The Totally Indie, Unofficial Guide to Cult DVDs by Studio Zuse

With the term "Grindhouse" becoming mainstream due to its re-introduction by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez,  the B movie genre has been getting an incredible amount of attention.

The good news: It deserves much more recognition than it has previously received, so this resurgence of interest is welcome.

The bad news: Its hard to know what you're getting into when you go on the hunt through the true B movie industry, often leading to disillusionment.

Get to know the industry! In this guide, I'm going to highlight the kind of information that you should be at least familiar with before entering the wild and crazy B movie world.

A Super Brief History & Overview

A cult film is simply a film that's far from a blockbuster hit, receiving lackluster sales and reviews, but it has a small, devoted fan base. Many cult films are independent or B (low budget) films. The firsts in this genre came from directors such as Edward D Wood, Jr's early films and George A Romero's zombie pictures. If you look at the subject matter and style of these cult films, you'll notice that for their respective periods, they are bizarre and cutting edge. Wood tackles transgenderism while Romero's horror films hold critiques of 1960s politics/society.

We won't get into the entire history in this overview. Some films, such as Bladerunner or Showgirls, have gained cult status even though they don't fit the indie or B-movie definition due to their large budgets and/or their commercial aims. Remember that to technically be a cult film you just have to have a "cult" following. Most of films that have a cult status were not made intentionally for this purpose, but have gained a following nonetheless.

5 Steps to Watching a Cult Movie & Enjoying It!

A cult movie has a following for a reason. Maybe it has amazing special effects, or is of particular interest to a certain segment of the population. Maybe it is especially lowbrow, underground, or erotic. Sometimes an actor or director will acquire a cult following, so all films attributed to him/her are cult. Sometimes an entire production house will develop a cult following, so most (or all) of their films gain a following.

1.) Know thy cult!

You should try to learn why the film has a following before viewing. What is of interest to its fanbase? The internet is great for this! Normally I would discourage research at blogs, forums, and wiki, but for this purpose visit them all. You need to know what people are saying and all the weird trivia behind it. Horror films and sci-fi films will sometimes have a following simply for their genre, but you should know if there is anything more to it. The cult will let you know.

2.) Understand Quality

These movies have been created sometimes for virtually no money. Low budget films by major production companies are called low budget, often erroneously. What I am implying is that your current understanding of "low budget" and an actual bottom line low budget - may be considerably different. Microcinema  comes to mind. It is a movement of independent, no budget movies shot on video. Go read reviews left by some people (not you, because you're reading this guide!), and you'll see something like, "This movie looks like it was shot in someone's backyard on a handycam!" Well, they are closer than they think! Some modern cult cinema is shot on video, with horrible sets, but...

you're not watching it because it looks like a summer blockbuster comic book hero movie; you're watching it because it is something different, unique, and features new faces...

3.) Understand Cast  

This goes without saying. Don't expect to recognize anyone.

4.) Understand Subject Matter

Remember a long time ago when we discussed those first low budget cult films with cutting edge subject matter? Cult movies have fans because they tackle issues that major motion pictures ignore and scenes that are over-the-top. The latter has become a little more prevalent recently. Expect sex, sexual subject matter, and probably more sex. Cult movies are rated, sometimes, but that doesn't mean that they aren't pushing the limits in every direction possible. 

So you're telling me that these are sometimes shot on video and feature gratuitous nudity? What makes a modern cult film different from ....

WAIT! Just because I said "sex" it doesn't mean that these films are complete trash or made simply for sexual purpose. These are serious films with more room to go the distance, so they do. It doesn't mean that every cult film will, or every cult film features sex. It just means that you should be prepared to go beyond the boundaries of mainstream cinema when watching a cult film. Even if it means that sex is replaced by violence or touchy subjects. 

5.) Know thy DVD!

Now you're prepared for the content ... what about the actual DVD? This is a tricky situation. If you buy a known DVD, brand new and factory sealed, then it is what you would normally expect. But if you buy a DVD from, say, an independent production house or a local guy who directed his own film, then you might be getting a DVD -R. That's a burned DVD, not a pressed DVD.

This is not a warning, but purely expectation management. A pressed DVD is an expensive thing. Add in the packaging for said DVD and seal it, and you've spent all the money for the making of your next feature film! Independents who have enough money, or major studio backing (we'll save that discussion for later), can and will press their DVDs. But let's say you buy the last short film that my personal production company made, then you're getting a burned DVD and a nice DVD jacket that I printed. No seal.

The point here is that you realize what it means to "pirate" and what it means to "DIY" - namely, the difference between my burned DVD of my movie (DIY), and some guy who burns the latest new release DVD and sells it trying to pass it off as the real thing (PIRATE). If this is confusing, just ask yourself WHO OWNS THE ACTUAL MOVIE? If someone owns the right to it, they can burn it, and sell it. You're getting a great thing, and it costs everyone less.

Wrap Up

I hope this helps you when you begin your search through cult films. You're now an enlightened indie viewer. Google it and you'll come up with loads of cult titles and production houses. We'll return to some of these, as well as cult film stars, in later reviews. For now you can begin purchasing cult DVDs like a pro. I recommend microwave popcorn, a bag of chips, & nacho cheese in a jar for complete viewing enjoyment!