We've all heard of these kinds of films before. The ones that bombed in the box office but suddenly gained popularity over time. A lot of us know one or two of these films and love them a lot. You might think a certain cult classic film was well done and definitely deserves the adoration it gets now. But you might also be thinking, "If this movie is awesome and people like it now, why didn't they like it in the first place?"
Well, the answer differs depending on which film you're talking about.
To find these answers, we'll look at two well known examples: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and The Room (2003).
I think one of the biggest things most cult classic films share in common is they all present something unusual or new that audiences typically don't expect. This can pertain to a controversial, surreal, or racy theme. People in 1975 didn't know what to make out of Rocky Horror because of how strange and different it looked, so it didn't do very well upon its release. But its B movie camp, sexual overtones, wild humor, horror elements, and incredibly catchy soundtrack stuck out in people's minds and stood apart from other movies of the year. It was unlike any other musical movie before and it brought to life a strange but effective mash-up of genres. With the help of fans of the original stage show and some audience participation, it did get recognized as the wacky little gem that it is. And I believe Tim Curry also helped seal its future fame. I don't think anyone could ever forget his performance as Dr. Frank N. Furter if they tried!
Another element of cult classics is the fact that some are delightfully terrible. The Room is the best case of this yet. Everything about this movie is wrong: the story, the characters, the directing, the acting, the writing, the film-making, the constant use of green screen when they could have filmed outside - everything! But the seriousness that Tommy Wiseau tries instilling into this film, combined with its sub-sub-standard quality, makes everything that's wrong actually pretty hilarious. Some people might even categorize it as a "so bad, it's good" movie because of how entertaining the awfulness is. And just as with Rocky Horror, audience participation has also helped cement this film into the deepest, darkest annals of film history, for better or for worse.
But what's a big thing that ties most cult classic films together? Probably the most important thing about cult classics is that they defy what's mainstream. Sure, they might seem off-putting, crazy, or just plain different, but they're usually not made to follow trends. At the end of the day, that's probably why people keep coming back to these movies. There's a need for variety, especially when people get tired of seeing the same things over and over, and that's what films like Rocky Horror and The Room provide. They introduce strange worlds to explore with rules to be learned and inside jokes to be shared. They also create a niche amidst other film genres for people who aren't satisfied by what's popular. Because cult classics don't always conform to big movie tropes and conventions, you can find a surprising amount of originality and artistic freedom. In this day and age of prequels, sequels, and spin-offs, they can provide a breath of fresh air.
Or if you like watching bad movies, there's a host of those that fall under this category.
The point is that these films didn't succeed at first, because the world wasn't ready for them. The summer of 1975 wasn't ready for the Time Warp and cross-dressing Tim Curry. The summer of 2003 definitely didn't know what to think about playing football in tuxedos. In the end, however, these films always found an audience, and I think the fame (or infamy) their audiences granted them was well worth the delayed success.
~Maud
Official Night Owl
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