Cult Classics

[TheVampwizimp_v1legacy]

Last night watched the movie Pitch Black. I had seen it when I was a teenager and liked it all right, but for whatever reason I saw it at the right time in my life this time, and it instantly became one of my favorite sci-fi movies. Which made me wonder, why wasn't this film more popular? Why is it generally considered a "Cult" film?

What makes a movie cult? I've never really been certain of the definition. Does it simply refer to a film that wasn't successful in theaters, but sold a lot of dvds (or "tapes," as they called them in my prehistoric childhood)? I think it must mean more than that, because Pitch Black was actually relatively successful compared to the more traditional cult films. It made twice its budget back, and spawned a bigger franchise, but it's still seen less as a good movie and more as an audition for Vin Diesel's Riddick. Is a cult film defined by the fact that it is different than its contemporaries, either a throwback or ahead of its time, and only becomes appreciated when tastes change and it suddenly seems like a clever anachronism?

Basically, I found a movie I really love and want to talk about. We can also discuss the larger subject of what the heck a cult classic is, and what your personal favorites are.

 

[DefunctTheory]

What makes a movie cult? Does it simply refer to a film that wasn't successful in theaters, but sold a lot of dvds (or "tapes," as they called them in my prehistoric childhood)?

A cult movie is a work with a strong, persistent, but limited in size fan base. It doesn't necessarily have to have bombed in the theaters, or have sold well on physical medium. Pitch Black made its money back, but was largely ignored as a work by the majority of people who didn't, or in fact did, see it. However, Pitch Black, like Evil Dead, was a Cult classic that spawned a franchise that stepped out of the cult arena, so its a poor example even if it does fall into the group.

Rocky Horror Picture Show is probably the defining movie, if your trying to understand what a cult classic is.

 

[SNCommand]

What is interesting is when a previously cult classic achieves general recognition and praise, for example John Carpenter's The Thing wasn't received all to well, with John Carpenter himself remembering the movie as being hated. Over time the movie received a small following that praised the movie as a masterpiece, hence why it received cult classic status, but as time passed it received more and more praise with its following growing larger. And today I would say it's commonly regarded as one of the best in the genre.