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The Halloween season has officially begun, and it’s time to make sure that your monthly watch list reflects that. There's no universal definition for a "cult classic," but there are several signifiers. Usually, it is used in reference to underground films, midnight movies, and box office bombs: what ties every cult classic together is its fervent fanbase.
A movie is usually crowned a cult classic if it has a small but dedicated following who form an elaborate subculture around it — hence, a "cult." There are plenty of niche horror movies that are perfect for watching this spooky and spine-tingling time of year.
15 'Jennifer's Body' (2009)
IMDb Rating: 5.5/10
When a high school cheerleader (Megan Fox) is demonically possessed after a satanic ritual gone wrong, she feeds on her male classmates’ flesh to fulfill her cannibalistic cravings. As the opening line of the movie states, “Hell is a teenage girl.”
Jennifer’s Body has a dismal rating on IMDb. Needless to say, it was a box office bomb, with critics and audiences writing it off as a trashy experiment in horror-comedy. However, this might have been due to the marketing which screenwriter Diablo Cody declares was “all wrong” and that's not to mention how it was misunderstood. Jennifer’s Body has since been appreciated as a feminist cult horror film in the wake of MeToo.
Jennifer's Body
14 'X' (2022)
IMDb Rating: 6.5/10
In 1979, a group of adult filmmakers traveled to rural Texas, where they met a reclusive, elderly couple who caught them in the act. A homage to '70s grindhouse movies, director Ti West’s love of the slasher genre oozes from every scene and every bodily crevice. Mia Goth and Jenna Ortega also shine as the scream queens of Gen Z.
With a reasonably low rating on IMDb, X has all the makings of a modern cult classic. The film is an unapologetic love letter to its influences, made for a specific section of horror fanatics.
X (2022)
13 'Titane' (2021)
IMDb Rating: 6.5/10
After Julia Ducournau’s directorial debut, Raw, a cannibalistic, coming-of-age film, caused audience members to pass out, her sophomore movie was much anticipated. Titane follows a young woman (Agathe Rousselle) with a titanium plate fitted to her head and a disturbing obsession with cars. It also follows a father who is reunited with his missing son. How those two tales intertwine will probably surprise you.
The film’s average rating on IMDb proves that it is not for the faint-hearted or those with weak stomachs. Fans of body horror will love Titane, but it’s definitely not for everyone.
Titane
12 'Heathers' (1989)
IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
At Westerburg High, Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) is struggling to fit in with the catty clique of Heathers: Duke (Shannen Doherty), McNamara (Lisanne Falk), and Queen Bee Chandler (Kim Walker). When a mysterious new kid and James Dean lookalike arrives, complete with a cocky smirk and leather jacket, Veronica’s teenage angst suddenly racks up a body count.
Over two decades after its initial release, Heathers still influences iconic teen movies, including the new Netflix release Do Revenge. If that, along with its rating on IMDb, doesn’t cement Heathers’ cult classic status, we don’t know what will.
Heathers
11 'From Dusk Till Dawn' (1996)
IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
Taking an already wild and unorthodox premise and amplifying it with the wild directing style of Robert Rodriguez, From Dusk Till Dawn is a flashy and fun vampire story that is aware of its own absurdity and plays into it to an exceptional degree. The film sees a duo of criminals as they travel into Mexico after kidnapping a father and his two kids, deciding to hide out in safety at a shift Mexican bar. However, they soon realize that the bar is overrun with vampires, with the group joining other patrons in a battle for their lives as they have to wait for the sun to arise.
While its chaotic and absurdist antics made it difficult to cross over into the mainstream, many attributes of From Dusk Till Dawncemented it as a cult classic among die-hard horror fans of the 90s and early 2000s. From the flippant swapping of genres from crime thriller to horror survival to the instantly iconic performances across the board from the likes of George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, and Harvey Keitel, the film feels designed from the ground up to cater to underground film clubs and horror fans alike. – Robert Lee
From Dusk Till Dawn
10 ‘Videodrome’ (1983)
IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
Written and directed by the King of body horror, David Cronenberg, Videodrome follows a programmer (James Woods) at a TV station specializing in adult entertainment who stumbles across the stuff of nightmares: a mysterious broadcast signal of snuff films. As he attempts to uncover the signal’s source, he increasingly loses touch with reality in a series of disturbing and bizarre hallucinations.
