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Rocky Horror's initial following came largely from an underground queer culture that has since been able to break through to the mainstream thanks to major civil rights achievements. It's probably one of the best examples of a cult film rising from obscurity to household name, driven by a devoted fanbase and a particular fan culture that helped define the midnight movie era. Now the people who went to screenings back in the 70's have families, it's turned into a right of passage for art-oriented college kids, and it's been remade for broadcast television. The idea of the cult -- a true following of mega fans -- persists, but its lost some of its countercultural edge through broad exposure. Obscurity does not define a cult film. What I'd argue is that cult films are commonly divisive and transgressive in some sense of the word. Often they're plucked from obscurity, though many of the greatest cult films of all time were successes upon their original release: El Topo, Pink Flamingos, Eraserhead -- all amassed major followings on the midnight circuit and built buzz through word of mouth. You could never show Eraserhead to your mother, but that movie found an audience in its day. Meanwhile, others were box office bombs rescued by subsequent screenings and dedicated fans -- The Big Lebowski being one. And hell, sometimes you have a classic that becomes a cult film in a different context. The Wizard of Oz's significance in gay culture for example. So an American standard that drat near everyone has seen becomes a cult film dependent on its particular subcultural connection. Screening the movie as a matinee to a theater full of children and their parents versus screening it at midnight for a room full of LGBTQ adults. Cult in general, I believe, has taken on a broader meaning now. It's no longer films that acquire cult followings but any kind of offbeat, exploitation, horror film that defies mainstream appeal. So people will define themselves as Cult Film Fans, and dig for those obscurities. The films themselves may have little to no following, but they fall under a new kind of genre of "Cult."
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Sep 24, 2019 16:16
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| # ¿ May 11, 2024 06:29 |
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Question: Would you be able to post your syllabus? I'm curious to see what the course load looks like.
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Sep 24, 2019 19:34
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