Cult film, described by some as a film type with an overly obsessive and sometimes ritualistic fan base, characterised not only by its small but dedicated following, but also by the way it deals with current or past affairs with either a blatant disregard for subtlety or political correctness. Others may describe ‘cult film’ as a film type that involves ‘over the top’ acting, disgusting scenes of blood and gore, highly unlikeable characters and ‘clichéd’ often, unbelievable scenarios.
However, it can be argued that the definition of ‘cult’ could simply mean ‘a set of controversial films standing up against the norm of mainstream Hollywood conformity.’ Films that do not have a particular interest in good taste or facts, and films that sometimes, don’t even have a message to send. One thing is for certain however, it celebrates the weird and wonderful, as well as prides itself at being politically and culturally non-confirmative.
In this essay, I have chosen to talk about the oppositional qualities of ‘Cult film’ using the two films that challenge the Hollywood ‘norm’ to the extremes. I am talking of-course, about The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Directed by Jim Sharman) who also directed the film such films as Shock Treatment (1981.) The second film i shall be analysing is, Pink Flamingos (Directed by John Waters) who is also responsible for films such as female troubles (1974) and Cry-baby (1990.)
It is easy to see why John Waters ‘Pink Flamingos’ would be considered oppositional and in bad taste. With its crude and sickening sex scenes, full frontal nudity, obsession with bodily fluids and scenes depicting bestiality, animal cruelty and Nazi affiliation, it could be said that ‘Pink flamingos’ is the front runner for ‘Bad ta...
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...The Cult Film Experience: Beyond All Reason - Google Books. [ONLINE] Available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=rBflAgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT36&dq=The+Cultural+Politics+of+taste+cult+film+&ots=jSQze3pKws&sig=tFepOZR-l5qiobiENxBvPVUvVZM#v=onepage&q=The%20Cultural%20Politics%20of%20taste%20cult%20film&f=false. [Accessed 03 April 2014].
- When in Doubt, Go for Maximum Ambiguity: “The Art Cinema as a Mode of Film Practice” by David Bordwell and the Hetrogeneity of Art Cinema | Why Bother?. 2014. When in Doubt, Go for Maximum Ambiguity: “The Art Cinema as a Mode of Film Practice” by David Bordwell and the Hetrogeneity of Art Cinema | Why Bother?. [ONLINE] Available at: http://whybother.ie/2013/06/20/when-in-doubt-go-for-maximum-ambiguity-the-art-cinema-as-a-mode-of-film-practice-by-david-bordwell-and-the-hetrogeneity-of-art-cinema/. [Accessed 03 April 2014].
Stanley, Robert H. The Movie Idiom: Film as a Popular Art Form. Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc. 2011. Print
Jacobs, Lewis. “Refinements in Technique.” The Rise of the American Film. New York: Teachers College Press, 1974. 433-452. Print.
In recent times, such stereotyped categorizations of films are becoming inapplicable. ‘Blockbusters’ with celebrity-studded casts may have plots in which characters explore the depths of the human psyche, or avant-garde film techniques. Titles like ‘American Beauty’ (1999), ‘Fight Club’ (1999) and ‘Kill Bill 2’ (2004) come readily into mind. Hollywood perhaps could be gradually losing its stigma as a money-hungry machine churning out predictable, unintelligent flicks for mass consumption. While whether this image of Hollywood is justified remains open to debate, earlier films in the 60’s and 70’s like ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ (1967) and ‘Taxi Driver’ (1976) already revealed signs of depth and avant-garde film techniques. These films were successful as not only did they appeal to the mass audience, but they managed to communicate alternate messages to select groups who understood subtleties within them.
