and ‘Pink Flamingos’ (1972), surprised most by becoming commercial earners over many years.

And many film achieve cult status by appealing to a particular social grouping that was never envisioned at the outset. Take Paul Verhoven’s 1995 big budget film about a Las Vegas stripper, Showgirls. Presented as a serious drama, it was panned by critics and was initially a commercial flop. Yet it’s become a cult movie for homosexual audiences who regard it as comedy, with a laughable screenplay and beyond belief physical encounters. Fans were even throwing Showgirls irony parties, whereby people would gather and tear the film apart and enjoy doing so. The studio behind the film, MGM, was not slow to recognise its sudden cult status and have capitalised on it ever since.

So, cult status need not equate to financial disaster. What it can mean, is long term financial success: more of a slow-burn, than a sudden flame.

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