This content originally appeared on Envato Tuts+ Tutorials and was authored by Marie Gardiner
What is a cult film?
They’re films that are usually obscure or maybe unsuccessful, but that become firm favourites with a particular audience. They normally go against whatever is popular in the mainstream, and they might explore themes or subjects that are edgy, subversive, or just weird! Here are more details on a few potential characteristics of cult films:
- They start out as underdogs. Cult films are usually unappreciated initially and get either a limited release or perform poorly at the box-office before finding their audience.
- Subversive themes. A lot of cult films look at things like alienation, have dark humour, surrealism or outright absurd. This can be off-putting to a general audience but it’s usually the thing that hooks their eventual devotees.
- Fan devotion. Fans will watch and rewatch these types of films. They’ll quote from them, analyse them to death, recreate scenes from the film. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) has become well-known for late screenings where everyone dresses up and sings along!



A history of cult films
We can probably consider avant-garde films to be the first “cult” movies. Kind of. They were certainly experimental and unconventional and many early films did later get cult status, like Nosferatu (1922).
B-movies and drive-in movie culture in the US really played a big role in cult cinema because people would go to late night screenings of low-budget films like Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959).
Around the mid-20th century there was a lot of social land political upheaval which led to films that challenged authority, were a little more out of the box and certainly outside of the Hollywood mainstream. During the 1960s and ‘70s, gimmicks like midnight film screenings helped to build cult followings for certain films. “midnight movie” actually came from slightly earlier than that; the ‘50s, when local TV stations in the US would show low-budget films as part of their late-night programming. The UK followed on a little later, in 1966, with a regular night time film slot from the BBC.



The ‘80s of course saw the rise of VHS and home video, so cult films could be “rediscovered” and enjoyed in an easy, low-budget way. Many of the cult films from the ‘90s and later were influenced by postmodernism where genres were deconstructed and there was a lot of mixing of styles and films were very self-aware. By that, we mean things like breaking the fourth wall (where a character addresses the audience directly), including lots of satire or parody, or being a bit meta.
Examples of cult films
They can be any genre or style but here are a few well known ones:
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) – A musical-comedy-horror
- Donnie Darko (2001) – A dark, strange film that explores teen angst, time travel and existential dread!
- Eraserhead (1977) – An avant-garde horror by David Lynch that has a lot of… unsettling (nightmarish, actually) imagery.
Cult film studios



A cult film studio doesn’t necessarily set out to make ‘cult’ films but it does develop a consistent style and approach to filmmaking that appeals to cult-film audiences. Quite often this means bold choices when it comes to storytelling, experimental stuff (like visuals), or taboo subjects. Some studios, like A24 have gained mainstream popularity , but their output is still fairly unconventional and artistically quite… out there, despite this, so their films still have cult appeal.
Criteria for cult film studios
- Consistency. Both in “vision” and aesthetics, cult studios usually have a very distinct style of thematic focus. A24 for example does a lot of atmospheric horror and psychological drama.
- Risk-taking. It’s not always about wildly taboo stuff, but cult studios generally don’t shy away from topics that might be off-putting to a broader audience.
- Fan-driven success. It’s all about the base… they might not always have the box-office figures but word of mouth via the fans is the way many of these films and studios find success.
Modern cult film studios
A24
A24 was started in 2012 and it quickly became synonymous with edgy, character-driven films; a mix of atmospheric horror, coming-of-age stories, and experimental dramas. It has a real focus on auteur-driven film making with very little in the way of CGI, lots of subverting of tropes, and little in the way of overt explanation of what’s going on!
A24 highlights:
Hereditary
This horror film by Ari Aster is… deeply unsettling. It’s an exploration of grief that turns into a bit of a nightmare spiral of dread and existential terror. Fun. Toni Collette is fantastic (as usual), putting in a stellar performance that doesn't rely on jump scares so much as constant tension.
The Lighthouse (2019)
The Lighthouse is a bit of a Marmite film, you either love it or hate it. Even if you hate it you can probably still appreciate it’s a striking piece (all in black and white and in 4:3) and when you know it’s directed by Robert Eggers, you can expect it’s going to be deeply weird.
Troma
Troma popped up in 1974, which makes them one of the oldest independent, low-budget film studios. It was started by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz and they produce films that have a lot of energy, usually horror and/or comedy where there’s a lot of gore, satire, and plenty of campness!
Troma highlights:
The Toxic Avenger (1984)
A satire on superhero films this film features a nerd-turned-monster hero. It's described as ‘wild, campy, and gross’ which tells you all you need to know, really!
Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2006)
A horror-comedy about a fast-food restaurant on Native burial grounds where the food turns people into zombie chickens. Yes you did read that right, and watching it is a real feat of hen-durance.
Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibli found box office success quite quickly in Japan, so when it appears on ‘cult’ lists it’s worth qualifying that this is purely from a western perspective; when Ghibli broke through in Europe and the UK then it gained ‘cult’ status here. That said, Ghibi’s productions share a lot of cult film traits like imaginative storytelling that’s usually full of Japanese folklore and there’s a focus on quality and artistry, especially those films by Hayao Miyazaki, and he’s gained a cult following all of his own.
Studio Ghibli highlights
My Neighbour Totoro (1988)
This follows two sisters who move to the countryside and discover a magical (and thoroughly adorable) creature called Totoro, in the forest.
Spirited Away (2001)
Chihiro becomes trapped in an otherworldly bathhouse run by spirits and is trying to get back to her parents. Spirited Away was such a hit that it even won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
Why do we care about cult films & studios?
An alternative to mainstream – whatever that may be – is usually a good thing, and when it comes to cult films we get to see films that aren’t trying to please a wide audience, they’re creative-driven and usually pushing some boundaries. Particularly at a time when we’re bombarded by sequels, reboots, remakes, and endless franchises, cult films are a breath of fresh air! It’s nice to have something original to choose, even if we don’t always like or get it (we’re looking at you The Lighthouse).
Cult film subgenres
Cult cinema isn’t just made up of the same types of films, obviously. There’s a variety of things it could be, but there are some very defined subgenres, here are a few:
Midnight movies
We’ve mentioned these already but late-night screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, El Topo and others got a lot of popularity because they were shown this way, and they created hardcore, lasting fandoms.
Psychotronic films
Pscychotronic Video was a film magazine founded by Michael Weldon, who coined the term psychotronic movies in terms of “ones traditionally ignored or ridiculed by mainstream critics”. These basically include anything bizarre or offbeat in horror, sci-fi, and exploitation genres. They’re usually low-budget and are designed to shock or confuse us, things like Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966) and Robot Monster (1953).
Camp and B-movies
These are usually exaggerated and outlandish, both in terms of performance and aesthetic. Think Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958) and Barbarella (1968), lots of irony and a flamboyant style!
Cult film directors
There are some directors who challenge regular film conventions and don’t compromise when it comes to their ‘vision,’ and cult films wouldn’t exist without them! Here are a few:
David Lynch
Known for surreal, disturbing films like Eraserhead (1977) and Blue Velvet (1986) Lynch is the classic example of a director who didn’t appeal to mainstream audiences but was a big hit with a niche fanbase.
Ed Wood
Wood was pretty much mocked for his low-budget films like Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), but later were celebrated as cult classics. He even inspired a biopic by Tim Burton.