Although a box-office bomb with mainstream audiences in 1983, it has been heralded as a cult classic among niche circles and Cronenberg’s best film to date, with an impressive rating on IMDb.
Videodrome
9 'Hereditary' (2018)
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
When her unstable mother passes away, Annie (Toni Collette), her husband, son, and daughter mourn the loss. Tortured by grief, Annie and her children begin to experience strange visions and compulsions. In director Ari Aster’s twisted and nightmarish imagination, generational trauma is monstrous and inescapable.
Described as this generation’s The Exorcist, Hereditary truly is terrifying, with a high IMDb rating to back it up. Midsommar is not far behind with a rating of 7.1, cementing Aster as a new voice in the horror genre whose future works will attract countless fans.
Hereditary
8 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' (1975)
IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
When a straight-laced young couple’s car breaks down, they are forced to seek shelter at the residence of Dr. Frank N. Further (Tim Curry), a cross-dressing mad scientist who is about to unveil his latest creation. As Brad and Janet give themselves over to absolute pleasure, it is clear that this night will be one they remember for a very long time.
Any conversation about cult classics would be incomplete without mentioning The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which holds a decent score on IMDb. Since its midnight movie release over four decades ago, diehard fans have gone to screenings dressed up as the film’s quirky characters, singing along and shouting responses.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
R
Comedy
Horror
Musical
Sci-Fi
- Release Date
- August 14, 1975
- Director
- Jim Sharman
- Cast
- Tim Curry , Susan Sarandon , Barry Bostwick , Richard O'Brien , Patricia Quinn , Nell Campbell
- Runtime
- 98
7 'Tucker and Dale vs Evil' (2010)
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
The long-since tired trope of sadistic killer hillbillies has been a staple of horror films for decades, largely popularized by the Wrong Turn series, so it was only a matter of time before a hilarious horror comedy played off of this trope in Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. The film follows the story of lovable hillbilly friends Tucker and Dale, who, in a series of increasingly absurd circumstances, keep getting mistakenly confused to be vicious killers by a group of paranoid college kids. As the body count continues to rise, Tucker and Dale attempt to simmer down the situation as the college kids begin to form a plan of revenge.
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil has the type of ingenious horror comedy premise that feels like it should have been made decades ago. A horror movie where the presumed "killers" aren't actually killing anybody and it just happens to be a series of awkward accidents is genuinely comedy gold, and has helped propel the film into cult classic status over the years. Even more than its hilarious premise, the film has an inherent charm and soul thanks to its lovable characters, which gives it sustained staying power in modern horror comedy experiences. – Robert Lee
6 'Grindhouse' (2007)
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez team up to pay homage to the exploitation double features of the 60s and 70s. Death Proof is a slasher flick with the most satisfying ending, while Planet Terror shows the world in the midst of a zombie outbreak. The two movies are tied together with fake trailers in between, just like the good old days.
While it currently holds a high rating on IMDb and has a decently sized fanbase, Grindhouse was a box office bomb back in 2007. It was a movie made by, and for, cinephiles. A love letter to a style of cinemagoing that has long since died out, mainstream audiences just didn’t get it.
Grindhouse
R
Action
Horror
Thriller
- Release Date
- April 6, 2007
- Director
- Robert Rodriguez , Eli Roth , Quentin Tarantino , Edgar Wright , Rob Zombie
- Cast
- Danny Trejo , Cheech Marin , Rose McGowan , Freddy Rodriguez , Josh Brolin , Marley Shelton
- Runtime
- 185
Buy on Amazon
5 'Braindead' (1992)
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Before becoming one of the most acclaimed and beloved directors of all time thanks to his work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson was known for creating one of the wildest and bloodiest horror films ever in Braindead. Also known as Dead Alive, the film follows an onslaught of undead zombies as they begin laying waste in a small town after an initial outbreak is caused by a bite from a Sumatran rat monkey. It becomes up to young Lionel Cosgrove (Timothy Balme) to attempt to keep things under control as they continue to spiral and spiral into more mayhem and bloodshed.
