What is considered as Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

What is considered as - Essay Example For someone keen in film studies, it’s clear that the few chosen characteristics of cult cinema are often in opposition with those of mainstream cinema as well as the differences in their audience. Irrespective of the different opinions in theorizing cult cinema, several of its features are inarguable; a cult film is defined through a sub cultural ideology, which marks it to exist in opposition to the mainstream because of their niche appeal, and composed of identifiable textual divergence. Besides their nature to appeal to viewers’ subversive instincts, the sense of nonconformity and irrationality in the film, Bentley-Baker reiterates Corrigan and White depiction of cult films as â€Å"ephemeral or non commercial films that, despite their lack of traditional cultural value, have survived to yield fascinating glimpses of the past† (2010). Some consider it a private genre with egregiously eccentric characters, often featured for exhibition at odd hours like midnight and known to trigger passionate attachments. Criteria set to establish cult films entail marginality, violation of boundaries (transgression), composed of iconography and cause self identified audience group among others. The popular genre of horror films together with fantasy and science fiction films are the few that lend themselves for the treatment of cult cinema. Based on the newly formed idealist and dystopian characteristics of horror films, especially the slasher sub genre, they have acted as the intersection with, or a vehicle in production of cult films. Looking into it, you will establish that most modern directors and film makers began with mastery of horror movies, before graduating in cult film makers. Slasher films which gained popularity from the 80s is composed of generative storylines involving psychopathic killers trailing on selective victims, has formulaic portrayals of violence, drenched in taboos and with