Cult Films have limited but very special appeal. Cult films are usually strange, quirky, offbeat, eccentric, oddball, or surreal, with outrageous, weird, unique and cartoony characters or plots, and garish sets. They are often considered controversial because they step outside standard narrative and technical conventions. They can be very stylized, and they are often flawed or unusual in some striking way.
Most cult films cut across many film genres (science fiction, horror, melodrama, etc.), although some film genres are also more prone to being cultish, such as the horror or sci-fi genres. Teen comedies are also more often rated as cult films, such as Dazed and Confused (1993), and Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), with quotable lines of dialogue, and memorable characters and scenes.
Many cult films feature or effectively showcase the performance of newcomers or other unknown talented actors/actresses. These often-obscure and cheesy films are usually made by maverick, highly individualistic film-makers with low-budget resources and little commercial marketing. And cult films are rarely, if ever, sequels, since then they would have attained mainstream appeal and widespread success. Some directors are more prone to making cult films, such as John Waters, Quentin Tarantino and David Lynch, especially early in their careers, because of their individualistic perspective and style, although they can often make a conventional 'mainstream' film too (such as David Lynch's The Straight Story (1999)).
Many cult films fared poorly at the box office when first shown, but then achieved cult-film status, developing an enduring loyalty and following among fans over time, often through word-of-mouth recommendations. Sometimes, they were revolutionary, brilliant films 'before their time' (i.e., Fantasia (1940)) and not bound by the conventions of their day.
They elicit a fiery and intense passion in devoted fans, and may cause cultists to enthusiastically champion and become devoted to these films, leading to audience participation, fan club membership, and repetitive viewings and showings. Cult films have tremendous followings with certain groups, e.g., college campuses, 'midnight movie' crowds, independent film lovers, etc. Cult movie worshippers persuasively argue with all about the merits of their choices, without regard for standard newspaper or movie reviews from critics.
There's no hard-and-fast rule or checklist to gauge what makes a cult film. A cult film is often designated as such "in the eye of the beholder" without fufilling any definition. It's often a matter of opinion. One viewer's cult film may not be judged the same by another viewer. And just because a segment of devoted viewers (pre-teen girls) repeatedly watch a film - such as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) - to view its star Johnny Depp, or Titanic (1997) (to see Leonardo Di Caprio), or to view the latest George Lucas Star Wars film, doesn't make a film a cult film. However, there are the most popular cult films, such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and any of the Star Trek films, that have developed cult followings with all the trappings.
One of the biggest, best-known cult films was not intended to become so popular. It was a low-budget, government 'documentary' propaganda film from the mid-30s created to dramatize the dangers of marijuana use and demon weed - Reefer Madness (1936). However, Tod Browning's grotesque Freaks (1932), was deliberately advertised as "the strangest...most startling human story ever screened," and had alternate titles including Forbidden Love, The Monster Show, and Nature's Mistakes. It used real-life dwarfs, pinheads, and other human freaks (portraying sideshow circus performers) to present a jolting story of revenge.
When first released, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and Almost Famous (2000) were almost instantly pronounced as cult films, but as time progressed, they didn't really fit the category. They were highly-acclaimed, award-winning films that were prominently shown in the mainstream, and it had been too early to judge them as cult films. The media often labels an unusual film as a 'cult film' when it really shouldn't. It takes time for a film to reach cult status.
Camp films are cult-type films, but they are often poorly made or ludicrous, yet still enjoyable and appreciated. Cult films follow no rules or pattern - some cult films are popular only among certain limited groups of audiences or friends.
Music-Based Cult Films:
Some cult films are music-based, such as director Rob Reiner's This is Spinal Tap (1984), a tongue-in-cheek spoof of rock documentaries, following a faux British heavy metal band's disastrous US tour; Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982), a bizarre film based on the popular rock album; Ken Russell's Tommy (1975), the Who's rock opera about a deaf, dumb, and blind kid who sure plays a 'mean pinball'; and The Blues Brothers (1980), a farcical musical comedy involving two loser musicians who resurrect their old blues band.
The first of two other quintessential rock musical cult films include the transgender The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) - notable for inspiring the craze of interactive, 'midnight movie' screenings. The iconic film was essentially a trashy tale set in a mysterious castle with kinky extraterrestrial Transylvanian transvestites, two stranded young people (including an underwear-clad Susan Sarandon), and a mad scientist. The second was a rebellious teenage musical comedy Rock 'N' Roll High School (1979) that featured a rock band named The Ramones. Perry Henzell's urban-crime drama The Harder They Come (1973) with musical star Jimmy Cliff, featured a reggae soundtrack and a seamy look at poverty and crime in Jamaica.
