Cult Classics Corner

[Dante]

I am often amazed and bemused by how some people have simply missed out on an AMAZING cult classic show or film or radio series and LOVE finding a new one myself, so this thread is for everyone to post those cult classics. If this works then together we shall compile a library of the best underrated classics of all time.

It can be a film, TV series, Book, Radio Series, Podcast or even a rare website/community (like SCP Foundation) If it is not too well known, but has a loyal following and is an absolute classic then it belongs here.

If you can please post in the following format (for ease of reading)

Name & Date
Format(s) (Radio/TV/Film etc)
Picture
Synopsis
Comments

 

[Dante]

Example (and food cult classic)

HitchHikers Guide to the Galaxy - By Douglas Adams (1978 - Onwards)
Radio, TV, Film, Books

A poor Earthling called Arthur Dent is saved when his planet is unexpectedly demolished to make way for a new hyperspace bypass by his best friend who apparently doesnt come from Guilford afterall, but was trapped on earth whilst doing research for the greatest book in the known universe "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy", that tells you everything you need to know if you are an impoverished Hitchhiker trying to see the mysteries of the universe for less than 30 Alterian Dollars a day.

Fun, clever, silly and unexpected, a classic sci fi radio series that has stood the test of time and been adapted into a Book, the back into more radio series, then into a TV series, then a film (though the film really sucked, stick to the Radio Series and Books, unless you are a die-hard fan then maybe try the TV series too).

 

[Dante]

Welcome to Night Vale - by "Night Vale Presents" (2012-Present)
Podcast

WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE is a twice-monthly podcast in the style of community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff's Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events.

This is a strange and very random show with a macabre and sinister feeling as a very cheerful presenter keeps the listeners up to date on the normal goings on of this dark and mysterious town. Just odd a fun.

 

[Princess Tiffany]

I love cult classic video games! If I were to pick my favorite, it would definitely be EarthBound.

So have you ever played Super Smash Bros.? You know who Ness is? Y'know, the kid who always shouts 'PK FIRE! PK FIRE! PK FIRE!' Well he's a lot less annoying in the game he comes from. In fact, I'd say he's a total badass.

The game is an RPG, like Final Fantasy or Chrono Trigger, but unlike those games, EarthBound takes place in a modern Earth-like world. Don't be fooled though, this isn't a casual slice-of-life scenario, the world is being taken over by a demonic space alien! This alien, known as 'Giygas,' is corrupting innocent people, animals, and even inanimate objects!

I love this game to pieces. The sense of humor is great, the visuals are strange and trippy, and honestly, it has to be one of my favorite games of all time. Definitely check it out! Unfortunately, Nintendo kinda neglects this game, so it's very hard to actually find a way to (legally) play the game. It's on the Wii U's virtual console (though I don't see any reason you would have one,) as well as the SNES Classic (which is probably just as hard to find as an actual copy of the game)
Welp, that's enough praising for one day.

 

[Dante]

The Room - Written, directed, produced, and staring Tommy Wiseau (2003)
Film

Johnny is a successful banker who lives happily in a San Francisco townhouse with his fiancée, Lisa. One day, inexplicably, she gets bored of him and decides to seduce Johnny's best friend, Mark. From there, nothing will be the same again.

This is widely recognised as the worst film ever made. There just isnt 1 good thing to say about it, which is why it is SO much fun to take the piss out of it with your friends whilst watching. It is so much fun to do this that it is still shown in some cinemas over a decade later. Just fucking epic. The film is so bad that it inspired a book "The Disaster Artist" which went on to be made into a film itself which is arguably WAY better than The Room.

 

[Dante]

I love cult classic video games! If I were to pick my favorite, it would definitely be EarthBound.

So have you ever played Super Smash Bros.? You know who Ness is? Y'know, the kid who always shouts 'PK FIRE! PK FIRE! PK FIRE!' Well he's a lot less annoying in the game he comes from. In fact, I'd say he's a total badass.

The game is an RPG, like Final Fantasy or Chrono Trigger, but unlike those games, EarthBound takes place in a modern Earth-like world. Don't be fooled though, this isn't a casual slice-of-life scenario, the world is being taken over by a demonic space alien! This alien, known as 'Giygas,' is corrupting innocent people, animals, and even inanimate objects!

I love this game to pieces. The sense of humor is great, the visuals are strange and trippy, and honestly, it has to be one of my favorite games of all time. Definitely check it out! Unfortunately, Nintendo kinda neglects this game, so it's very hard to actually find a way to (legally) play the game. It's on the Wii U's virtual console (though I don't see any reason you would have one,) as well as the SNES Classic (which is probably just as hard to find as an actual copy of the game)
Welp, that's enough praising for one day.

