Introduction

What is a ‘Cult Classic?’

Though they may not win awards and climb to the top of the charts, cult classic movies have always captivated devoted fans with their quirky unique characteristics.Cult classics are defined as, “something, typically a movie or book, that is popular or fashionable among a particular group or section of society” (Collins Dictionary). Throughout the article we will explore contrasting cult classics through a high schooler’s perspective, and study the rise vs. fall of cult classics. I surveyed 13 students for results, 3 freshmen, 5 sophomores, 2 juniors, and 3 seniors in order to get a grasp on the overall view of these classics.

Hocus Pocus

In surveying students at JCHS, the hit movie series Hocus Pocus (1993) had the largest number of people that didn’t like it at 23.1% despite its younger audience focus. While the rest of the results showed the lack of interest or not knowing the movie, there was one person who had claimed to love it. This feeds into the idea of ‘cult classics’; and how they may not be for the general public but instead have a small following of die hard fans. 

Freaks and Geeks

Freaks and Geeks released in 1999 is said to be a classic show following different high school students on their journey through social norms. Critics describe the cinema as, “funny, humane, deadpan and realistic” as well as “The show takes an entertaining and heartfelt look at high school dynamics” (rottentomatoes.com). Despite this being directly related and targeted to a high school audience, it received little to no recognition in the survey. 69.2% of the students had claimed to never have even heard about the classic, with the other half having just heard of it but never seen it.

The Outsiders

The Outsiders has been a pop-culturally relevant movie from its release date in 1983. Starting as a coming of age novel, middle schoolers have been reading and seeing The Outsiders for many years—making it possible to have stayed popular. To prove this point, The Outsiders had the most fans with a whopping 53.8% of people having “loved” the film. 

Jennifer’s Body

The movie starring actress Megan Fox and actress Amanda Seyfried has been a 2000s hit coming out in just 2009. This makes it the youngest talked about cult classic and also hints to the idea of being the most popular. Despite this assumption, Jennifer’s Body was the choice that had used all five of the choices to choose from. This diverse response shows that even within the same age groups ideas and opinions heavily differ even in pop culture and cinema.

Conclusion

Overall, it is seen the distinguishing fanbases of cult classics as well as the rise and fall of some of them. These statistics exemplify the importance of pop culture and varying opinions within our school on simple ideas. The stories create conversation and popularity that surpasses mainstream hits and conventional popularity found in today’s films. The various opinions shown within the survey identifies the appreciation for these hidden gems and how art forms can bring people together.