The 60 Best Cult Classic Movies Released This Century
What defines a “cult classic” film? While there is no coherent, all-encompassing, widely accepted definition that can be used to classify a film as undeniably cult or undeniably not, I think of it the way Supreme Court Justice Potter Steward thinks of pornography : “I usually I know one movie when I see it.” .
Of course, appreciating the cult appeal of time-honored films like Eraserhead , Rocky Horror Picture Series or Dark Star is relatively easy; after decades of observing them, opinions regarding their cultural status are relatively settled. Listing the defining cult films of the recent past requires some extra flexibility, but there are a few undeniable criteria: films that were scrapped on initial release but survived an unexpected afterlife, slowly winning over fans because they were ahead of their time, displayed layers. few paid any attention to them at first, sometimes because of their undeniable (often unintentional) camp value.
These 60 new cult classics fall into one or more of these categories, and they’re all worth a second viewing.
Fall (2006)
This colorful dark fantasy from director Tarsem (The Cage) was divisive among critics and didn’t do much at the box office in 2006, but its cult began to grow once it was released on DVD, with devotees captivated by the exotic imagery and moved to tears by the gripping the story of a depressed stuntman spinning a long suicide note in the form of a story told to a young girl, his companion recovering in a ramshackle hospital. Its cult status only increased when DVD production ceased and its prices were high on the secondary market, even though rights issues prevented it from being broadcast. But no more: an exclusive 4K remaster will finally arrive on streaming service MUBI this month.
Where to stream: MUBI (starting September 27, 2024)
Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021)
Starring Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, who co-wrote Bridesmaids , this quirky buddy comedy follows a pair of longtime small-town friends who decide to take a tropical vacation for the first time after being fired from their boring jobs in furniture store. I’ll stop there because no synopsis can truly capture the absolute nonsense that follows, including killer mosquitoes, a murder plot, an inflatable banana ride, and culottes as a life-saving device.
Where to watch: Hulu , digital rental.
People’s Joker (2022)
It’s impressive that director Vera Drew’s semi-autobiographical, painstakingly crafted, low-budget weird satire/coming-of-age story was made at all. It’s almost a miracle that it was also released , with all the very specific and deeply idiosyncratic references to DC Comics. In a dystopian world in which Batman is Big Brother’s judgmental rapist, the real heroes are the oddballs, oddballs and freaks he watches over.
Where to watch: digital rental
Ginger Pieces (2000)
Equally effective as satire and horror, Ginger Snaps brilliantly uses werewolves as a metaphor for puberty in general, but also connects lycanthropy to menstruation in a much more specific and interesting way. The special effects are old-school great, the leads are great, and although the film lost a ton of money at the box office, it quickly gained enough of a following to spawn two pretty decent sequels.
Where to watch: Peacock , Tubi, Crackle, Prime Video
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
The movie musical (based on the off-Broadway cult hit) about a gender-queer punk rocker with a title referencing the results of a botched gender confirmation procedure was never going to become a cult classic. But the film’s extremely big heart and truly amazing score cement its reputation as a truly great film and not just a novelty.
Where to watch: digital rental
Mulholland Drive (2001)
David Lynch’s sporadic work over the past couple of decades makes this one of only two feature-length film projects he has completed during that time. Although it barely made any money in 2001 and opened to very mixed reviews, this love/hate letter to Hollywood has become (rightly) regarded as one of his best and, oddly enough, most crowd-pleasing works: an L.A. murder noir , obsession and a blue box that has a very important meaning… something.
Where to watch: digital rental
Ghost World (2001)
The slightly meandering graphic novel adaptation is also a funny and real portrait of teenage alienation, and it has the good sense to position Steve Buscemi as an unlikely love interest. (Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson play irresistibly dark teenagers before their breakthrough.)
Where to watch: MGM+, Tubi, digital rental.
9th session (2001)
Director Brad Anderson takes a sharp turn from romantic comedy to psychological horror in this wildly atmospheric but little-known thriller about an asbestos abatement team that cleans up an old-fashioned, abandoned mental hospital. And you definitely expect everything to go well.
Where to watch: digital rental
Super Soldiers (2001)
A scrappy movie that somehow spawned not only a ton of jokes, but also sequels and side quests that spawned for a couple of decades ( Super Troopers 2 , Beerfest , Club Dread , The Slammin’ Salmon , etc.). This film actually did decently at the box office, but its afterlife was completely disproportionate to its initial reception.
Where to watch: Hulu , digital rental.
Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
David Wain and Michael Showalter perhaps expressed their smart/stupid sensibilities most fully in Wet Hot , a film that lost a ton of money on release and somehow ended up on lists of the best and worst films of 2001. It’s a delight, and it became so popular that it inspired two subsequent series from Netflix that retain none of their awkward specificity.
