The love and beauty of cult classic movies

Cult classic movie posters (Dylan Cooper)

Written By: Dylan Cooper, Features Editor

Finally, the day is over. You’ve marched your way through the scholarly routine, completed every English essay you put off for three weeks, and finished the math packet that could’ve made Einstein cry. You earned the chance to sit down and relax on that stiff couch, and binge-watch another mediocre limited series that popped up on your Netflix algorithm. However, as you doom scroll on TikTok while pretending to pay attention, your dad grabs the remote and changes the channel. After ten minutes of mindless scrolling, it takes one glance up to see some old eighties movie flashing across the screen. Curious, you put your phone down for a couple of minutes to watch this odd piece of media. One hour and fifty minutes later, you finish Time Bandits, and you have never felt weirder in your life. 

This is just one of many movies that fall under the unique classification of being a cult classic; something that was unsuccessful for the most, but created a dedicated community around it. Whether the critics were not too pleased with it, or it was a shift from mainstream media, or even if it wasn’t successful in its creation, these movies stand out amongst the influx of big Hollywood titles and have become a staple of media culture. But titles like Time Bandits and The Lost Boys did more than slowly fade into obscurity, with their peculiar style generating cult-like followings, hence the name cult classic. Many of these movies that are beloved now were questioned or spurned in their youth, but for the people that held onto that love for these obscure pieces, they found a home with others who could appreciate that similar taste. 

For fans of bizarre science fiction, mixed with many audacious musical numbers, the Rocky Horror Picture Show may be the perfect film for you. Possibly the pinnacle of the cult classic genre, this movie dared to challenge the many gender and sexuality norms of its day, which upset a great deal of people. Because of its harsh reception but diehard fanbase, Rocky Horror is likely the first movie that will pop up when researching cult classics. The movie has stood the test of time and become an iconic piece of LGBTQ+ media, with Tim Curry’s astounding performance as Doctor Frank N. Furter going down in the history of queer character portrayals. Its extremely wacky style sets it apart from anything that you would see in the film industry of today. Curry also stars in other genre-defining cult classics, such as playing the devil in Legend and Wadsworth in Clue, a film that has inspired the murder mystery genre for decades.

Aside from movies featuring Curry’s excellent range, there are so many other excellent films that were underappreciated for daring to divert from the standards of successful Hollywood titles. Jim Henson was a mastermind whose obsession with puppets led to a colorful array of new ideas, with the creation of the Muppets spawning a cultural phenomenon in our society. But Henson also applied his puppeteering and directing skills to a film called Labyrinth, which featured the magnificent David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly. “I love the combination of puppetry and David Bowie, and I also saw it when I was about the same age as the protagonist Sarah, so I lived vicariously through her,” said English teacher Laura Hall-Grodrian, whose fondness for stellar movies bleeds into her classes. There is a deep love that people feel for this film, ranging from Bowie’s awe-inspiring performance as Jareth the Goblin King to the endless wonder of the mystical and often frightening maze. The goblin puppets are so different from what would normally be featured in any practical movie, but the oddities are what bring this genre to life, forming a nostalgia that other big titles fail to ever recreate. Henson also went over the top with The Dark Crystal, featuring only puppets and still capturing that same iconic fantasy feeling that is so hard to find nowadays. 

Some cult classics simply can’t be forgotten, but a few have helped in making the industry's most cherished names. Perhaps most surprisingly is the original Mad Max, which is not talked about as often as it should. That may sound ridiculous, seeing as the modern Mad Max movies are huge box office hits, but in its infancy, the film was nothing like what the many adaptations portray it as. It was considered a B-movie, a film that had an extremely low budget, and the apocalyptic setting that the sequels boast about wasn’t fully defined in it. The film series that came later on diverted almost entirely from the original material, but that Australian theme does remain the core of the franchise. There is still a touch of apocalyptic madness, but it’s nothing like what it is now. The movie does stand alone as a super interesting and mind-bending thriller, with lots of crazy action thrown into the mix. It’s one of Mel Gibson’s earliest roles, and if you want to dive into the origins of one of Hollywood's biggest and most controversial names, be ready to experience something entirely different from its current incarnations.

A few creators understand the strange feeling their content evokes, and any movie featuring Jay and Silent Bob knows perfectly well how bizarre it is. Jason Mewes who plays Jay, and Kevin Smith who stands menacingly as Silent Bob, appear as these two characters across various films that Smith personally directs. First appearing in the film Clerks, their nonsensical adventures and personalities have solidified this duo into movie history, where they would go on to create even more cult classics. The following of these movies seem to stay for these characters more than anything else, enjoying their unique comedic approach to everything around them, but the movies also often have extremely funny and odd plots that turn out to be super enjoyable to an open audience. Clerks had three movies, each featuring a couple of store clerks at their job, and the humor delivers in more ways than one. Some may call it stupid or say it makes no sense, but for the diehard fans of Smith's projects, it is the pinnacle of comedy in films.

There are many titular pieces that people cling to for the feeling it evokes within them, that sweet taste of nostalgia sinking into their hearts. “It has to be Ferris Bueller's Day off,” said Senior Jarett Nazaroff when asked what cult classic struck him as the best. “It’s really close to me because I got into it when I was in elementary school and there’s just something about the story that I just thought was funny and exciting.” This movie transports its viewers into a world with Ferris Bueller, a high school student who will do anything to keep out of class and have fun. It’s a whimsical tale that anyone can dive into, and really makes you question how far a person will go for a day off. Films like this are deeply rooted in some people, to the point where every time you watch it over again, it still captures just a bit of that essence when you watched it the first time.

At its core, it is in this deep love for these pieces that defines them as cult classics. It isn’t about how it fits into current trends or the way it worms into pop culture. These movies create common ground for the people who are mesmerized by them, storing itself away into a person's soul for one reason or another. People will always debate what the greatest film ever made is or even argue about what is or isn’t a classic, but in the end, it’s all up to interpretation. People may have different tastes, alternate styles, or clashing personalities, but everyone wants to enjoy the things they like without the judgment of others. These movies will always serve as a home to some of the most unique people, so in twenty years time, when you're sitting on that same stiff couch next to a kid who doesn’t know a lick about old films, it might be your turn to bring them into the fold.