Why The Internet Is Killing the Cult Classic

Posted by Brian C. Gibson (brian@filmschoolrejects.com) on July 20, 2009

DeathofCult

Last week, yet another cult classic hit the shelves after years of waiting from faithful fans. Now that the 90’s MTV cult show “The State” has hit digital media, no one can ever complain about only having a crappy VHS rip. This last few months we have seen a few other titles hit DVD after years of waiting, such as Howard the Duck and “X-Men: The Animated Series.” So now that these long awaited titles have finally hit our high definition world, what does anyone in the world of geek like me have to complain about?

Don’t worry, I have a big complaint…right now. The cult classic is dying my friends, and neither Apple nor Al Gore can save it.

It used to be that a movie or TV show gained the title of a cult classic due to a few qualities. One quality is that the film should have originally had very little critical or commercial success. Most cult classics failed at the box office or in TV ratings, even if they were able to go so far. Cult classics also usually have a very healthy shelf-life on home video or DVD. This is actually a bigger factor than most people think because back before VHS if you didn’t see The Rocky Horror Picture Show in theaters, where or how could you see it? By being some of the select few that did see the film in theaters, you were now part of a small group of fans that created the film’s iconic presence as a cult classic. Really, I think it is the combination of word of mouth and limited access to the content. So when a film like The Boondock Saints was only released on five screens and then hit DVD almost two years later only to catch a wave of word of mouth praise, you have yourself a cult classic.

So there’s the dilemma. How can anything sneak past us in this content-driven society?

The cult classic is dying off faster and faster. The most recent title that could realistically be called a cult classic would be Donnie Darko. The film failed at the box office, only to be resurrected on home video and DVD. “Family Guy” came close, except the content was right in front of us and Fox saw the DVD sales, bringing the show back into the public eye. Any film that hits theaters or DVD is converted into digital content immediately, if not sooner than its release date. Here’s a good example: many people who scour the internet know that the hit film Taken was available online much sooner than its United States release date. Now due to all the downloads and word of mouth praise, the film performed great at the box office. Now Taken is not a cult classic because of its success. However if it had not played in US theaters but had only been released on DVD…I think we might have had a recent cult classic.

So since video has already killed the radio star, the new killer in town is the internet. The internet’s original purpose was to make the world’s largest resource of content available to anyone. We humans have a gluttonous streak though, we couldn’t just have a simple resource. We turned it into a giant machine that can create and kill popular culture faster than we can text, tweet or shout it over to our friends. The internet has taken a cue from us and has turned into a parasite, no longer just hosting the content…but abusing it until we have no use for it anymore. It used to be that when you could only buy a record or a VHS, that would be the only avenue for accessing the content. Now we have taken digital content to the next level – the level of exhaustion.

So is there anything else left on my list of cult classics that need to hit DVD?

Let It Be (1970)

Electric Dreams (1984)

“The Wonder Years”

Rad (1986)

“Salute Your Shorts”

“Hey Dude”

Max Headroom: 20 Minutes Into the Future (1987)

Moonwalker

What cult classics would you like to see on DVD?

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JLSosa

I can think of a couple cult classics that haven't gotten a proper Region 1 DVD release yet, for reasons that totally baffle me:

Alejandro Jodorowsky's "Santa Sangre"

and

Luis Bunuel's "Los Olvidados"

switchkosterice

How about the short-lived ABC TV show Pushing Daisies?

chille

I do agree that the internet has kind of killed the cult classic, but I don't think its that bad. If a movie is good, then its better that as many people as possible have the opportunity to see it. The only difference this makes is that there will be less people thinking they're cool for liking obscure movies.

AngryBroomstick

that was a very interesting article you wrote. As for what I'd like to see on DVD-- the 1980s TV cult show, SMALL WONDER. I would give my right arm just to watch the whole series again.

Cole_Abaius

This also brings up a larger question of what exactly counts as a Cult Classic. At which level of support does a film go from not being widely liked to being a cult film? I realize the x factor there is how fantatical the fanbase is.

But I'm not sure Taken would have counted, and I'm not sure whether the internet will exactly destroy the cult classic. In some ways, it will actually just increase the audience for cult films. Think about Oldboy - there's a film that's only known about by a marginal amount, loved intensely by those that have seen it, and it only gains in popularity because of the internet. I doubt that it will ever move into mainstream love (the original, not whatever Will Smith makes), and if more people fall in love with it, I'm pretty sure it retains cult status if it's still so vehemently loved.

And yeah, at the end of the day, it's greater just to see good films celebrated by larger numbers, even if it does dilute the uniqueness that some feel for loving barely-known films.

Kangaroo Be Stoned

I don't like "Oldboy". :(

AngryBroomstick

I don't consider "Taken" as a cult classic, either. While we argue what's one and what's not one:

I think we can all agree that "Tank Girl" is a cult classic, because it's so campy, most people haven't really heard of it, and not everyone loved it, but it has some fans. But is "Ghost World" a cult classic, as many have called it? Hardly, it has a mainstream cast with well known actors and it did pretty well at the box office.

The Fight Club has also been called a cult hit, since it FAILED at the B.O and became a huge hit on DVD and to this day, still has a large cult following. But it's very mainstream popular, so can it still be considered a cult hit?

OldBoy can definitely be counted as a cult film because it's foreign, it's dark, and not mainstream known in this country.

T-Rhino

I don't like the downloading of movies from the internet, I think people should get up out of their seats and go a see the film in the cinemas properly instead of on a 19" computer screen. Plus I owning the psyical DVD, Blu-Ray, film is better than having just a file on your computer.

The internet is just spoiling the experience of cinema.

wken

I find viewing films in a cinema is a miserable experience these days, even though I continue to do it for some films. I'm 50, so maybe it is a generational thing, but people seem to have no public viewing manners anymore. Despite all the notices to turn off cell phones, many people continue to text, play games, take photos or make calls during films. Other people talk nonstop. Also, some parents think bringing a baby to a movie or a young child to a violent R rated movie is just fine. It has become almost impossible for me to go to a cinema and become engrossed in a film, because a large enough percentage of the audience think they are in their own living room and can behave any way they please.

A 19" screen is fine for some films, but not all. My video projector, dvd player and surround sound system plus a 100" screen are better than a theater for me. No distractions. Cheaper popcorn and lower overall cost, plus I can pause it if I need to use the bathroom.

If I owned a theater, I would block cell phone signals, ban children under 5 from all films and under 13 for R rated movies, even if accompanied by adults, and have ushers standing at the back of each row ready to kick out anyone that continued to talk through a film. I bet enough people would support such a cinema, but until then, many will just stop going and watch the movie at home one way or another.

Now get the hell off my lawn!!!!

Greg

Could Hellboy be considered a cult classic since it did not do that well in the box office, but on DVD it did really well, enough for a sequel?

Why The Internet Is Killing the Cult Classic

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