Where to watch: Starz, digital rental.
Paid in Full (2002)
Created by Roc-A-Fella Records co-founders Jay-Z and Dame Dash and dramatizing the story of New York City’s legendary drug dealers, this crime drama largely gains its cult status from hip-hop fans who appreciate its realistic characters, to say the least. . it’s a more derivative story.
Where to watch: Paramount+ , digital rental.
Hundreds of Beavers (2022)
A huge hit at festivals, Hundreds of Beavers delighted road show audiences with its Looney Tunes- style charm and, naturally, plenty of beavers. It’s absolute comic anarchy when a person is threatened by… well. It’s one truly hilarious silent film gag after another on an incredibly low budget of $150,000.
Where to watch: digital rental
Skinamirink (2022)
There’s no plot, just an unsettling atmosphere in the horror film from writer-director Kyle Edward Ball, which began life as a YouTube channel dedicated to recreating childhood nightmares submitted by users. A four-year-old named Kevin hurts himself while home alone with his six-year-old sister Kaylee, and the film masterfully recreates the unsettling sense of a child’s twilight world.
Where to watch: Shudder, Hulu , digital rental.
Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)
Bruce Campbell plays an aged Elvis Presley opposite Ossie Davis’ John F. Kennedy in a nursing home plagued by an ancient Egyptian mummy. This amusingly silly premise (not to mention Campbell’s involvement) is almost enough to guarantee the film’s cult status, but writer-director Don Coscarelli treats his leads with surprising and uplifting dignity.
Where to watch: Tubi, Prime Video
Oldboy (2003)
Oh Dae-su is kidnapped from the street and imprisoned for 15 years, and when he is finally released, he is caught in a web of conspiracy and sets out for revenge. This ultra-violent classic is thrillingly vibrant, but too violent for the mainstream (as Spike Lee discovered when he tried to remake it in English ).
Where to watch: Netflix, digital rental.
Tiptoe (2003)
This movie is not only bad, but also unjustified, it ended the career of its director Mark Bright, and its famous stars (Matthew McConaughey, Kate Beckinsale, Gary Oldman, Patricia Arquette and Peter Dinklage) never talk about it. McConaughey plays the only representative of average height in a family of short personalities. Including Gary Oldman, played by a man with dwarfism. It often finds its way onto lists of the worst films ever, which absolutely gives it some appeal. This is how many cult films begin.
Where to watch: Prime Video, digital rental.
Bo’s Afraid (2023)
My favorite film of 2023 is director Ari Aster’s hours-long, angsty fever dream that goes a few steps further into weirdo territory than even his earlier films Hereditary and Midsommar . Jaokin Phoenix is completely egoless as an anxious, neurotic agoraphobe who must leave his oppressive shoebox apartment and venture into a terrifying world to visit his sick mother. Like it or not, the film has never been a huge box office hit, but has always been a huge cult property.
Where to watch: Paramount+ , digital rental.
American Splendor (2003)
Along with Ghost World , American Splendor made the (yet) unrealized promise that we might see more comic book and graphic novel adaptations without Batman involved. Starring the great Paul Giamatti and Hope Davis as underground comic creators Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner. This is a stylish portrait of a couple of ordinary people who are also great American artists.
Where to watch: Max , digital rental
Room (2003)
Oh hello Mark! Tommy Wiseau’s film became a cultural event solely because of its unabashed weirdness. Full of weird extended sex scenes and nearly incomprehensible dialogue, it’s a vanity project par excellence and the kind of camp classic that would only be made by someone who thinks they’re doing something completely serious.
Where to watch: Tommy Wiseau posted it in its entirety at the Internet Archive.
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)
The film did well at the box office in 2004, but later found new life on DVD. In many other stoner comedies, Indian- and Korean-Americans are likely to be featured as supporting characters and broad stereotypes—here they take the lead. It doesn’t hurt that the talented John Cho and Kal Penn have had extremely successful careers beyond playing Harold & Kumar in this film and its two (less-worthy) sequels.
Where to watch: digital rental
Sisu (2022)
A grizzled, broken-hearted, lonely prospector wanders northern Finland in the final days of World War II, hoping to trade his small gold reserve in the city. Some German soldiers heading out of the country decide he’s an easy target, but it quickly becomes apparent that they’ve messed with the wrong guy. Think John Wick , but with fewer killers and more Nazis.
Where to watch: Starz, digital rental.