Well-Regarded Cult Films:
A number of cult films are well-regarded, such as Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946), that became popular many years after its initial release due to repeated television showings. Likewise, the classic weeper An Affair to Remember (1957) has developed a loyal following (it was a remake of Love Affair (1939), was paid homage in Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and remade as Love Affair (1994) with Warren Beatty and Annette Bening).
Others include the science fiction classic Forbidden Planet (1956) that has developed a wide cult following, Kubrick's intriguing A Clockwork Orange (1971) - a surrealistic tale of an ultra-violent future and the danger of psychological reconditioning, or Coppola's anti-Vietnam war epic of a terrifying journey into hell in Apocalypse Now (1979), or another Kubrick classic, Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb (1964).
Frank Darabont's subversive, allegorical, and life-affirming prison story about two life-sentenced prisoners, The Shawshank Redemption (1994), based upon a Stephen King story, failed at the box-office during its original release, but established a strong cult following its video release. George Roy Hill, the director of such Oscar-winning hits as The Sting (1973) and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), also helmed the comedy-drama Slap Shot (1977) with Paul Newman - noted as one of the raunchiest, most foul-mouthed, macho sports films ever made. Another highly-regarded cult film is Monte Hellman's low-budget Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) - a late 60s to early 70s entry in the road film genre - that was both an existential character study and a car-chase/race film.
A visually rich Philip-Marlowe style detective film, director Ridley Scott's Blade Runner (1982), set in futuristic, proto-punk Los Angeles in 2019, and about an ex-cop (Harrison Ford) who hunts down renegade human replicants, has developed a wide cultish following. An early 70s big-cult favorite was director Hal Ashby's