First person to post and he ignores the format *sigh

 

[Witty_Sarcasm]

The Room - Written, directed, produced, and staring Tommy Wiseau (2003)
Film

Johnny is a successful banker who lives happily in a San Francisco townhouse with his fiancée, Lisa. One day, inexplicably, she gets bored of him and decides to seduce Johnny's best friend, Mark. From there, nothing will be the same again.

This is widely recognised as the worst film ever made. There just isnt 1 good thing to say about it, which is why it is SO much fun to take the piss out of it with your friends whilst watching. It is so much fun to do this that it is still shown in some cinemas over a decade later. Just fucking epic. The film is so bad that it inspired a book "The Disaster Artist" which went on to be made into a film itself which is arguably WAY better than The Room.

I love this trainwreck. haha

 

[Dante]

I love this trainwreck. haha

Post your own Lets make a library of Cult Classic Awesome

 

[Dante]

The Prisoner (1967-1968)
TV Series

The Prisoner is a 1967 British avant-garde social science fiction television series about an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village, where his captors try to find out why he abruptly resigned from his job.

This is as weird as you may expect of a 60s spy series, every plot to find out what he knows is needlessly abstract and overcomplicated and the islands jailer is LITERALLY a malevolent bubble, but it is strangely charming and awesome nonetheless watching the constant battle of wits between Number 6 and a constantly changing series of abstruse interrogators.

 

[Sunspots]

La Cabina (The Telephone Box)

1972 short (35 minute) TV film



A new telephone box appears in the town square and a middle aged man goes inside to make a call. The phone doesn't work so he tries to leave only to find that the door is stuck solid. Passers by begin to gather and attempt to release him but he remains trapped inside. The crowd outside gets bigger and bigger with some laughing at the poor man's predicament while others use ever increasing force try to set him free. Eventually the phone company arrives, loads the telephone box with the man still inside onto the back of a pickup truck and drive off. Across town the truck pulls up next to another truck with another man inside another telephone box. The two try to communicate but the truck pulls away. After many hours they arrive at a huge warehouse. The telephone box is carried on a forklift past hundreds of telephone boxes, all with the remains of decaying corpses. The forklift truck drops the telephone box and drives away, leaving him collapsed in terror on the floor. The camera then cuts back to the town square where the phone company are installing a new telephone box.

La Cabina is a Spanish film - the version I saw had English subtitles but there is very little dialogue, instead relying on the characters expressions and hand gestures. I think the lack of dialogue helps the viewer to understand how alone and afraid the main character must feel.

It scared the crap out of me when I was a kid. I've watched it a couple of times as an adult and it still has the same effect.

 

[A_J_R]

I'm very much into cult classics. Hard to think of just one to get started with, but maybe something fun like Absolute Beginners, which is a British musical from the 1980s with David Bowie. It takes place in the late 1950s and is really vibrant and fun. An old school favorite of mine.

 

[Evael]

Hellraiser (1987)
Film

Hellraiser is a horror film primarily centering around the antagonists Julia and Frank Cotton, as well as Julia's stepdaughter, Kirsty. It is more famous for introducing the iconic horror villain Pinhead and his gang of Cenobites.
The film opens with Frank finding a strange puzzle box, the Lament Configuration*, which kills him upon completion. After he is partially brought back to life, he seeks help from Julia to fully resurrect him.

While it's relatively well known, it still seems to be overshadowed by the many other horror films of its decade, which is why I consider it a cult classic. It's unconventional in its scares and focuses heavily on philosophy as the main source of its horror.
There are numerous sequels, which I still have yet to watch, plus a few comic books. The author of the original story, Clive Barker, has also gone on to write a few sequels and side-stories. Cradle of Filth released the album Midian in 2000 which is partially inspired by his works and features the actor of Pinhead (Doug Bradley) as a guest narrator.
The philosophical depth to the film, as well as the amazing use of visuals, is what makes it such a terrifying masterpiece. It is Lovecraftian. Feeding upon existential dread to fuel its fire, Hellraiser is absolutely unparalleled and will not be easily forgotten.

* - It is not referred to as the Lament Configuration in the film, although this is the name it has since been given through the sequels and comic books.

 

[A_J_R]

Hellraiser (1987)
Film

Hellraiser is a horror film primarily centering around the antagonists Julia and Frank Cotton, as well as Julia's stepdaughter, Kirsty. It is more famous for introducing the iconic horror villain Pinhead and his gang of Cenobites.
The film opens with Frank finding a strange puzzle box, the Lament Configuration*, which kills him upon completion. After he is partially brought back to life, he seeks help from Julia to fully resurrect him.

While it's relatively well known, it still seems to be overshadowed by the many other horror films of its decade, which is why I consider it a cult classic. It's unconventional in its scares and focuses heavily on philosophy as the main source of its horror.
There are numerous sequels, which I still have yet to watch, plus a few comic books. The author of the original story, Clive Barker, has also gone on to write a few sequels and side-stories. Cradle of Filth released the album Midian in 2000 which is partially inspired by his works and features the actor of Pinhead (Doug Bradley) as a guest narrator.
The philosophical depth to the film, as well as the amazing use of visuals, is what makes it such a terrifying masterpiece. It is Lovecraftian. Feeding upon existential dread to fuel its fire, Hellraiser is absolutely unparalleled and will not be easily forgotten.

