There are cult films and then there are cult films. Some for example would label Taxi Driver or Pulp Fiction as cult films. Not I, my friends, not I. Those of us who exist on the true edge of cinema have access to all sorts of films that mainstream cinema viewers (can you hear the contempt searing through in my writing?) could barely put their fragile little minds around.
Showing a mainstream fan a true cult film is like smacking them upside the head with a sledgehammer. They usually just don’t get it. Heck, I remember one time when I was at uni and I tried to introduce Don’t Look Now to some mainstream friends and the look of sheer confusion on their faces was classic. Imagine if I had shown them a Jorg Buttgereit film? Viewing our cult films with mainstreamers can wreck the viewing experience. My friends, never degrade your beautiful pearls by doing this. Save your delectable DVDs for those who will understand and share your delight.
It is in this spirit of joy and uniqueness, I wish to present 10 cult curios to fill us all with joy:
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15 Comments
you scare me.
You wouldnt believe how many times people (usually men) say that
You don’t scare me. I’m half tempted to fly to Ireland and track you down.
Hehehehe! I double dare ya!
I am quite interested to see where all my perversion will end, if it ever ends. Aside from perverted films I love perverted rap music – the nastier the better. Im floundering in a sea of depravity! But I am really the world’s sweetest person. Honest!
I’m a huge death metal fan, yet I’m also (generally) the nicest person in the world. It’s funny because it throws most people off. During the day I work in a suit and tie government job, so when I see people when I’m not at work, they get thrown off by my attire. Seeing the nice young guy you just spoke to a few weeks ago wearing a Gorgasm t-shirt gets those little old ladies freaked out.
That is a brilliant list and i think i want to marry you and have your babies (but only if they come out like Basket Case :)
Aw little basket case! He’s a freak! But he will be our little freak!
Clare, thanks for being a voice for females who love cult/exploitation movies.
No problem Renee, I will wave the banner high!
Where do you find these films? Are there any blogs I should be following? For that matter, have you got a blog I should be following?
I’m sure there are blogs out there, but awareness of these films is just something you come across. Back before the internet, we had to rely on Fangoria and underground zines like Chas Balun’s Deep Red and a few others. Bootlegs were very common back in the 90′s. You’d get on a mailing list for one, they’d send you an updated catalogue every so often and you’d just have to cross your fingers and hoped that what you ordered was gold. For me, I’m 32 now and have been a massive horror fan since I was 4. It’s just something that I’ve followed through out the years and have been made aware of those films one way or another since. In the US, a great place to check out is diabolikdvd.com. As far as I know they have the best selection on the net for obscure stuff.
Thanks. In the UK we have The Horror Channel. Generally, anything they show that wasn’t made in the US but was made before, say, 1995 is going to be worth watching.
That’s where I saw Pieces, Driller Killer and some French birth-themed bodyhorror fare, but the sort of films Clare discusses are something else entirely. It almost makes me uncomfortable that they even exist – which, in many cases, possibly makes them essential viewing.
French birth themed body horror? Would that have been Baby Blood by chance? Anyway, it’s my understanding that it’s much easier to find this stuff in the UK these days. With the censors and video nasties a lot of this stuff was pretty hard to come by from what I’ve read.
With that said, Clare has compiled some pretty extensive lists and there really isn’t much that she’s missed, especially for being in Ireland. I would use her articles as a starting point.
I try to include a range of horror films and if I do say so, I know my stuff pretty well. Like Ian, I have been watching horror from I was knee high to a grasshopper and I am 34. People want to hear about extreme controversial movies and I am giving the public what they want. If people demand a discussion of Hammer horror films, I could do that. I can do straight out horror. I can do a lot of film genres. You would be surprised. My viewing life is not entirely spent wallowing in depravity! Ha ha ha!