Media Term Thursday #21

Cult Film

Non-mainstream, eccentric films which avoid using traditional narrative and technical conventions. They appeal to a small but passionate audience who enjoy their controversial subject matter, oddball characters and highly stylised design. Some do achieve commercial success and some mainstream films acquire a certain ‘cult status’ but most cult films are usually too outrageous or contrived for most audiences.

They range from such movies as Freaks (1932), Reefer Madness (1936), Little Shop of Horrors (1960) and any film by director Ed Wood; to such mainstream films as Pirates of the Caribbean (2003), It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), Two for the Road (1967) and Scott Pilgrim Vs The World (2010).

Excerpt from Media Key Terms and Concepts