Cult following

Group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of cultureTemplate:SHORTDESC:Group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of culture
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A **cult following** refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a piece of artwork in various media, often referred to as a **cult classic**. A film, book, musical artist, television series, or video game, among other things, is said to have a cult following when it has a small, but very passionate fanbase. A common component of cult followings is the emotional attachment the fans have to the object of the cult following, often identifying themselves and other fans as members of a community. Cult followings are also commonly associated with niche markets. Cult media are often associated with underground culture, and are considered too eccentric or subversive to be appreciated by the general public or to be commercially successful.

Many cult fans express their devotion with a level of irony when describing entertainment that falls under this realm, in that something is so bad, it is good. Sometimes, these cult followings cross the border to camp followings. Fans may become involved in a subculture of fandom, either via conventions, online communities or through activities such as writing series-related fiction, costume creation, replica prop and model building, or creating their own audio or video productions from the formats and characters.

## Forms

### Film

There is not always a clear difference between cult and mainstream media. Works such as *Star Trek*, *Star Wars*, *Doctor Who*, *Fawlty Towers*, *Harry Potter*, *The Lord of the Rings*, *The X-Files*, *Back to the Future*, *Scream*, *The Notebook*, *Avatar: The Last Airbender*, *Rocky Horror*, *Apartment Zero*, *The Dark Side of the Heart*, *XXY*, *Fight Club*, *Showgirls*, *That's My Boy*, *Killer Bean Forever*, and/or *Mean Girls* attract mass audiences but also have core groups of fanatical followers. Professors Xavier Mendik and Ernest Mathijs, authors of *100 Cult Films*, argue that the devoted following among these films make them cult classics. In many cases, films that have cult followings may have been financial flops during their theatrical box office run, and even received mixed or mostly negative reviews by mainstream media, but are still considered a major success by small core groups or communities of fans.

Some cults are only popular within a certain subculture. The film *Woodstock* (1970) is especially loved within the hippie subculture, while *Hocus Pocus* (1993) holds cult status among American women born in the 1980s and early 1990s. Certain mainstream icons can become cult icons in a different context for certain people. *Reefer Madness* (1936) was originally intended to warn youth against the use of marijuana, but because of its ridiculous plot, overwhelming number of factual errors and cheap look, it is now often watched by audiences of marijuana-smokers and has gained a cult following.

Quentin Tarantino's films borrow stylistically from classic cult films, but are appreciated by a large audience, and therefore lie somewhere between cult and mainstream.Template:Citation needed Certain cult phenomena can grow to such proportions that they become mainstream, such as the filmography of cult directors like John Waters, John Sayles, John Cassavetes, Harmony Korine, Armando Bó, Eliseo Subiela, Ruggero Deodato, Abbas Kiarostami, Nagisa Ōshima or Jesús Franco.

### Television

Many cancelled television series (especially ones that had a short run life) see new life in a fan following. One example is *Arrested Development*, which was cancelled after three seasons and, because of the large fanbase, returned for a 15-episode season which was released on Netflix on May 26, 2013. *Futurama* is another series that was originally put on permanent hiatus after its initial 72-episode run. Strong DVD sales and consistent ratings on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block led to four direct-to-DVD films that, in turn, led to the revival of the series in 2010 on Comedy Central following Adult Swim's expiration of the broadcast rights. *Space Ghost Coast to Coast* had a cult following throughout its eleven-season run on television, and helped pave the way for later shows of similar style, which also had cult followings, specifically *Aqua Teen Hunger Force*. *Star Trek: The Original Series* was cancelled after three seasons, but in broadcast syndication it gained a more substantial following, ultimately spawning a successful media franchise.

David Lynch's *Twin Peaks* ran on ABC for two seasons from 1990 to 1991, initially garnering high ratings and critical acclaim. However, as time went on, viewers wanted to know who killed Laura Palmer. Eventually, the killer was revealed (against Lynch's wishes), and the show's quality began declining, with ratings following. Eventually, the show was canceled, but not before ending on a cliffhanger finale. The next year, *Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me* was released in theaters. Initial reaction to the film was mixed, as it did not directly address the cliffhanger, and several key cast members were missing. It was not until 2017 that Twin Peaks returned as a limited series on Showtime, ending the longest hiatus in television history.

In a BBC review of *Farscape* episode "Throne for a Loss", Richard Manning said "*Farscape* is now officially a cult series because it's being shown out of sequence". The episode in question was actually shown as the second episode, after the premiere, despite originally being intended as the fifth episode to be shown.

Series often considered cult classics include the long-running BBC series *Doctor Who* (1963–present), the ITC sci-fi thriller series *The Prisoner* (1967–1968), and the Australian soap opera *Prisoner: Cell Block H* (1979–1986).