dark, eccentric and macabre Harold and Maude (1971) about a strange taboo romance between a 20 year-old boy (Bud Cort) and a fun-loving, joie-de-vivre 79 year-old woman (Ruth Gordon) to the tune of a Cat Stevens soundtrack - with ingenious scenes of the spoiled rich boy's mock suicide attempts staged to upset his mother. A year earlier, Bud Cort had starred in Robert Altman's quirky and satirical fairy tale Brewster McCloud (1970) as a bespectacled boy living in the Houston Astrodome where he was building a machine to escape and fly away. The Sound of Music (1965) when re-released in the late 20th century was presented as a sing-along version (with subtitles) along the lines of the participatory Rocky Horror, with fans dressing up as nuns, lonely goatherds and Nazis.
Conversely, some of the most praised films have pornographic origins, such as the ground-breaking Behind the Green Door (1972) due to its star Marilyn Chambers appearing in her first adult role (she was a former All-American Girl and Ivory Snow detergent model).
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http://www.filmsite.org/cultfilms.html 文字绝对是人类史上最让人无法自拔的毒品。致幻，带来无以名状的兴奋以及绝望。更早与文字之前，在其还在嘴与耳间传播时，这一伟大的致幻剂就已在人类的血液之中蠢蠢欲动。当打字机先生的两个朋友在黑药之城发现他枕着纷杂不清的各类毒品躺在沙堆上后带他回住处读起不知何时寄回美国的书稿，那梦幻的文字带来的何尝不是一种快感。
如果要看娱乐片，如果怕沉闷，如果看到肛门就恶心，这部电影大可不必观看。
第一遍看卡夫卡长篇的时候不亚于看天书，又烦又闷，几乎睡着，但却记住了他那部短篇《变形记》，之所以记住，是因为视它变态中的豪杰，几乎是由它开始我的注意力开始由浪漫和现实向“变态”的现代心理作品倾斜，由此结实了格里高尔，默尔索，罗生门，达洛维夫人，等待的戈多，唱情歌的普鲁弗洛克。一段时间我沉迷其中，不能自拔，直到后来看得胆战心惊，看得心乱如麻，看得夜不能寐，于是打住，不敢再看。
这一丢已是两年光景。我浪费了两年。
但是无论我如何视而不见，依然无法规避这一现代主义大类，见到它，我像皮条的熟客，不再面红耳赤，提起它，我像久违的老友，叫我如何不想它。
再看《裸体午餐》我已几乎将“异化”这个词忘记，我穿着本山丹丹合手编织的马甲，从未脱身，以为它就是身体的一部分，安然惬意，不担心早起会变成墙角倒爬的甲壳虫或忙碌织网的灰蜘蛛。
这里是一如既往的疯狂与魔幻，丑恶与苍白。打印机变甲虫，甲虫变性器。屁股会说话，肛门想吸毒。白粉变黄粉，黄粉变黑粉。夫妻玩游戏，游戏即证明。
再用理性去解构，用道德去观察，看到的是白马非马。
但解构和观察从来是人热衷的行为，也是人得意于其他动物的炫耀，自打着认识自己的口号之前，人人孜孜以求的不外乎探寻自身和自身外的无知。我没有专注导演，演员，编剧，技巧，我只是用零星琐碎的段落记录了一点观影体验。
女性的从属地位：一笔带过，具象道德和正义感的Fadela原来不过是一个穿着人皮的Benway，围绕Benway的是忏悔的情人，是一群活生生的卫道士。Lee的妻子Joan更是无足轻重，两次无厘头地重复了相同的死亡。
男性的主导地位：知识（杀虫粉，蜈蚣粉）和权力（传统和道德）的双重谋划下，Benway成为控制和麻痹意识的指示牌和风向标，叫人捏着一把汗的是小人物聚集在他的周围，甘心变成他的情人和奴仆，贪婪地吮吸着打字机流下的精液，而作为知识和文明代言的打字机实际上是在为权利集团唱赞歌，谋利益，是他们的奴隶。