* - It is not referred to as the Lament Configuration in the film, although this is the name it has since been given through the sequels and comic books.

I love Hellraiser, and to be completely honest, it's a film that reflects my life. Julia is one of the great tortured characters of our time. Motivated by sex or love, but also a desire to remain sexually relevant. Her story is so absolutely compelling. I had a Frank in my life. They will destroy you.

Great pick!

 

[A_J_R]

Btw, I want to mention that my "Frank" loved Hellraiser too. Of course he did. :P

 

[KM76710]

Although I have many favorites in all the formats on TV I alternate between a number of shows but the single favorite if I had to pick just one.

Firefly(2002)(TV) and the following movie Serenity(2005).

A misfit crew on a transport, spaceship. They aren't completely criminals but have been not to pull heists and they do have a sense of honor and doing the right thing. In one of their jobs they steal medicine on a planet where people will soon start slowly dying and they return the drugs. When they get caught by the law the crew is told that money is hard to come by and some would view it as a choice to keep the loot or return it to which the captain just says: "I don't believe he does.". The captain and first mate were soldiers on the losing side of a civil war(not convinced it was the wrong side). The exceptional pilot with an oddball sense of humor. The mercenary muscle who is rude, crude, uncouth and socially unacceptable but about as badass as a fighter there is and he has a spot for those he serves with which comes out at times. A mechanic who can repair anything and keeps the whole spacecraft going and is the one person on board that everybody trusts and loves. The call girl who in a society where that profession is viewed more respectable that most other jobs is a contact to the return of society. A preacher who seems to know far too much about crime, law enforcement, military, hand to hand combat and weapons skills where you wonder what did he do in his past? The fugitive doctor brother and his slightly disturbed sister who are on the lamb with have of the universe hunting for them.

They get into plenty of fun adventures which can be expected of a show from Joss Whedon with plenty of action and humor. A western adventure in outer space akin to The Outlaw Josey Wales.

 

[Dante]

Although I have many favorites in all the formats on TV I alternate between a number of shows but the single favorite if I had to pick just one.

Firefly(2002)(TV) and the following movie Serenity(2005).

A misfit crew on a transport, spaceship. They aren't completely criminals but have been not to pull heists and they do have a sense of honor and doing the right thing. In one of their jobs they steal medicine on a planet where people will soon start slowly dying and they return the drugs. When they get caught by the law the crew is told that money is hard to come by and some would view it as a choice to keep the loot or return it to which the captain just says: "I don't believe he does.". The captain and first mate were soldiers on the losing side of a civil war(not convinced it was the wrong side). The exceptional pilot with an oddball sense of humor. The mercenary muscle who is rude, crude, uncouth and socially unacceptable but about as badass as a fighter there is and he has a spot for those he serves with which comes out at times. A mechanic who can repair anything and keeps the whole spacecraft going and is the one person on board that everybody trusts and loves. The call girl who in a society where that profession is viewed more respectable that most other jobs is a contact to the return of society. A preacher who seems to know far too much about crime, law enforcement, military, hand to hand combat and weapons skills where you wonder what did he do in his past? The fugitive doctor brother and his slightly disturbed sister who are on the lamb with have of the universe hunting for them.

They get into plenty of fun adventures which can be expected of a show from Joss Whedon with plenty of action and humor. A western adventure in outer space akin to The Outlaw Josey Wales.

YES!!! I was HOPEING someone would post this ^^ I didnt want to post it myself, I wanted to see who would post it on their own

 

[Atreides]

The Prisoner (1967-1968)
TV Series

The Prisoner is a 1967 British avant-garde social science fiction television series about an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village, where his captors try to find out why he abruptly resigned from his job.

This is as weird as you may expect of a 60s spy series, every plot to find out what he knows is needlessly abstract and overcomplicated and the islands jailer is LITERALLY a malevolent bubble, but it is strangely charming and awesome nonetheless watching the constant battle of wits between Number 6 and a constantly changing series of abstruse interrogators.

I love The Prisoner. I was telling someone about this show just the other day.

 

[KM76710]

YES!!! I was HOPEING someone would post this ^^ I didnt want to post it myself, I wanted to see who would post it on their own

What I find amusing is I want to be Jayne, but most who know me no way, that I am like Book. LOL

 

[KM76710]

I love The Prisoner. I was telling someone about this show just the other day.

Something I loved about The Prisoner beside wondering can I have some of the drugs they were doing when thinking it up has always been that the identity of Number One is given plainly in the opening credits dialog.

 

[Atreides]

Did you guys ever see the Simpsons episode where they make fun of The Prisoner?