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:''This article does not discuss [[cult]]ist groups, [[cult of personality|personality cult]]s, or "cult" in its original sense of "[[cult (religion)|religious practice]]". See [[cult (disambiguation)]] for more meanings of the term "cult".
:''This article does not discuss [[cult]]ist groups, [[cult of personality|personality cult]]s, or "cult" in its original sense of "[[cult (religion)|religious practice]]". See [[cult (disambiguation)]] for more meanings of the term "cult".


A '''cult following''' is a group of [[fan (aficionado)|fans]] devoted to a specific thing, usually a [[film]], [[Television program|television]] or [[radio]] program, though some [[comic book]]s, [[Computer and video games|video games]], [[musician]]s, [[writer]]s and others also gain cult followings.
A '''cult following''' is a group of [[fan (aficionado)|fans]] devoted to a specific thing, usually a [[book]], [[film]], [[Television program|television]] or [[radio]] program, though some [[comic book]]s, [[Computer and video games|video games]], [[musician]]s, [[writer]]s and others also gain cult followings.


These dedicated followings are usually relatively small and pertain to items that don't have broad [[mainstream]] appeal, though there are exceptions. Cult followings are often dedicated enough that many people of similar interest are familiar with one another due to convention gatherings, concerts, Internet chat rooms, or shops featuring the item(s) in question.
These dedicated followings are usually relatively small and pertain to items that don't have broad [[mainstream]] appeal, though there are exceptions. Cult followings are often dedicated enough that many people of similar interest are familiar with one another due to convention gatherings, concerts, Internet chat rooms, or shops featuring the item(s) in question.

Revision as of 23:48, 5 August 2006

This article does not discuss cultist groups, personality cults, or "cult" in its original sense of "religious practice". See cult (disambiguation) for more meanings of the term "cult".

A cult following is a group of fans devoted to a specific thing, usually a book, film, television or radio program, though some comic books, video games, musicians, writers and others also gain cult followings.

These dedicated followings are usually relatively small and pertain to items that don't have broad mainstream appeal, though there are exceptions. Cult followings are often dedicated enough that many people of similar interest are familiar with one another due to convention gatherings, concerts, Internet chat rooms, or shops featuring the item(s) in question.

An exception to the usual cult following rules is Star Trek, whose followers call themselves "Trekkies" or "Trekkers". Star Trek has an extremely large following but can still be considered 'cult'. Science-fiction oriented cult followings include that of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

"Cult following" is also used to describe the more obsessive fans of established mainstream performers. For example, many persons have been interested in Michael Jackson's music or in Disney films, but some fans take their interest to extreme levels, hoarding vast amounts of collectables. Some such "cult fans" occasionally veer into obsessive-compulsive disorders or stalking; however, cult followings do not necessitate that individuals partake in cultish activities.

What establishes a cult classic

Cult followings establish their own canons and cherish the notion of cult classics, which are individual items with cult followings. Cult classics are generally films that capture the imagination, defining a new world or reflecting events in society, and are often science fiction or horror films. Cult followings are usually generated through a film or television show having targeted a particular genre, typically fantasy, sci-fi, or horror, but occassional (though rarely) a romantic film or tv series will fall into a cult following.

For examples of films specifically targeting a certain element;

When the film The Road Warrior hit United States theaters in 1979, starring actors then mostly unknown to America, it was during the Cold War when nuclear war was a very real possibility in the minds of the world's population. Post-apocalyptic worries were common, and the film reflected a post-apocalyptic world, thus giving it an enormous cult following, and launching Mel Gibson to stardom. The original 1968 film that launched the Planet of the Apes franchise also played on post-apocalyptic fears, giving viewers a glimpse into a not-so-desirable future for mankind. It portrayed actor Charlton Heston kneeling in its final scene at a destroyed Statue of Liberty and uttering one of the most famous lines in film history. The 1969 film Easy Rider' mirrored a time when the dreams of freedom and escape from the standard lifestyle were becoming vastly popular, and many viewers connected with the film's message.

The Sherlock Holmes novels and films, mostly those films starring actor Basil Rathbone, sparked clubs who reenacted plots and mystery cases, often recreating the Baker Street apartment where the detective lived. Another novel, Dracula, written by author Bram Stoker, and the films that followed, most notably Dracula, led to a huge fan base that before the advent of take-home video would often prompt small theaters to have special showings of the film, usually with a lesser-known version showing just before the better-known 1931 film starring Bela Lugosi. 1992's version, Bram Stoker's Dracula, sparked new interest in the Dracula cult following which continues to the present. The Rocky Horror Picture Show had such a huge cult following that small theaters would often have a marathon of the film, playing repeatedly for 24 hours or more. Actor Tim Curry has an enormous fan base from his role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, despite his numerous film credits accumulated since.

During the 1970s, interest in the Bermuda Triangle and UFOs was at its height. Project Blue Book had just closed up in 1970, prompting many UFO enthusiasts to scream about a government cover-up of an alien presence, and the mysterious 1945 disappearance of Flight 19 in the Bermuda Triangle had reached legendary status. Several short-lived television series and films played on those particular public interests, and even when they initially failed, they often later became hugely popular in the science fiction communities, often sparking clubs or groups. With the advent of the Internet, the popularity of these cult classics only increased.

Although certainly many cult favorites are well-known films or television series, such as the Star Wars films or the Indiana Jones film trilogy, most cult favorites are obscure, often short-lived television series, or films that might have initially bombed at the box office, only to take off with extreme popularity upon video release or in syndication. Often, groups or clubs that follow one particular cult favorite prefer to be obscure, even taking pride in it. For example, the short-lived science fiction television series Space: 1999 did not fair well in its original run, but since has become somewhat of a novelty. The original 1960s Star Trek series ran for only three seasons, but sparked one of the greatest film and television spin-off franchises of all time, with conventions, fan clubs, and impersonators dressing as their favorite characters. Original Star Trek actors such as William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelly, and Nichelle Nichols saw their greatest success in recurring roles as their characters and through fan-club conventions. Though actor Patrick Duffy went on to Dallas fame, his role as The Man from Atlantis in the 1970s continues to have a cult following.

A popular joke to summarize cult followings is as follows: "A mainstream film is seen 1 time by 1000 people; a cult film is seen 1000 times by 1 person."

Examples of cult classics

Films

  • Evil Dead (1981) its two sequels, comic book following, and its franchise.
  • Star Wars (1977) and its five sequels, three of which are set in a prequel timeline. Although, since Star Wars became the top grossing movie of all time during its initial release, it could be argued that it is not a cult classic.
  • James Bond films and books over the course of four decades.

Television

See also

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