Cult Films

** BOLDED films are also on my main “Films You Should See Before You Die” list. Everything else is a “Runner-Up” **

What IS a “cult” film anyway? The definition can change depending on who you ask. I personally consider cult films to be particularly unusual and/or memorable experiences that can range from being really good (my BOLDED picks) to charmingly bad (my “awful” and “b-movie” picks). There are many different kinds: there are impressively creative movies (like “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”). There are fascinatingly awful ones (like “The Room” or “Battlefield Earth”). There are box office bombs or straight-to-video releases that developed a cult following later on (like "Donnie Darko”). There are those that I would consider to be cult classics because of a bizarre or over-the-top performance (like Heath Ledger’s Joker in “The Dark Knight” or Denzel Washington in “Training Day”). There are movies that I consider cult-worthy for their amazing originality (like “Toy Story” or “Star Wars: A New Hope”). There are your classic B-Movies - low-budget ("Cube", "Clerks"), highly problematic ("John Wick", "Anaconda"), and/or very dated feeling ("The Karate Kid", "Labyrinth") - that manage to be charming and memorable experiences despite their issues. Approach my B-Movie/Awful movie picks with a very cheesy/ dumb fun kind of mindset. Then there are those lovably stupid hit-or-miss comedies (like “Happy Gilmore”).

The following labels seemed to be the most relevant for helping you mentally prepare for what kind of movie you’re getting into:

1. “- Awful” means so-bad-it's-good/fascinatingly terrible. 
2. “- Artsy” films tend to have lofty ambitions. They are oftentimes slow-paced and/or a little pretentious.
3. “- B-Movies” are of low artistic quality and have many problems but are charming nonetheless. They are usually just dumb fun.
4. “- Comedy” means the movie was primarily designed to be a hit-or-miss joke-fest.
5. "- Creative" films are highly imaginative in one or more ways. They can be highly stylized ("Moonrise Kingdom" or "Tron") or feature bizarre production design ("The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" or "Cool World"). They may introduce famous characters (the alien from "Alien") or contain highly original ideas ("The Matrix" or "Toy Story"). In other words, they are very unique experiences.
6. "- Hollywoody" movies feel noticeably predictable/formulaic, but nevertheless they can still be very entertaining and well-made. Usually they're feel-good or oscar bait movies, but not always.
7. “- Kids/Family” is pretty self-explanatory. 
8. Anything in BOLD is a top tier list movie.

The Freshman - Comedy
 Metropolis - Creative

1930s:
Dracula
Frankenstein
King Kong - Creative
M
The Wizard of Oz - Creative

1940s:
Fantasia - Family & Creative
The Great Dictator

1950s:
Bride of the Monster - B-Movie
Glen or Glenda - B-Movie
Yojimbo
1970s:
Alien - Creative
Annie Hall - Comedy
Blazing Saddles - Comedy
Death Race 2000 - B-Movie & Creative
Eraserhead - Creative
Walkabout - Creative
 The Warriors - B-Movie & Creative
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory - Family & Creative
Young Frankenstein - Comedy

1980s:
Akira - Creative
Aliens - Creative 
Back to the Future - Family & Creative
Basket Case - Awful
The Beyond - Awful
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure - B-Movie & Creative
Blade Runner - Creative
The Evil Dead - B-Movie & Creative
The Fly - B-Movie
Ghostbusters - Comedy & Creative
Gremlins - Creative
Hellraiser - B-Movie & Creative
Kickboxer - Awful
Killer Klowns from Outer Space - Awful
Labyrinth - B-Movie & Creative
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - Creative
The Neverending Story - Kids & B-Movie & Creative
A Nightmare On Elm Street - B-Movie & Creative
Poltergeist - B-Movie
Predator - B-Movie & Creative
Raising Arizona - Comedy
Repo Man - B-Movie
Scarface - B-Movie
The Shining - Creative
Spaceballs - Comedy
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - Creative
Starman - B-Movie
 Stranger Than Paradise - Artsy
The Terminator - Creative

Top Gun - B-Movie

Tron - B-Movie & Creative
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? - B-Movie
1990s:
3 Ninjas - Kids Movie
After Life - Artsy & Creative
Anaconda - B-Movie
Big Daddy - Comedy
 The Big Lebowski - Comedy
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey - B-Movie & Creative
Billy Madison - Comedy
Bio-Dome - Comedy
Black Sheep - Comedy
Blade - B-Movie
 The Boondock Saints - B-Movie
Clerks - B-Movie & Comedy
Coneheads - Comedy
Cool World - Awful & Creative
Cube - B-Movie & Creative
Dark City - Awful & Creative
Dogma - Comedy
Ed Wood
Edward Scissorhands - Creative
Jacob’s Ladder - B-Movie
Judge Dredd - B-Movie & Creative
The Matrix - Creative
Misery - Hollywoody
Mortal Kombat - Awful
Mrs. Doubtfire - Family
The Mummy - B-Movie
My Cousin Vinny - Comedy
The Nightmare Before Christmas - Family & Creative
Office Space - Comedy
Pi - Creative
Pleasantville - Comedy & Creative
Princess Mononoke - Creative
Pulp Fiction
Reservoir Dogs
Rounders
Run Lola Run - Creative
Rushmore
Slacker - Artsy
Three Kings - B-Movie
Titanic
Tommy Boy - Comedy
Toy Story - Family & Creative
Tremors - B-Movie & Creative
Troll 2 - Awful
Waterworld - B-Movie
What Dreams May Come - B-Movie & Creative

2000s:
Avatar - Creative & Hollywoody
Battlefield Earth - Awful & Creative
Blow - B-Movie
The Cell - B-Movie & CreativeCoraline - Family
Elf - Family & B-Movie & Comedy
Equilibrium - B-Movie & Creative
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Creative
In the Mood for Love - Artsy
The Incredibles - Family & Creative
Mary & Max - Creative
Memento - Creative
Sin City - B-Movie
Snatch - B-Movie
Spirited Away - Creative
Super Troopers - Comedy
Wet Hot American Summer - Comedy
2010s:
The Babadook - Creative
Inception - Creative
Inside Out - Family & Creative
It Follows - Creative
John Wick - B-Movie
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Comedy & Creative
Snowpiercer - B-Movie & Creative
Train to Busan - B-Movie
The Tree of Life - Artsy & Creative
Uncut Gems
Us - Creative

2020s:
Squid Game - B-TV Show

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