Cult Movies: what are they to you?
What exactly is a ‘cult movie’? I have never been 100% clear on this.
Wikipedia’s definition (and I know that Wiki shouldn’t be the be-all-and-end-all fountain of knowledge) sort of suggests it’s a movie that has a very dedicated fan-base and that usually (but not always) the film in question did not do very well on its original cinematic release, having found its fans at home. It also, rather strangely, seems to encompass both good and bad films.
So you end up with films that did well at the box office, did middling business and those that didn’t make their budget back as well as highly respected movies, the critically mauled and those deemed ‘so bad they’re good’. It seems to be a real mixed bag, much like the movies that usually end up on those lists.
Where do you stop with the definitions of it? I mean, the Twilight ("soap & water") series has a ludicrously dedicated fan-base so are they all cult films? What about Star Wars, surely there are no more dedicated fans than those with the Force?
Looking at several of the lists available, a lot of the movies seem to be endlessly quotable, so is that a real deciding factor in it all?
So what is it that you guys think actually determines ‘cult’ to you?
(Also, apologies if this has already been asked somewhere around here!)
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