Robert Eggers
A great example of a more recent cult film director, Eggers has a very distinctive style when it comes to his filmmaking. This doesn’t always appeal at the box office but it certainly attracts a dedicated set of fans who appreciate his slow burn that builds to a usually unsettling climax.
Penelope Spheeris
Spheeris likes to blend comedy, punk rock, and social commentary into her films and she really captured the counterculture energy of the ‘80s and ‘90s. The premise for Wayne’s World (1992), for example, was originally a Saturday Night Live sketch and there were some doubts about turning it into a film. It did actually do well at the box office, debuting at number one, but it’s still considered a cult classic because of the love (not to mention spin-offs, merch, and so on) it got and continues to get. Longevity is a big part of a film being considered a cult classic.
New ways cult films are thriving
A lot of the focus so far has been on historic ways films made it to cult status, but how is that happening now with so many options available to us?
Streaming and digital platforms
Obviously streaming is a biggie. We can find the most niche of films on places like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu etc just by randomising the selection. Studios like A24 have even launched films on these services to help them get to a wider audience than they would with a cinema release.
There are also some very specific streaming services like Shudder who specialise in horror, and Arrow Films who have a specific ‘cult’ remit and also sell some pretty cool editions in their shop.
Film festivals



There’s a festival for just about everything and cult films are no different. There’s Fantastic Fest in Texas, that celebrates films that would struggle to find their place in more mainstream festivals. Beyond Fest in California is dedicated to genre cinema, screening cult classics and new ‘cult worthy’ movies.
Conclusion
In embracing the subversive, the profound, and the down right weird, cult film studios and directors have not only created some films that we love through the decades, but have also influenced generations of filmmakers. Cult films give us an alternative to more formulaic mainstream movies, and cult film never stands still, new filmmakers and studios keep emerging to give us films that stand out for their creativity and bucking of trends. With streaming channels, it’s never been easier to find our old favourites and discover new ones.
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About this page
This page was written by Marie Gardiner. Marie is a writer, author, and photographer. It was edited by Andrew Blackman. Andrew is a freelance writer and editor, and is a copy editor for Envato Tuts+.
This content originally appeared on Envato Tuts+ Tutorials and was authored by Marie Gardiner

Marie Gardiner | Sciencx (2024-11-19T18:28:24+00:00) Cult films: why do low-budget flicks get cult status?. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2024/11/19/cult-films-why-do-low-budget-flicks-get-cult-status/
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