Contextual Studies: Cult

DEFINITION ：

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.

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)).

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.

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.

MY OPINION :

Mostly , people are not really love cult movie because it always show homosexuals, drug addicts, dressers addiction, sadism and other more marginalized theme. However , I think the audience of Cult does not care about the topic of movies come out, they only care about the movie itself. For a example , a famous actor named Stephen Chow had take a Hong Kong cult movie before . Although the movie was long time ago but the audience still can memorize the actor's lines such as me !
And I also do the research of cult :)

This is the movie that I say