Defining cult movies: the cultural politics of oppositional taste

Abstract

Defining cult movies stresses the sheer diversity of the films which have been brought together under the term 'cult movies'. Indeed, there is debate about whether films become cult movies on the basis of their modes of production, exhibition, internal textual features or through acts of appropriation by specific audiences. This collection concentrates on the analysis of cult movies, how they are defined, who defines them and the cultural politics of these definitions. The definition of the cult movie relies on a sense of its distinction from the 'mainstream' or 'ordinary'. This also raises issues about the perception of it as an oppositional form of cinema, and of its strained relationships to processes of institutionalization and classification. In other words, cult movie fandom has often presented itself as being in opposition to the academy, commercial film industries and the media more generally, but has been far more dependent on these forms than it has usually been willing to admit. For example, the history of academic film studies and that of cult movie fandom are inextricably intertwined. The international roster of essayists range over a wide and entertaining gamut of cult films from Dario Argento, Spanish horror and Peter Jackson's New Zealand gorefests to sexploitation, kung fu and sci-fi flicks, as well as investigations of Sharon Stone, 'underground' and fan trivia. As a result, this book will be of interest to students and researchers in the fields of film, media and cultural studies and to all those interested in this diverse and fascinating area of contemporary culture.

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