Birth (2004)
This meditative, meandering psychological drama from Jonathan Glazer alienated both audiences and critics upon its release, likely because its creepy premise—a woman (Nicole Kidman) is convinced that a 10-year-old boy (Cameron Bright) is the reincarnation of her dead husband. it was so, well, creepy. But lest you be surprised by them taking a (completely unsexual) bath together, it’s a touching meditation on grief and obsession, and it’s attracted some pretty ardent devotees.
Where to watch: digital rental
Maqbool (2004)
An Indian take on Macbeth , set against the backdrop of the modern-day underworld of Mumbai, Macbooie boasts impressive style, dark wit and a riveting central performance from star Irrfan Khan. In 2004, the film was not a big success at the box office in India, but almost immediately gained recognition and gathered an army of fans.
Where to watch: digital rental
Madame Web (2024)
How did a Spider-Man movie (well, the one next to it) become a cult classic? Being laughably bad, very weird, and peppering the runtime with ridiculously obvious Pepsi product placement. (And also the classic “so bad it’s good” type .)
Where to watch: Netflix, digital rental.
Brick (2005)
Rian Johnson has never made a bad movie (I said what I said), and this streak started with his neo-noir riff on Dashiell Hammett’s hardboiled crime novels. By transplanting these elements into a story about heroin and high school, Johnson could have ended up with something stupid, but instead he created a low-budget early triumph (that is, okay, still a little stupid).
Where to watch: digital rental
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Conceptual screenplay specialist Shane Black began his directorial career with a hard-hitting satire that established his reputation as a director and launched a career resurgence for Robert Downey Jr. that was just in time to remind us of everything we loved about him. for Iron Man .
Where to watch: digital rental
Lords of Dogtown (2005)
Catherine Hardwicke’s skateboarding drama (featuring a fictionalized version of the skateboarding team depicted in the 2001 documentary Dogtown and the Z-Boys ) flopped at the box office and received mixed reviews, but time has been kind to the film, especially among skateboarders, and especially Nastale Heath Ledger’s turn as the mercurial Skip Engblom.
Where to watch: digital rental
Black Snake Moan (2006)
The story of a blues musician who sets out to cure a young sex addict by any means necessary, with a gorgeous Mississippi Blues soundtrack, rich atmosphere and tight performances from Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci, is very much a love story. It’s a “hate it or not” affair, but it’s certainly memorable.
Where to watch: digital rental
The Wicker Man (2006)
While the 2006 remake of The Wicker Man lacks the original’s sly creepiness or folk-horror sensibility, it does feature Nicolas Cage in full Nicolas Cage mode (NOT THE BEES!), and it all plays into parody – intentionally or not (though, I I think not). It’s easy to see why audiences stayed away in 2006, and just as easy to see why it gained a reputation as a minor cult classic.
Where to watch: digital rental
Sunshine (2007)
A slow-burn (not yet) psychological thriller, Danny Boyle’s tale of astronauts on a mission to light up the sun is the type of sci-fi film it would be nice to see more of. It’s also a pity that it failed initially, although its reputation has grown over the past 15 years.
Where to watch: digital rental
Crimes in Time (2007)
A wild physics puzzle that soon turns horror, this Spanish-language film follows an ordinary guy named Hector who finds himself at the center of a time travel experiment. A tragic mistake forces him to walk around again trying to make things right… which only makes things worse.
Where to watch: Tubi, Crackle, Prime Video
Mr. Nobody (2009)
In a more brooding sci-fi take , Mr. Nobody stars Jared Leto as the last mortal man on Earth at age 118. Surrounded by virtually ageless people, he reflects on his life and the roads less traveled. This is an ambitious and beautifully made film that is either engrossing or interminable depending on the viewer.
Where to watch: Tubi, Prime Video
Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Diablo Cody’s feminist-infused satanic satire was touted as straight-up horror in its day, which likely explains its mixed reception. Megan Fox plays a demon-possessed high school student and Amanda Seyfried co-stars as a best friend trying to put an end to her killing spree. It is not surprising that these topics have only become more relevant over time.
Where to watch: Hulu , Tubi, digital rental.
Lisa Frankenstein (2024)
Lisa Frankenstein , a very funny story of a 1980s teenager who resurrects a dead Victorian with whom she can share adventures, gets extra cult points for being a box office flop. Considering it was written by Diablo Cody as a spiritual successor of sorts to the iconic Jennifer’s Body, I can imagine that audiences will find that too given some time.
