Candid Article 24

Cult Films

It could be thought that films are simply there to entertain or inform, but some have such a strong impact on fans and their lives that they gain cult status. This is a film that ‘has acquired a following with a specific group of fans. Cult films often become the source of a thriving, obsessive, and elaborate subculture of fandom, hence the analogy.’ I thought I would take a look at a few films that have achieved this label across the decades, and the effect they have had on their fans and society. 

The Godfather (1972) – The Godfather follows the Corleones, a New York crime family who have powerful connections and influences over the city, headed by Marlon Brando’s character Vito. The film spans a decade, and there are two sequels which continue the story once youngest son Michael (Al Pacino) has come to be the Don of the family. It details the movements and happenings within the gangster underworld that they are at the forefront of. The most commercially successful film of all time upon its release, it is ranked as the second greatest film in American Cinema by the American Film Institute. Thought to be one of the most influential films in world cinema, it made stars of Pacino and his onscreen wife Diane Keaton, and spawned a host of phrases that are well-known and frequently reused to this day. 

Star Wars (1977) - George Lucas’ hugely successful six-piece space saga first began in the late seventies with the revolutionary film titled ‘A New Hope’. It told the story of Luke Skywalker, who learns he is a descendant of a member of a rebel group called the Jedi who are trained to have great fighting skills and mind powers. He leaves his life as a farmhand to join their forces to rescue the captured Princess Leia and save the galaxy from the evil Darth Vader. The franchise has inspired an episode of The Simpsons, countless board and computer games and fancy dress parties across the globe amongst other things. Some die-hard fans even class themselves to be Jedi by religion, and there are Jedi news websites and hundreds of fan events that take place every year. The biggest convention is the (almost!) annual Star Wars Celebration, which has been held in America, Asia and Europe and has been running since 1999, the largest of which attracted an incredible 35,000 fans. 

The Breakfast Club (1985) - Directed by John Hughes, this 80s classic was one of the first films to address the high school clique system. Five students, stereotyped the Jock, the Princess, the Brain, the Criminal and the Basket Case are placed into detention one morning with the aim of writing an essay titled ‘Who do you think you are?’. Confined to the classroom for nine hours, eventually the quintet open up to each other about their lives, form friendships, and leave as different people to those they entered as. Since the creation of The Breakfast Club, countless films have been made based on similar scenarios and settings, but this is definitely a case of original and best. 

Fight Club (1999) – Based on the book by Chuck Palanuik, this film focuses on a dissatisfied insomniac, who forms a group with an eccentric soapmaker he meets on a flight. The Fight Club members release pent up frustrations with everyday life through taking part in violent clashes against each other. A delicious twist at the end makes this one of those films that you feel the need to re-watch once it’s over. However it’s no chore to do so, mainly due to the efforts of an all-star cast, which includes Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham-Carter. It was reported in 2006 that due to the release of this film, many ‘underground bare-knuckle brawling clubs’ had been founded across America, but as they take part amongst consenting adults who do not press charges if injuries are sustained, there is little police can do. 

Shaun of the Dead (2004) – This was the first film dubbed a ‘zombie comedy’, created and performed in by the genius duo of Nick Frost and Simon Pegg. It has a simplistic plot - a middle-aged man whose girlfriend is sick of his layabout ways is forced to be proactive, as he has to lead a group of his friends against a zombie invasion in London, with hilarious (and gruesome) results. The team behind the film have gone on to enjoy huge success, as well as paving the way for similar films such as Severance and Zombieland to make it into the mainstream film circuit.