边缘意识及潜意识的真实：借助药物，Interzone被一层层剥皮，密地的秘密最终暴露，黄粉黑粉，逮到了真实就是好粉。这里理性不带一点光辉，理性思维得出的结论无一例外地站不住脚，唯经麻痹的黄黑粉催化，我们才逐一看到Lee的同性恋倾向，Fadela与Benway的合二为一，密地的愚弄本性等等。
艺术与内心世界的真实与虚幻：作家有家不成其为作家，作家是无家的游子，是孤独的代言，是虚幻的瘾君子。片中游戏不过是潜意识的外在表征，是内心的真实想法，“杀死屋里的天使”，Lee才能捧起打字机羽化成作家。电影本身同样是真实与虚幻的交媾产儿：人在其中，身在其外，似是而非，实乎玄乎。
异化的普世存在：横向的异化是不同物种的变异，纵向的异化是个体内部的变异。影片里的人可谓个个不“正常”，同性恋，性变态，多虑症，当人人“不正常”的时候人人都是“正常”的。当人人异化时，异化随即变为生存常态。
现实意义：既然没有一个人能逃得脱异化，掌控，自然没有必要大惊小怪，大呼小叫。所谓世风日下，人心不古，不过是自我的华丽标榜；所谓高山流水，桃花源地，也不过是自我的顽固逃遁；而所谓道行高远，德行远扬，不过是自我的贵重皮囊。
电影的思想和深度远远不止于此，我凭一己理解，只能掘其一角。
原文博客：
http://yanhaibing.blogspot.com/2008/11/blog-post_19.html电影改编自威廉巴勒斯的同名小说，和小说中展现的脑内地震不尽相同，大卫柯南伯格结合了威廉巴勒斯自传三部曲《瘾君子》、《酷儿》、《裸体午餐》中的内容，描述了作家威廉.李在半梦半醒中逃离毒品控制，正视体内魔鬼的过程。两次杀妻构成了影片循环式发展的结构，它看起来像宿命重现，实则是作家击碎梦境，走出封闭的内心世界，从控制中心逃离到边缘地带的象征。就像拟人化的打字机 “克拉克诺瓦”弥留时所说的“作家应该生活在残酷的现实中”。
影片以“写作是危险的”作为威廉.李的台词，暗指作家即将开始一段危险的内心探索之旅。事实上，当蟑螂从墙壁的缝隙中爬出时，幻觉就已经开始了，蟑螂就是被毒品异化的瘾君子，灭虫员就是街头毒贩，毒虫躺在灭虫粉中贪婪如同享受饕餮盛宴，不知灭虫员即将用鞋底劈头盖脸给予三连击。当威廉.李第一次抱怨灭虫粉不够用时，街头代理人的回复是“不够用是你自己吃得太多。”
在毒瘾的作用下，威廉.李误杀了自己的妻子琼，当他慌不择路的选择逃亡时，一个魔鬼扑上肩膀的吊坠出现在镜头里，暗示威廉.李的心魔已占据了他的身体。此时骨瘦嶙峋的怪物在酒吧出现，他让威廉.李离开纽约，逃往地区间-Interzone，实际上就是退守至封闭的内心世界。他让威廉.李带上名叫 “克拉克诺瓦”的打字机给地区间打报告， “克拉克诺瓦” 就是连接作家思想和内心世界的读脑器。
现实和幻想在迷宫般的地区间-Interzone（丹吉尔）-交汇进行，这个像心脏构造的城市具备着梦境的一切要素，古堡，集市，咖啡馆，遮蔽的天空和无数个通往黑暗尽头的长廊。打字机的声音如影随形，它既是钢铁时代的奇响，也是作家脑中迸发出高亢激烈旋律的高音萨克斯管。金属键盘好比酷似亡妻的女作家琼的肌肤，当抚摸不足以表达爱意，汝须剥开键盘直至体内，情浓极处，汝更须猛烈敲击键盘，直至血肉淋漓的完全勃起。打字机的口、屁眼和生殖器合为一体，因为语言即病毒，它既是身份（同性恋）缺失后无法言说的恐惧，也是直接作用于脑部的交流电，它体现的是一个人对另一个人的控制，通过语言、排泄物和性。当两台打字机在作家面前争吵时，就像脑内发出巨大轰鸣的噪音合奏，须将一台敲碎至零件方能得到片刻的安宁，就像 “克拉克诺瓦”对威廉.李的第一次引诱：“去接受这种新的视角（毒品空间），我就是靠着美妙的词句过活的。”
本威医生是地区间-Interzone 控制体系的代言人，他的女人皮囊就是他的政治伪装，如同毒品上面涂抹的糖霜，就像他第一次遇见威廉.李将黑肉（新毒品）掺进灭虫粉（旧毒品）所说的，新型毒品会隐形，就像潜入旧毒品世界的间谍。作为金字塔的最顶端，他的工作就是不断开发新型毒品以控制退守至内心世界的人们，瘾君子通过怪物头上的吸管，靠吸食丑陋灵魂的思想为生，交出灵魂以换得本威医生所谓的“自由”。
为了找到琼，威廉.李将爱慕自己的男妓吉吉作为交换条件，换得了本威医生的地址，但是吉吉的死让威廉.李不得不再次面对自己的丑陋，这也为片尾威廉.李拒绝了本威医生的邀请，而选择带走琼埋下了伏笔。
在边缘地带安耐克斯-ANNEXIA的入口，两个哨兵拦住了威廉.李，威廉李掏出钢笔以证明自己的作家身份，哨兵说一支钢笔不足以证明你是作家，“你要写点什么”，威廉.李转过身去再次击中了琼的额头。在梦里再次杀死琼让威廉.李流下了悔恨的眼泪，梦魇一击即碎，但是心中的污点却无法抹除，唯有面对残酷的现实——正如哨兵所说“你要写点什么”——将这段危险的内心探索之旅记录下来，它才有可能成为作家自我救赎的唯一途径。
