Cult Movies 3 [antikvár]

It has been five years since I wrote Cult Movies 2. Since then there have been cult movie festivals all over the country, on college campuses and in museums. Not only have "cult movies" been almost legitimized, but also it has become increasingly important for films to achieve a degree of "cult" status if they are to survive after their initial theatrical releases. There are now fewer repertory theaters, fewer college film societies that show movies that are more than a couple of years old, fewer films that are released in 16mm, and fewer television stations that show movies. And competition is fierce in the video market. Cult status is desired by filmmakers of unusual films that flop at the box office because they can still turn a profit in video. In fact, the producers of those wildly titled low-budget horror pictures that only have brief theater life try to create instant cult movies in anticipation of their video releases. While there has been increased interest in cult movies, their definition hasn't really changed. As I wrote in the foreword to Cult Movies 2: "Not so long ago 'cult movies' were considered to be only those obscure pictures that were admired by a small, sad coterie of film 'experts' and other social outcasts. (It's still mighty hard to get a middle-of-the-week date to an Edgar G. Ulmer double feature.) The phenomenal success of midnight movies, particularly The Rocky Horror Picture Show, resulted in 'cult movies' becoming those pictures that are seen countless times by large, somewhat fanatical communal groups who turn every screening into an audience-participation party. I choose to define 'cult movies' quite broadly. I consider them those special films that elicit a fiery passion in moviegoers long after their initial releases; that have been taken to heart as if they were abandoned orphans in a hostile world, cherished, protected, and enthusiastically championed by segments of the movie audience; that are integral parts of people's lives. These are pictures that people will not miss whether they are playing on the Late Late Late Show, at a grindhouse in the most dangerous part of town, or at a drive-in in the next county; pictures that people will brave blizzards, skip their weddings, ignore their most solemn religious holidays, and even date their least-appealing cousins to see for what may be their tenth, twentieth, or one hundredth time." And as I wrote in the foreword to Cult Movies: "When you speak of cult movies, you speak in extremes. Hard-core cultists, ranging from polite to lunatic, insist that their favorite films are the most intriguing, unusual, outrageous, mysterious, absurd, daring, entertaining, erotic, exotic, and/or best films of all time. Also they point out that cult movies differ radically from standard Hollywood films in that they characteristically feature atypical heroes and heroines; offbeat dialogue; surprising plot resolutions; highly original story lines; brave themes, often of a sexual or political nature; 'definitive' performances by stars who have cult status; the novel handling of popular but stale genres. Outstanding special effects, spectacular camerawork, and a willingness by the filmmakers to experiment distinguish many cult movies. . . . "The typical Hollywood product has little potential for becoming a cult favorite because it is perceived by everyone in basically the same way. Almost everyone agrees on the quality of these films, on what the directors are trying to say, and on the correct way to interpret the films' messages. On the other hand, cult films are born in controversy, in arguments over quality, themes, talent, and other matters. Cultists believe they are among the blessed few who have discovered something in particular films that the average moviegoer and critic have missed—the something that makes the pictures extraordinary. They grasp the elusive points of their favorite films, the filmmakers' most personal visions, the cult stars' real selves coming through; and they find glory in that they are among the few on the same wavelength as the people involved in making these fihns. While word of mouth certainly plays a large part in the growth of cults for individual films, what is fascinating is that in the beginning pockets of people will embrace a film they have heard nothing about while clear across the country others independently will react identically to the same picture. There is nothing more exciting than discovering you are not the only person obsessed with 11