Where to watch: Peacock , digital rental
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (2021)
A controversial coming-of-age horror film , We’re All Gonna Go to the World’s Fair traps you in the bedroom of a teenager (Anna Cobb) participating in a viral creepypasta-style ritual designed to lure her into an online role-playing game. game. Others who have done this have encountered strange, unexplained phenomena. It’s like falling asleep with YouTube on and waking up at 3am to the weirdest video you’ve ever seen. (Director Jane Schoenbrun’s 2024 sequel I Saw the TV Shine is another cult contender, though it may be too critically beloved to qualify.)
Where to watch: Max , digital rental
Stranger by the Lake (2013)
This French thriller is set in a popular beach cruise destination where an insecure man finds himself caught up in a game of sex and death while a serial killer stalks the locals. Some fairly explicit moments of sex, as well as murder, seek to bring the “erotica” back into the erotic thriller genre.
Where to watch: digital rental
Under the Silver Lake (2018)
Writer-director David Robert Mitchell followed up It Follows with Lynchy’s fever dream of a mysterious woman who appears in the pool of 33-year-old Sam’s (Andrew Garfield) apartment and then quickly disappears. A surreal hunt begins for the woman of his dreams.
Where to watch: digital rental
House of the Devil (2009)
Ti West made a name for himself as a horror writer/director with this smart and stylish haunted house story set in the era of the Satanic Panic.
Where to watch: Peacock , Shudder, AMC+, Prime Video.
Antichrist (2009)
A grotesque meditation on death and sex, Lars von Trier’s arthouse horror film attracted as many moviegoers as it alienated (well, maybe not as many). Wherever you land, the performances from Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg are remarkable.
Where to watch: Kanopy
Black Dynamite (2009)
Black Dynamite earned about $300,000 on a $3 million budget—not a great result by any standards, but a modern appreciation of the blaxploitation era spawned an animated series and (possibly) an upcoming sequel. It’s both a satire and a subversion of ’70s-era genre stereotypes, as well as a celebration of them, in a way that’s as clever as it is stupid… and very stupid.
Where to watch: digital rental
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
The visually stylish and clever graphic novel adaptation didn’t come close to recouping its money, but was enthusiastically received by those who managed to catch it. This may be one of the last times a comic book movie felt truly unique.
Where to watch: Max , digital rental
Pariah (2011)
As a feature-length expansion of a well-known and beloved short film, Dee Rees’ Pariah already had a certain audience, but the coming-of-age story of a black teenager embracing her lesbian identity was probably never going to be realized. will be a box office success. However, this brilliant and heartfelt film introduced both director and actor Adepero Oduye to the world, giving this groundbreaking film an impressive afterlife.
Where to watch: Starz, digital rental.
Chillerama (2011)
While this direct-to-video horror anthology sounds too self-conscious and campy, some over-the-top weird humor sells it. The shorts feature giant sperm monsters and werewolf leather daddies terrorizing the beach.
Where to watch: Tubi, digital rental.
Take Shelter (2011)
Michael Shannon is perfect as a father who is unsure whether he is protecting his family from the approaching storm, or whether his paranoid delusions pose a real threat. Shannon manages to exude both fatherly concern and cold terror in equal measure.
Where to watch: digital rental
Attack the Block (2011)
We’re still in 2011, a good year for great movies that no one went to see in theaters. In Attack the Block, aliens invade a council estate in South London, not counting on a teenage street gang led by John Boyega to protect it. The film quickly became a cult classic, but gained renewed interest as its leads (Boyega and Jodie Whitaker) became stars of Star Wars and Doctor Who, respectively.
Where to watch: Max , digital rental
John Dies at the End (2012)
Another one from director John Coscarelli (based on Bubba Ho-Tep ), who has made a career out of making subsequent cult classics, starting with Phantasm back in 1979. This film, based on a twisted novel by Jason Pargin, is pretty wild, with a story about a designer drug called Soy Sauce that causes nightmarish hallucinations before summoning interdimensional demons… for starters. It’s a lot of fun for viewers who don’t mind feeling like they’ve ingested some of the sauce themselves. Paul Giamatti and Doug Jones go on a road trip.
Where to watch: Tubi, Crackle, digital rental.
Only God Forgives (2013)
His earlier film Drive was a little more in tune with the zeitgeist, but writer-director Nicolas Winding Refn’s follow-up is every bit as accomplished, even if the reaction to it was much more polarized. Modern Western tropes of Drive develop further: the characters are more laconic and the violence more visceral. Viewers who enjoyed these elements of Drive will appreciate Only God Forgives much more.
Where to watch: Tubi, Crackle, Prime Video
Blue Ruin (2013)
The stylishly dark revenge drama was one of the first results of the film’s crowdfunding via Kickstarter. It delivers a lot on a relatively small budget, and while it performed well at the box office and received some great reviews, it really found a following through home video and streaming.
