101 Cult Movies You Must See Before You Die

by Steven Jay Schneider

Many--possibly most--films that achieve cult status begin as box office failures, and then over the years start attracting groups of devoted fans. Some cult movies are very good, while others are so bad that they're good, and some are comic escapades, while many others fall into the categories of science fiction or horror. But all cult movies have one thing in common: they are films that refuse to die. Here are brief and fascinating illustrated profiles of the 101 most unforgettable cult movies ever made. They include:

Nosferatu * Reefer Madness * Fantasia * Touch of Evil * Taxi Driver * Invasion of the Body Snatchers * Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! * The Incredible Shrinking Man * Night of the Hunter * The Wiz * Barbarella * Easy Rider, and many more

Each profile includes a plot summary, a cast and credits list, and interesting facts about the film. They are presented chronologically in separate chapters covering each decade from the 1920s to the present. Illustrations include memorable movie stills and reproductions of ad posters. Approximately 200 illustrations.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Media Tie In

416 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

Steven Jay Schneider is a film critic, scholar, and producer with M.A. degrees in Philosophy from Harvard University and in Cinema Studies from New York University. He is the author and editor of numerous books on world cinema, most notably in the horror genre. They include Eurohorror, The Cinema of Wes Craven: An Auteur on Elm Street, Designing Fear: An Aesthetics of Cinematic Horror, Killing in Style: Artistic Murder in the Movies, Understanding Film Genres, and Traditions in World Cinema. He is also a consultant for film, television, and home video/DVD production companies, a curator for world horror film programs, and a staff member in development for Paramount Pictures. Among his recent titles are 501 Movie Stars and 501 Movie Directors, both available in North America from Barron's. Two additional titles from Barron's are scheduled for publication in Spring 09. They are 101 Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die and 101 Sci-Fi Movies You Must See Before You Die.

Reviews

[Raf Linmans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good selection of good movies, but certainly not all of them fall in the category 'cult'. But they put some in the list that even I didn't know about yet, so there you go.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last of these Schneider books I've read and this was a real treat. A brilliant, eclectic selection with probably the most films that not only I haven't seen but many that I've never even heard of. He seems to have kept a good grasp of the concept of the 'Cult' movie as you'd be struggling to quibble with any of these selections. Some really interesting films added to my 'to watch' list as a result.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at one of the oddest collections of cinema offerings I have ever seen. There is truly something to offend everyone.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short essays on a number of films.

Some of the pieces were interesting and I was surprised how many of these films I'd heard of.

Reading time around ninety minutes.

[Jeroen Berndsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very entertaining! Schneider edited this book that unsurprisingly contains 101 cult movies, ranging from The Rocky Horror Picture Show to The Room. There are intelligent Indies and Schlock B-movies here, the selection is very balanced and varied. Each film has two pages (the book is small format though) of text and a one page illustration, generally of good quality. I really liked picking this up once in a while, discovered some new films and got motivated to watch some others I had heard of, but didn't seem all that good. The info generally does tell why a particular film is worth your while.

Also available for some other genres, action is next for me!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Or maybe 4 stars - it's not a great "read" so much as excellent for Netflix ideas!

[Kirakori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just curious what is inside.

Nice read when im bored.

[Katya Vinogradova · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comprehensive list, but as all such lists, biased. I enjoyed the reviews, though they seemed a bit bland. Added a bunch of movies to my ever-growing "Must watch" list.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

What did I just read? And how much time was wasted?

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, but contains waaay too many spoilers.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've seen half the films on this list and I can say that there are some great choices here.