101 Cult Movies You Must See Before You Die

by Steven Jay Schneider

Updated for 2015, this book is a treasure trove of the most obscure, eccentric, controversial, and downright weird movies ever made. Steven Jay Schneider has gathered together cult movie specialists from all over the world to select the very best cult movies ever made. Every movie in the book is a gem that every discerning film buff should know about. Although a few might be familiar- Barbarella, Un Chien Andalou, The Blues Brothers-most will be unfamiliar, and all will boast a small but devoted fanbase. 101 Cult Movies You Must See Before You Die is the perfect introduction to the true diversity and extent of cult movies ever created by the most innovative film makers working in cinema over the last 100 years. So, just what makes a cult movie? Movies gain cult status for a variety of reasons. Many, such as Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Pink Flamingos, are heralded as cult films the moment they are released, achieving immediate critical (although not commercial) success. Typically, these movies are independently made on a small budget and were never expected by their creators to attract a broad audience: the eccentricity of the film making or story telling, the controversial stance taken, or the narrow appeal of the subject matter guaranteed that their appeal was limited. Some movies achieve cult status long after their release. Neither commercially nor critically successful at the time, these movies were too revolutionary, unfashionable, or simply badly made to find an appreciative audience. Movies, such as Harold and Maude and Plan 9 From Outer Space, languished unnoticed until a small, devoted group from a later generation discovered them and declared them cool. A few movies, such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, originally attracted cult status, even though they were made by a major studio, owing to their dark, controversial, or offbeat subject matter. As tastes changed and tolerance increased, these films went on to appeal to a much wider audience and to gain

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.