Every film buff has a few cult classics lined up in their collection of favourite movies. Whether it's the science fiction classic Blade Runner, to gross-out excesses of Pink Flamingos or the transgressive violence of Battle Royale, cult films hold a special place for us in the archives of cinema history. Movies acquire a cult following for a number of reasons - often obscure films made outside of the mainstream, their cult popularity usually flies in the face of average-at-best box office returns, their fanbase emerging following on from the theatrical release. Cult movies can redefine genres, flipping conventional filmmaking on its head, and are often controversial, as was seen in the underground and midnight movies which earned themselves cult followings in the 1970s. Occasionally a movie is released which is deemed to be an "instant cult classic", although given that the definition of a cult film is fairly broad this is often open to debate - after all, second guessing how a movie will be viewed in posterity is always going to be fraught with uncertainty. Nevertheless some films possess qualities that make them hot contenders for the status of cult classic, and the following list covers ten great movies released in recent years which could well earn such an accolade. Read on and see if you agree with the selection.
