500 Essential Cult Movies

by Jennifer Eiss, J.P. Rutter, Steve White

From Fritz Lang's futuristic Metropolis (1927) to The Big Lebowski and its much-loved Dude, these 500 movies inspire passion among film fans! Here is the most definitive collection of cinematic cult classics ever compiled, complete with synopses, reviews, photos, and viewing recommendations. The marquee showcases such favorite directors as John Carpenter, David Cronenberg. Jean-Jacques Beineix, David Lynch, and Todd Browning, and the selection ranges across film history, national cinemas, and genres. But each has one thing in a devoted and growing audience.
The 500
A Clockwork Orange o Harold and Maude o Liquid Sky o Diva o This Is Spinal Tap o Eraserhead o What's Up, Tiger Lilly o Dr. Strangelove o Freaks o Sid and Nancy o And many, many more!

Genres: Nonfiction, Film, Media Tie In, Reference, Cult Classics

383 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

I'm an author, a filmmaker, and a developer. A butcher, a baker, but not yet a candlestick maker.

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read that will undoubtedly introduce the reader to some odd and unusual movies -- some that I didn't even know existed. However, as always happens with books of this sort, the list of 500 movies is inexhaustive and uneven; the author's preferences clearly skew the results. "There's a reason there are so many noir films... on this list", the author writes, suggesting their preponderance in the world of cult movies, and devotes an entire chapter to the Western genre (which, full disclosure, I skimmed) whlle missing so many genuinely notable cult films. Missing are classics from "El Topo" and "Un Chien Andalou" to 80's films like "Clue" and "Highlander" (!) as well as more recent cult films like "Shortbus." Most glaring, the book ignores the presence of Monty Python entirely. And why make so many references to "The Matrix" if it doesn't garner its own entry, while other genuine hits (such as "Jaws") are also granted a spot? A good book for a coffee table or bathroom reading, but fails as a "definitive" guide to cult films.

[Malvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

With succinct synopses and reviews for 500 cult movies, it is a pleasure to browse through the ratings and numerous images from cover to cover. The top 10 for each genre nicely gives one a selection to add to the to-watch list.

[Paul Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, I read through the synopses of 500 movies. Booyah!

This is a pretty darn good compilation of cult movies, but I would have wished for fewer foreign films and fewer films that are no longer available. Still, as a guide to really off-the-wall movies, as well as cult staples (Star Wars, American Werewolf in London), this is absolutely terrific.

Okay, so the author was an amateur. Writing faux pas jump up at you throughout the book. I can live with that (dropped the book a whole star because of it) and still enjoy the exercise of culling 500 essential weird movies.

Are there any films that were left out that truly should have been included? I can think of only one at the moment and it is a monumental gap: Groundhog Day.

Otherwise, I highly recommend this guide!

[Paul Bryant · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a good example of the pitfalls of shopping online. If I had come across this book in an actual bookshop I would have picked it up and riffled through it (where else can a person riffle in public) and said well this is a very pretty book but it is no more than a beautifully produced illustrated list – each entry has no space to discuss the movie, it’s too bitty and little, no thanks.

But I encountered it online and so hey, looks like my kind of thing…click, click, click…. Damn…..

[Pvw · Rating 3 out of 5]

What to say about this? It’s not exactly a book you can judge on literary merit. But as far as film guides go, this is a tightly structured and modern piece of work.

Every film comes with a screenshot, a concise plot summary and a refreshingly honest opinion. More importantly, the book genuinely makes you want to hunt down and watch all five hundred films it presents — and if that isn’t the greatest compliment a guide like this can receive, I don’t know what is.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like it’s companion, “500 Essential Cult Books”, this reference guide to the movies is also beautifully produced, lavishly illustrated, and perceptively written and edited. Whether one idly peruses it looking for the next Amazon Prime or Netflix selection, or, like me, reads the thing cover to cover, it is an indispensable aid for the movie buff.

[Huguette Larochelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

did not read every pages too small but fun to see lot
movie from the past .

[Derek Lauder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a movie buff myself, I found myself engrossed and entertained by this novel. It also made me interested enough to watch several fantastic movies I had never heard of before. Accessible to both movie lovers and those uninterested in the subject material.

[MirrorMouse]

Missing Repo! The Genetic Opera so 1 out of 5.

I kid, of course. Discovered quite a few new movies to check out through this book. Some fantastic and some... not so fantastic, but highly entertaining for better or for worse.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but many of the reviews made me determined never to see the films concerned! Also, the star rating for many of the films I have seen were markedly different from what I would award.