15 Cult Movie Gems You Can Watch On Netflix

Netflix's "Cult Films" section is peculiar in that it really doesn't contain too many films you'd instantly think of when thinking about cinema's true cult classics. There are definitely a few (as you'll see), but for the most part the category is made up of films that are kind of cult by default: not quite classics, not insanely well-known or popular, but not obscure enough that they're completely unheard of, either. There's no sign of The Big Lebowski, The Wicker Man, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Withnail and I, Harold and Maude - but there are films which are completely at odds with the very idea of a cult movie: Halloween 6, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2, The House of Yes. Of course, the term is diffuse - and people will certainly have their own criteria for defining a truly cult picture - but it remains that the section dedicated to it on Netflix is a bit of a jumble, one which is obviously nowhere near as vast as the drama, sci-fi, crime, or horror categories. Presented here, then, are fifteen of the best cult films available on Netflix. They are all true to the genre, but whether they'd make it onto a list of the greatest cult films ever made (some would, others I'm not so sure) is a different matter entirely. Note: This list adheres to the US region of Netflix.

15. Clerks

A bare-bones indie cult classic, Clerks, the first film from Kevin Smith, launched the director's career and introduced us to some of his recurring themes and characters, most notably Jay and Silent Bob, later seen in the likes of Chasing Amy and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Made for a paltry $27,000 (approx.), the film is presented in black-and-white and was shot in the convenience and video stores where Smith himself worked as a clerk. A dialogue-heavy film if ever there was one, Clerks is a triumph in script-writing, with Smith's observations and gags - obviously drawn from his real-life conversations and here acted out by Dante (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) - hitting with an unnerving accuracy and frequency. Naturally rough around the edges, Clerks is a key slacker-film manifesto, introducing Smith to the world in much the same way as Stranger Than Paradise did for director Jim Jarmusch.