40 Cult Classic Movies Everyone Should See, Decade by Decade

Every list of cult classic movies starts an argument, and that is part of the fun. Cult films are defined by their fans, not by critics or box office. The forty below are widely recognised cult favorites, picked to cover different decades and moods. For what makes a film "cult" in the first place, read what is a cult film.

1930s to 1950s: the early oddities

1. Freaks (1932): shocked audiences on release; rediscovered decades later.
2. Reefer Madness (1936): an anti-drug scare film that later audiences found hilarious.
3. Detour (1945): a tiny-budget noir that became a film-buff favorite.
4. The Thing from Another World (1951): fast-talking Cold War science fiction.
5. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956): paranoid science fiction still debated today.
6. The Blob (1958): teens versus a growing goo; a drive-in staple.

1960s: strange and bold

7. The Little Shop of Horrors (1960): a Roger Corman quickie with a man-eating plant.
8. Carnival of Souls (1962): eerie low-budget horror, later hugely influential.
9. Barbarella (1968): camp space fantasy.
10. Night of the Living Dead (1968): the modern zombie film starts here.

1970s: the midnight movie years

11. Harold and Maude (1971): a flop that became a beloved dark romance.
12. Pink Flamingos (1972): deliberately outrageous; a midnight legend.
13. The Wicker Man (1973): folk horror with an unforgettable ending.
14. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975): the ultimate participation film.
15. Eraserhead (1977): David Lynch's nightmare, built on midnight screenings.
16. The Warriors (1979): gangs, subway, one long night.

1980s cult classics

17. The Evil Dead (1981): a homemade horror film that launched a franchise.
18. Escape from New York (1981): pulpy future-shock action.
19. Blade Runner (1982): disappointed at first; now a landmark.
20. The Thing (1982): panned on release, now a horror essential.
21. Repo Man (1984): punk science-fiction comedy.
22. This Is Spinal Tap (1984): the mockumentary everyone quotes.
23. Big Trouble in Little China (1986): a box-office miss with a devoted following.
24. Labyrinth (1986): puppets, music and a goblin king.
25. The Princess Bride (1987): modest at the box office, then a home-video favorite.
26. They Live (1988): sunglasses that reveal the truth.

1990s cult classics

27. Army of Darkness (1992): slapstick horror-fantasy.
28. Dazed and Confused (1993): the last day of school, 1976.
29. Hocus Pocus (1993): a modest release that became a Halloween ritual.
30. Clerks (1994): a micro-budget comedy that launched a career.
31. The Big Lebowski (1998): spawned fan festivals.
32. Office Space (1999): found its audience on video and cable.
33. Fight Club (1999): divisive in theaters, huge afterwards.

2000s: modern cult classics

34. Donnie Darko (2001): a small release that became a home-video phenomenon.
35. Wet Hot American Summer (2001): summer-camp spoof with a devoted following.
36. The Room (2003): the definitive "so bad it's good" midnight film.
37. Napoleon Dynamite (2004): quotable, awkward and endlessly rewatched.
38. Shaun of the Dead (2004): zombie comedy loved by horror fans.
39. Idiocracy (2006): barely released, then widely quoted.
40. Trick 'r Treat (2007): shelved by its studio, then a Halloween favorite.

How to pick your first

If you like	Start with
Musicals and camp	The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Barbarella
Horror	Night of the Living Dead, The Evil Dead, The Thing
Comedy	This Is Spinal Tap, The Big Lebowski, Office Space
Science fiction	Blade Runner, They Live, Repo Man
Something truly strange	Eraserhead, Pink Flamingos, The Room

Horror fans should continue with our cult horror movies, and lovers of glorious failure with so bad it's good movies. Some early titles, such as Night of the Living Dead, are in the public domain; see public domain movies.