战后文人的状态：披着君子面具的颓废内心，沉浸在虚幻的精神世界中。 p.s.由于智力原因，并没有太看进去
化用剧中人的语言来讲，观看柯南伯格的《裸体午餐》确乎有种“卡夫卡式的快感”。诸多意象令人想起卡夫卡的《变形记》。甲虫代表着Bill或说每个人本人内心被压制的酒神欲望，认同却不敢承认的内心世界。而结尾无疑形成了一个新的环形结构，伴随西西弗斯式无奈与宿命轮回，欢迎来到安耐克斯
影片改编自美国作家威廉·巴洛斯的同名经典颓废小说，小说的主题是海洛因和吸毒。影片所涉及的则全是虚构的所谓“毒品”，毒品在片中仅仅作为背景出现。这是最接近柯南伯格自己的《录影带谋杀案》的风格的作品，充满大量超现实和隐喻；也很像同年的科恩兄弟的《巴顿·芬克》，只不过更加晦涩。
总是让我想到《巴顿芬克》。虽然晦涩不堪,但隐喻的超现实风格显著。
怕虫党缩成了一小团 捂着眼睛从指缝里偷偷地看完了 久违的 温馨感。。。
在气质上，柯南伯格是最接近卡夫卡的天才导演。他又一次为我们构建了一个充满诡谲和梦幻的世界，生理上的不适感逐渐被探索的好奇所代替。「异化」的主题作为最直白的表述付诸在以文学写作为基础的行为当中，虫化的比喻阴冷潮湿，甚至带着无法抵抗的粘稠和诱惑，当人格分裂和幻觉逐渐占据上风，癫狂的想象力开始主宰整个世界。即使原著没读过，隐喻没看懂，也不影响这是一部具有魔力的作品。
@ Prince Charles Cinema 搞隐喻大概没几个人搞得过柯南伯格，他那令人发指的美学观念和极尽恶心的隐喻指称对象让我心服口服，极端异质的影像某种程度上完美还原了原著，现实与幻想交织，如同一个吸毒者混沌大脑的癔症。逃离如果是向着interzone，困顿宿命还是注定的，毕竟没人逃得出自己内心的阴影。
理解不能。
it's time for cult 《nacked lunch》是那种...像冰凉的黑色液体慢慢渗入到皮肤里，皮肤在变色，并感受到温度的降低，皮下的某个或某些部位在瘙痒，但抓不到准确的位置，找不到确切的入口，知道它的存在和它存在带来的变化，却摸不到看不见也表述不出的电影。now...it's time for cult.这又是一部被认知成“my style”的电影，像树婴、涨潮海岸一样被攫取到自己的体内，当别人提到我的名字的时候，就该一同说出它，例如可以在我冗长的墓志铭里写上诸如“十
怪诞象征中的挣扎与绝望，本质上是柯南伯格的《穆赫兰道》。相较于林奇的诡谲梦幻，柯南伯格的梦魇更为冷硬，呈现的是更富视觉冲击力的惊悚。虽然过于直白的影像呈现与幽郁且含蓄暧昧的文本情境有一点割裂，但柯南伯格这次在形象之外讲好了故事，属实难得，且足够惊喜
如果对威廉·巴勒斯的生平，以及他的作品有一定了解，这会是一部有趣的电影。现实与幻想交叉，充斥着吸毒者的癔症；遍布隐晦的情色，同性与异性的，加上柯南伯格的恶心美学或者说虫子美学，无法不称之为经典。再不济也会是一部蒙太奇教材范本。
柯南伯格与巴勒斯合体构建的异质性世界令人着迷，我一度感到头皮发麻，仿若有水蛭从毛孔中排泄出来。服麻醉品的迷幻旅程&颓废堕落的社会象喻。结构有如半切开的洋葱，辛辣繁复。甲虫打字机，遭批量屠宰的巴西大蜈蚣，枪击游戏，蜕下的女性皮囊，打字机的互撕与碎裂，笼中人兽黏附似[怪形]。（8.5/10）
【C–】对各种隐喻体系的编排交织和柯南伯格标志性的邪魅道具所共同构成的作者表达已经到了让人作呕的地步，可以用晦涩来搪塞，但也止步于此。
隐喻，隐喻，隐喻。让我们这些无比反感唧唧歪歪的人情何以堪
你知道作家的生存是多么艰难，你知道CULT片的诞生是多么纠缠。异化的内心世界，随着用肛门说话的甲虫变得鲜血淋漓。无比邪恶怪诞的场面信手拈来，不过分夸张煽情，你看第二第三遍的时候，就能如同面对自己晦涩的内心一样来面对那些可怖的隐喻。其实总的来说我没看懂，还是大卫林奇能够理解一点。
太难懂了...各种无逻辑的剪辑满是隐喻的台词，就像进入因杀虫粉变High的柯南伯格的大脑，他所有疯狂恶心变态色情扭曲的幻想一并爆发，可惜我实在受不了那些让我浑身不适的虫类...
1.这片子的成功改编，意味着颠覆了巴勒斯的巴勒斯，也许是更成熟的巴勒斯；2.结尾其实就是字面意思，杀死爱（和空气同在的瘾），是从内心边境进入的通行证……
那个制作black meat的巫婆是Will&Grace里的Rosario吗！！！！！！！
一场关于写作的隐喻。比预期的低了一点点……因为如果按原作来的话，大概只能改成泡面番了，而那颠狂气控制的扭曲感画面，导演只能是汤浅政明了（见samurai champloo某话）。另，北非毒品爵士……这样的关键词，难道渡边（Cowboy Bebop剧场）有致敬？
写作对于作家而言，就是一种社会化的性行为，不论是金甲虫的肉色肛门，还是玛格瓦姆的提神粘液，都充斥着赤裸裸的肉欲。整个控制体系利用你“心中的污点”（原欲），让你沉迷于其不断更新的毒品（意识形态）所营造的幻觉，而在追逐欲望的循环中无可自拔。【9↑】