While planning an evening at the cinema, individuals do not discuss the specific guidelines of genre while deciding the film of choice. A reason for seeing a Western is never because the genre has evolved from primarily racist films involving cowboys and Indians to movies that vindicate Indians and work toward demythologizing the old West. Similarly, broad generalizations of genre are constantly used to categorize film. Courtship-Romance Musicals or Rock Operas are often shuffled into the generic class of Musical, while the 1930’s films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, examples of Courtship-Romance Musicals, are in contrast to such films as Tommy or Jesus Christ Superstar, models of Rock Operas. Genre is the most important tool in deciding taste in film, yet most people never get past discussing whether to watch a Comedy or Drama. Perhaps this tendency is due to mainstream films, which rarely challenge audiences to make decisions about complex genres, as formula films have become an accepted form of entertainment. Cinema must look to Independent film then to help create new forms, specifically in genre. Donnie Darko, an Independent film directed by Richard Kelly, successfully poses questions about hybrid films and complex genres. Donnie Darko transcends the typical conventions of genre to redefine cinema and set a new precedence for independent filmmakers interested in breaking the rules of tradition.
Among New American Ghost Cinema, one can witness the re-emergence of an interesting sub-genre: the Found Footage Cinema. We can observe this new fascination in many modern horror films such as 2008’s Cloverfield, 2009's Paranormal Activity, and 2011's Apollo 18. Digging below the surface of a literal reading of some of these movies, one finds a genre that can be far more intelligent than what meets the public eye. For example, within Cloverfield, the screams and images of smoke heaving through the city of Manhattan hint at post-September 11th. To understand the growing popularity of Found Footage Cinema and why we discover these political undertones, this paper will examine The Blair Witch Project (1999, Myrick and Sanchez) in the context of theorists Robin Wood and Jürgen Habermas’ discussion on humankind’s senses of truth and what our society represses or oppresses. Both Habermas’ essay “The Public Sphere” and Wood’s “Introduction to the American Horror Film” touch on the inner workings of the public’s mind. With these essays and an analysis of these films, I will be able to propose theories working towards a mode of critical engagement with the success of The Blair Witch Project. It is then that we will connect it to the wider social and political jungle surrounding America as it stood on the edge of the Twenty First Century.
I. C. Jarvie. Movies and Society. New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1970. I. C. Jarvie. Movies as Social Criticism?
Introduction," from Braudy, Leo and Cohen, Marshall, eds. Film Theory and Criticism 5th. ed. (New York : Oxford University Press,1999)
Noel Carroll. “Film, Emotion and Genre.” Passionate Views, eds. Carl R. Plantinga and Greg M. Smith. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press, 1999. 21-47. Print.
Along with the label “cult” comes several stereotypes, negative connotations, and preconceived notions. The article, “‘They’re Freaks!’ The Cult Stereotype in Fictional Television Shows, 1958...
Mathijs, Ernest, and Jamie Sexton. Cult Cinema: An Introduction. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. Print.
Film scholar and gender theorist Linda Williams begins her article “Film Bodies: Genre, Gender and Excess,” with an anecdote about a dispute between herself and her son, regarding what is considered “gross,” (727) in films. It is this anecdote that invites her readers to understand the motivations and implications of films that fall under the category of “body” genre, namely, horror films, melodramas, (henceforth referred to as “weepies”) and pornography. Williams explains that, in regards to excess, the constant attempts at “determining where to draw the line,” (727) has inspired her and other theorists alike to question the inspirations, motivations, and implications of these “body genre” films. After her own research and consideration, Williams explains that she believes there is “value in thinking about the form, function, and system of seemingly gratuitous excesses in these three genres,” (728) and she will attempt to prove that these films are excessive on purpose, in order to inspire a collective physical effect on the audience that cannot be experienced when watching other genres.
“of exhibitionist confrontation rather than absorption,” (Gunning, Tom 2000 p 232) as Gunning suggests the spectator is asking for an escape that is censored and delivered with a controlled element of movement and audiovisual. Gunning believes that the audience had a different relationship with film before 1906. (Gunning, Tom 2000 p 229)
" Cinema and the Nation. Ed. Mette Hjort and Scott Mackenzie. New York City, NY: Routledge, 2000. 260-277.
Lyden, J. (2003). Film as religion: myths, morals, and rituals. New York, USA: NYU Press.
The term cult film itself was first used in the 1970s to