Any film that makes an effort to go above and beyond in terms of on-screen gore and bloodshed is going to end up becoming a cult classic, with few films coming close to the level of violence and disgusting effects in Braindead. Even beyond the gallons upon gallons of blood being spilled, Jackson's signature filmmaking techniques and stylings are on full display in the film, elevating each action sequence and giving the characters the heart required to make audiences root for their success. – Robert Lee
Dead Alive
R
Comedy
Horror
- Release Date
- August 13, 1992
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Timothy Balme , Diana Peñalver , Elizabeth Moody , Ian Watkin , Brenda Kendall , Stuart Devenie
- Runtime
- 97
Rent on Amazon
4 'The Wicker Man' (1973)
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
When Sergeant Neil Howie, a devout Christian, arrives in a remote Scottish island village in search of a missing twelve-year-old girl, he stumbles across a strange pagan cult that engages in disturbing fertility rituals and denies the existence of a missing girl.
Described by Cinefantastique as “the Citizen Kane of horror movies,” The Wicker Man has a great IMDb score that proves many fans enjoyed it. On its original release, as the "B-feature" in a double bill alongside Don't Look Now, the film was met with confusion from critics and audiences alike. However, over the next twenty years, the film attracted a new audience and earned its cult classic status.
The Wicker Man
3 'American Psycho' (2000)
IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
A striking and scathing social satire that still feels relevant, powerful, and hilarious nearly 25 years later, American Psycho was already a deeply notable and controversial title upon its release, only growing with more and more notoriety in the years to follow. The film provides a look into the fractured psyche of Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), a wealthy banking executive who finds himself constantly having to hide his psychotic alter ego. However, the task of hiding his true self grows harder and harder as more and more bodies begin to crop up, and Bateman delves deeper and deeper into his fantasies.
American Psycho's signature balance of striking performances, graphic kills, and open-ended meanings that could be infinitely dissected on each rewatch have all helped it attain a legendary cult classic status over the years. Patrick Batman himself has become an icon of horror filmmaking and larger culture even outside of American Psycho itself, striking a chord with multiple generations of audiences through his soulless demeanor and calculated bloodlust. – Robert Lee
American Psycho
2 'Shaun of the Dead' (2004)
IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
Zombies quickly became one of the most successful and lucrative concepts in the world of horror throughout the 2000s and 2010s, with new stories constantly being released to show their own interpretations of a zombie apocalypse. One of the biggest cult classics that ushered in this era of creative contemporary zombie storytelling was Shaun of the Dead, the British horror comedy masterpiece by director Edgar Wright. The film follows a duo of unassuming slackers thrust into a zombie apocalypse, finding themselves rushing around town to collect family members to bunker down at the local pub, waiting for the zombie apocalypse to blow over.
Shaun of the Dead finds the perfect balance between hilarious tongue-in-cheek comedy and shocking and graphic bloodshed that has helped it become one of the most legendary and beloved cult classic horror comedies of all time. Wright's signature style of flashy comedic filmmaking is on full force in the film, providing an array of deeply satisfying sequences that never lose their novelty whether it's being watched for the first time or the hundredth. – Robert Lee
Shaun of the Dead
1 ‘Donnie Darko’ (2001)
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
After narrowly escaping death, a troubled teenager named Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) is plagued by disturbing visions of a man in a large rabbit costume who calls himself Frank. When Darko discovers that the world will end in 28 days, he is drawn into a series of bizarre events that may reflect his unraveling sanity.
With an impressive rating on IMDb, Donnie Darko is a creepy cult classic that will leave viewers scratching their heads long after the credits roll. While it may seem confusing on the first watch, the satisfaction of peeling back the film’s endless layers makes it all worth it. Perhaps the only truly unexplainable element of this movie is that only two people showed up to an Evil Dead screening on Halloween.
Donnie Darko
NEXT: The Best A24 Horror Movies, According to IMDb
- Movie
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- Titane
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