Cult Cinema: An Introduction

by Ernest Mathijs, Ernest Mathijs

At once subversive, strange, and wondrous, the world of cult cinema is a wildly popular film culture that blurs genres, crosses boundaries, and defies easy categorization. Cult Cinema: An Introduction presents the first in-depth academic examination of all aspects of the field of cult cinema, including its primary audiences, myriad genres, and the theoretical perspectives that inform a film's "cult" status. After addressing the well-known aspects of cult cinema -- midnight movies, exploitation films, fans of various cult subgenres, issues of censorship, cult-film festivals, and fanzines -- the authors unravel many of cult cinema's deeper mysteries, tackling such issues as representations of gender, transgression, subcultures, and meta-cults (cult movies about cult movies).

Topics are presented in sections that are organized thematically around issues relating to reception, aesthetics, and theories. Individual chapters are accompanied by insightful analysis of notable films, including such cult classics as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Donnie Darko, Blade Runner, Plan 9 From Outer Space, El Topo, Eraserhead, Suspiria, and many others. For cinephiles and scholars alike, Cult Cinema: An Introduction is the ticket to the most complete source of information about a fascinating phenomenon in the history of film.

Genres: Film, Media Tie In

299 pages, Paperback

First published May 10, 2011

Reviews

[Ruby · Rating 4 out of 5]

sooooo many typos. i learned a lot though!

[Faye Carr-Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

very in depth and informative, I wouldn't recommend as an induction into cult cinema if you don't already have some existing knowledge. Very helpful however if you are looking into a particular film/issue.
The author (Jamie Sexton) is my lecturer at university and this is a perfect bit of extra reading alongside the class.

[Joey Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dry read that shares interesting insights into cult cinema. Falls into the trappings of many film studies books with lists of films that provide examples without meaningful description of the examples given—but to a far lesser degree than most film history texts. Good for a class with supplemental materials, but would be difficult outside of that context unless you are already incredibly prolific with your cult film consumption.

[Stephanie McGarrah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An introductory textbook so unless you are new to film terminology, in particular the vernacular surrounding critical film theory then you can skip this. Its very dry and no pictures which is always a bummer in textbooks. There's a nice filmography in the back and I'm looking forward to watching a few of the films I hadn't heard of before.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are looking for a quick read about cult movies do no read this book. It is very much a text book to a cult cinema class. I enjoyed the book but found that sometimes I just skimmed through the more technical parts of the book. If you are really into film of any kind though I would say it is worth picking up.

[Nick Spacek · Rating 4 out of 5]

positively brilliant. it receives the highest recommendation I can give a film book, which is that I now have a slew of movies -- and even soundtracks -- I desperately want to track down.