“What crazy alchemy can transform the worst movie of all time into a golden work of staggering genius? When it’s dubbed a cult classic, of course!” – Ivan Zadeh, BBC
I think modern cinema could be considered a potential goldmine for future cult classics. And hear me out, I think modern films are now far more susceptible to falling into the cult classic category purely due to an online presence. Think back to the release of Barbie or Oppenheimer; not a single social media could escape the ferociously assembled edits of Ryan Gosling, and even radio stations probably grimaced at the sight of the hot pink album covers as three of the film’s songs entered the UK top 5 at the exact same time. It was chaos and we loved it— we are nostalgic for that era of film already, and it has hardly been two years!
My point here is that the modern cult classics should be nowhere near the level of critical acclaim of The Brutalist or Conclave. It’s not about the critic opinion or the film with the best technical skill; this is pure audience reaction. It’s never the film, but it’s what comes alongside it. These are the films with the cult followings. The films that, to the untrained eye, might seem like nothing, or maybe not even worth the £7.99 cinema ticket. But for a select audience, these are the films that will shape their interests for years to come. For this reason, these are five films I believe can easily achieve cult classic status.
1. Lisa Frankenstein (2024)
This film is more than deserving of the cult classic title. I saw this film towards the start of last year, and I will definitely be rewatching it again this Halloween. There was a clear element of 80s nostalgia right the way through, but somehow it was in-keeping with the humour you’re still likely to hear on Twitter. It was genuinely one of the best cinema experiences I had last year. As a standalone film, it only managed to score a 6.1 on IMDB and a 47 on Metacritic. It was never a film created with the purpose of scoring Oscars (I mean come on, it’s a teenage girl falling in love with a corpse) but, man, it was entertaining. It was also such an aesthetically beautiful film to watch, and that really aided the online buzz that came with it. If you haven’t watched this film already, I cannot recommend it highly enough. Go in with an open mind, low expectations, and a Gen-Z mindset. You’ll love it.
2. Bottoms (2023)
This was another incredibly easy pick for this list. This film really did embody the success of 2019’s Booksmart and took it to the next level. And what makes it a cult classic, is that it only tends to be enjoyed by people that have grown up in the era of Instagram. Watching this film with my parents, I don’t think I’ve seen them more confused in my life, but I don’t know a single peer of mine that didn’t think this film was anything short of genius. Even the aspects of the typical slasher that were somehow incorporated into a teen comedy fitted so well, and really did make the film stick in everyone’s minds for far much longer than the average newage high school depiction. This film and its influence will stick around, and I believe it’ll be long enough to have it considered a cult classic.
3. I Saw the TV Glow (2024)
I had to steer away from the obvious picks and include a film that I don’t think has nearly enough traction surrounding it. The basis of the film centers around queer identity and how the infatuation with pop culture can contribute more to our self-discovery than we may believe. This film received such differing opinions, with the majority of ratings either being the full five-stars or falling short at just one. This is what I believe makes a good cult classic. This film was obscure, it’s queer, and not to mention the Phoebe Bridger’s cameo and original songs. This is a must-see for those looking for something different this year.
4. Theatre Camp (2023)
This film took the word “camp” and really ran with it. Theatre Camp tends to follow the same lines of humour as Bottoms, and similar, it also has an absolutely stacked cast. Ayo Edebiri, who also starred in Bottoms, was accompanied by names such as Ben Platt and Molly Gordon which was enough to already establish the target audience (spoiler alert: the same audience as Bottoms, and Lisa Frankenstein). I would go as far as to argue that this film is trying to take the title of a modern Pitch Perfect, and it has certainly worked in their favour.
5. Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023)
Hear me out. I know this option may be controversial, but looking back at the quote I reference at the beginning of this article, is there a film that fits that category more than this? Five Nights at Freddy’s was torn to shreds by the critics, but I think that’s what they always intended. This was not a film for the regular horror-lover, they always advertised this as a film for the fans, and that’s exactly what it was. What makes this film perfect for the cult classic title, is actually because it already had an established cult following. Having one of the biggest fanbases in gaming, spanning over a decade, does entail having a film that’ll always be a cult classic to that audience. And considering the second installment is already on the way, I don’t think this fanbase will disperse anytime soon.
The cult classics of the modern age are definitely not the masterpieces that the Oscars would strive to have part of their nominations. But it is the films that left lasting impressions; it’s the films that we will all rewatch over and over again to remember that period where it dominated pop culture. These are the films we can show to future generations who “just won’t get it”. They are perfectly planned to be our generation’s cult classics.
Illustration by Madeleine Boyd, @_madsketchy