Cult Classics

June 07, 2011

They’re movies that are so bad, they’re good. They’re sort of like natural disasters and car wrecks; you know you shouldn’t look, but sometimes you can’t just help but stare. You could also think of them as good ideas executed very poorly. Perhaps, one of the most infamous of these types of films is the terrifying Manos: Hands of Fate. 

Said to be the worst film ever made, Manos was made by a troupe of actors in El Paso, Texas in the early sixties. A family gets lost in the desert on their way to a resort, and run into a cult led by a mysterious ‘Master’ who speaks for a god called ‘Manos’. It’s never clearly stated what this man and his wives believe in. The acting is subpar, and the cinematography is a veritable nightmare. The cameras used to shoot the film didn’t capture sound, consequently, the dialogue was dubbed in later using only around four or five of the film’s actual actors. This film languished forgotten in time until it was found by the producers of Mystery Science Theater 3000, and the film suddenly became famous in its infamy. While Manos is listed in the vaults of worst films ever, the episode of MST3K is regarded as one of the best episodes in the show’s history.

The whole series of Godzilla films that were made in Japan in the 60s and 70s also fall under the title ‘cult classic’. The movies are so horribly cheesy that you can’t help but laugh when the giant lizard emerges from the sea to wreak havoc on some toy tanks, cardboard buildings, and airplanes. 

Perhaps, the most famous cult classic of all time is The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Emily E.
Red Bridge Branch