Where to watch: Tubi, digital rental.
Under the Skin (2013)
Oh look, Jonathan Glaser ( Birth ) is back. Scarlett Johansson plays an otherworldly woman (maybe an alien?) who chases men down a road in Scotland. The film presents many interesting ideas without attempting to commit viewers to any particular interpretation of events. When done right, this kind of openness can inspire both debate and repeat viewings, and Under the Skin gets it right.
Where to watch: digital rental
Locke (2013)
One character almost literally carries this film. Tom Hardy plays Ivan Locke, a master builder who gives up everything to attend the premature birth of his child with the woman he had a one-night stand with many months ago. It’s a risky premise that works thanks to Hardy and the voices that appear on the phone while he drives (including Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson and Tom Holland).
Where to watch: digital rental
Consistency (2013)
With little more than a house to film in, the filmmakers (led by writer-director James Ward Byrkitt) create a twisting metaphysical puzzle involving alternate universes and parallel lives.
Where to watch: Peacock , Tubi, Prime Video
Mandarin (2015)
Sin-Dee Rella, fresh out of prison, meets up with her best friend Alexandra, and two trans sex workers set out on a mission to find and punish Sin-Dee’s unfaithful boyfriend. With a sense of fun and a stylish low-budget aesthetic, this is one of the most vibrant independent films of the last decade.
Where to watch: Netflix, Hulu , Tubi, Prime Video.
Krisha (2015)
Before his success with It Comes at Night , Trey Edward Schultz directed this stunningly original family drama about a titular character who, after decades of battling addiction, hopes to reconcile with her family on Thanksgiving. The ensuing drama almost looks like a horror movie.
Where to watch: digital rental
Swiss Army (2016)
Daniel Radcliffe undoubtedly has one of the most impressive career trajectories in film history. From Harry Potter to the strutting corpse of Manny, whose erections serve as navigation aids (and he doesn’t exactly stop there). What’s particularly impressive about Swiss Army Man is not how funny he is, but how cute he is. (Co-directors Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s follow-up , Everywhere, All At Once , might have seemed destined for cult status, but it went on to make a ton of money and win all the Oscars.)
Where to watch: digital rental
Slack Bay (2016)
Sometimes it’s simply impossible to understand French filmmaking, and the world is all the better for it. Slack Bay is a comedy of manners and class, featuring cannibal fishermen, incest and an inexplicably floating police inspector… starring Juliette Binoche! It’s great, even if I have no idea what it’s about.
Where to watch: digital rental
Popstar: Never Stop Stopping (2016)
Like many other films and shorts in the style of The Lonely Island, the rock documentary Popstar is a pretty good mix of smart and stupid, more often than not achieving its targets (mainly modern celebrities and pop fandoms). It’s not “This is Spinal Tap,” but it’s in an arena. An unexpected failure with a surprisingly passionate fan base.
Where to watch: digital rental
God’s Country (2017)
A charming, believable romantic drama starring a Yorkshire sheep farmer and a Romanian migrant worker, God’s Own Country is a gay drama that doesn’t veer into outright tragedy, which back in 2017 seemed like a minor revelation. It has already become a queer classic. .
Where to watch: digital rental
Cats (2019)
Venture to the bottom of the uncanny valley and you’ll find a whole bunch of cats. A star-studded cast led by Idris Elba and Judi Dench star in one of the most bizarre of all major Hollywood productions.
Where to watch: Netflix, digital rental.
Vast Night (2019)
An extremely confident debut from director Andrew Patterson, this Twilight Zone riff on kids trying to track down the source of a mysterious radio signal succeeds thanks to its low-budget atmosphere and impressive performances from Sierra McCormick and Jake Horowitz.
Where to watch: Prime Video
Mandibles (2020)
Just a wildly stupid but surprisingly funny comedy about a couple of idiots traveling down the road who meet a giant fly and decide to train it to rob banks for them. How it happens.
Where to watch: Hulu , digital rental.
Malignant (2021)
I have no idea how to judge a film’s success in today’s world of bifurcated theatrical and streaming releases, and I’m pretty sure the studios don’t either. It’s also impossible to predict which film will become a cult classic. All that being said, and although this is a major release from popular director James Wan, it’s complete nonsense and I’m not sure the general audience will ever find the film’s wild twists palatable. I predict cult status, but time will tell.
Where to watch: Max , digital rental
Mandy (2018)
Look, you can try to live an idyllic life in the woods, but that doesn’t mean you won’t eventually be threatened by a surreal hippie cult and a few demon bikers. This is Nicolas Cage’s best revenge.
Where to watch: Hulu , Shudder, AMC+, digital rental.