Are These Modern Movies Already Major Cult Classics?
It’s always disappointing to see a movie wildly deserving of praise fail to achieve significant popularity.
Debuting to decent reviews yet failing to attract a mainstream audience, these films quickly fade from the public’s mind shortly after their theatrical release, thanks in large part to a lack of prominent marketing and/or a subpar box office performance.
Fortunately, numerous films have obtained a sizable cult following in the years following their release, including such initially unsuccessful releases as Clue, Hocus Pocus, The Iron Giant, or The Big Lebowski. With that in mind, it’s worth wondering which obscure modern movies might acquire a coveted cult reputation in the years ahead.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
The long-awaited prequel to George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa has yet to achieve the same financial success as its immediate predecessor. However, disappointing box office performances haven’t stopped the film from earning universally positive reviews. A tense and stylish addition to the Mad Max universe, Furiosa rises to the same critical heights as Fury Road and The Road Warrior, ensuring a movie as visually astounding as it is narratively engrossing.
Midsommar (2019)
After launching himself to prominent new heights with his feature-length debut Hereditary, director Ari Aster returned with his equally chilling psychological horror film, Midsommar. A bizarre folk horror movie in the same vein as The Wicker Man, Midsommar once again shows off Aster’s penchant for bold subject material and a spellbinding, almost dreamlike tone. As Aster and star Florence Pugh continue to climb through the ranks of the entertainment medium, it’s almost guaranteed that Midsommar’s esteem will only grow more favorable with time.
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
An ingenious amalgamation of various conflicting genres, most critics aren’t far off when they describe Bodies Bodies Bodies as the “Gen Z version of Scream.” Like Wes Craven’s iconic slasher series, Bodies Bodies Bodies satisfactorily melds humor with increasingly rigid tension. Dark, funny, and thoroughly entertaining throughout, it’s the kind of riveting whodunit Agatha Christie might have written if she had lived in the 2020s rather than the 1930s.
Bones and All (2022)
It’s a tall order making cannibals seem both romantic and sympathetic, but director Luca Guadagnino does just that with his sensational 2022 romantic horror film, Bones and All. While it may be a bit tough to sit through at some points, Bones and All’s bold narrative never fails to leave a lasting impression on audience members fortunate enough to watch it.
Inherent Vice (2014)
As with all of his theatrical releases, Paul Thomas Anderson’s rip-roaring neo-noir mystery Inherent Vice earned avid acclaim upon its debut in 2014. In spite of its lackluster financial performance, Anderson’s stylish adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s whodunit is sure to please most members of the audience. Blending outlandish comedy with plenty of groovy visuals and absurd characters, it’s a film that can only be described as dwelling in the same gonzo universe as The Big Lebowski, The Nice Guys, or Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (all movies that are fittingly considered cult classics today).
Fear Street (2021)
Looking back, it’s easy to say that Netflix’s Fear Street trilogy is the adult equivalent to Goosebumps. Utilizing a similarly horror-centric premise as R.L. Stine’s young adult series, Netflix’s Fear Street offers a spine-tinglingly modern take on the slasher subgenre, transporting viewers from 1600s Puritan New England to the 1990s suburbs of that same community. With meticulous homages to iconic series like Scream, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the 13th, dedicated horror fans will find plenty to love about this little-known slasher franchise.
Sorry to Bother You (2018)
Unlike most films on this list, Sorry to Bother You performed remarkably well from both an economic and critical standpoint in 2018. Lauded by viewers for its creative originality and topical themes, it’s a film that leaves most moviegoers in laughter-induced tears by the moment its closing credits begin to roll. Intelligently skewering topics related to race, wealth, and the widening gap between American social classes, Sorry to Bother You provides an unrelentingly humorous take on modern culture, spoofing everything from contemporary capitalism to eccentric billionaire moguls.