### Video games

Some video games, often those with unique concepts that fail to gain traction with the mainstream audience, attract cult followings and can influence the design of later video games. An example of a cult video game is *Ico* (2001), an initial commercial flop that gained a large following for its unique gameplay and minimalist aesthetics, and was noted as influencing the design of *Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons* (2013) and *Rime* (2017), among other games. Other games that have cult followings include *EarthBound* (1994), another unsuccessful game that later resulted in the creation of a "cottage industry" selling memorabilia to the *EarthBound* fandom, *Conker's Bad Fur Day* (2001), an unusually mature 3D platformer game for the Nintendo 64 celebrated for its dark humor and story,  *Yume Nikki* (2004), a surreal free-to-play Japanese horror game, *Psychonauts* (2005), an at first unsuccessful platformer that has consistently kept one of the strongest fan followings, *Alan Wake* (2010), an action-adventure game whose story is modeled similar to a thriller television series format and has gained loyal followings despite its underselling, *Fallout: New Vegas* (2010), an open-world post-apocalyptic RPG, and *Spec Ops: The Line* (2012), a critically acclaimed third-person shooter known for its portrayal of the "horrors of war" and the deep psychological impact of armed conflict on soldiers.

### Music

One of the earliest cult classics in rock was The Velvet Underground's 1967 debut album, *The Velvet Underground & Nico*. While hugely influential, it originally flopped commercially and alienated radio stations, music retailers, and magazines, who found the content too controversial to market. Over the next decade, it received greater recognition from rock critics, who helped make the album more popular. The Zombies' 1968 album *Odessey and Oracle* was also originally a critical and commercial flop, failing to chart despite its single "Time of the Season" becoming a surprise hit the following year. While the Zombies disbanded just before its release, the album's status grew as a cult classic in the following decades. David Bowie's 1970 album *The Man Who Sold the World* also did not impact the record charts on its original release while receiving mixed reviews from critics. After Bowie achieved mainstream success in the early 1970s, its 1972 reissue reached number 24 on the UK Albums Chart, but only 105 in the US. *The Man Who Sold the World*'s influence on future musicians, such as The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Gary Numan, as well as the dark wave genre, lent it a cult following in the music scene.

Punk rock has produced several albums with cult followings. The Ramones' 1976 self-titled debut album sold poorly and was critically overlooked on release. It was hugely influential on the then-young punk movement, however, and eventually sold well enough to earn a gold sales certification in 2014. The British post-punk band Magazine also released their debut, *Real Life* (1978), to little popular success, reaching only number 29 in the UK. Its subsequent acclaim as an innovative and influential work in the burgeoning post-punk genre earned it a reputation as a cult classic. In 1982, the American hardcore punk band Bad Brains released their self-titled debut exclusively on cassette, struggling to gain an audience in the vinyl-dominated marketplace. The appearance of the single "Pay to Cum" on the compilation album *Let Them Eat Jellybeans!* (1981) helped *Bad Brains* develop a following in the UK, while the album's musical innovation and growing influence later ensured it a cult-classic status among followers of hardcore punk.

Some alternative albums have also developed cult followings. The American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails released their 1989 debut *Pretty Hate Machine* to modest success on the *Billboard* 200, peaking at number 75. It developed an underground popularity in subsequent years and sold enough to receive a platinum RIAA certification in 1995, becoming one of the first independently released albums to accomplish the feat. Also in 1989, Nirvana's debut album *Bleach* was released to some positive notice from critics, but failed to impact record charts, until the band's massively successful 1991 album *Nevermind* drew further interest to it.

The R&B singer Bilal's second album, *Love for Sale*, became a cult classic after leaking in 2006 and being notoriously shelved by Interscope Records. The musically experimental album quickly developed a following and acclaim online, becoming what *The Village Voice* writer Craig D. Lindsey called "the black-music equivalent of Fiona Apple's once-shelved (and also notoriously bootlegged) album *Extraordinary Machine*".

In a unique example, pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen's post-"Call Me Maybe" career has been recognised as a cult success. Her critically acclaimed third studio album *Emotion* in particular has amassed a dogged cult following despite limited commercial success.

### Brands

Brands can gain a cult following, such as the cult of Razer or various automobiles like the Fiat 500, Ford Crown Victoria, and Toyota AE86.

## See also

* List of cult music artists
* Sleeper hit
* Underground music

## References

1. ↑ The Official Cult TV Magazine.
2. ↑ Peary, Danny (1981). *Cult Movies*. New York: Delacorte Press. pp. 203–205. ISBN 978-0-440-01626-7.
3. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Manning, Richard (September 2005). "Throne to a loss". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
4. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
5. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Jeffery, Morgan (January 5, 2015). "The Prisoner: Cult classic TV series to be revived for new audio drama". Retrieved January 7, 2017.
6. ↑ Wentworth Prison: Prisoners return to cell block H. Daily Express (31 August 2013).
7. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
8. ↑ Giving Thanks: Two New Books on a Cult Classic Embody Gaming's Rich Culture (en) (2016-11-23).
9. ↑ Ombler, Mat (2020-01-14). Conker: Why Nintendo's Most Controversial Game Is Still One of Its Greatest (en).
10. ↑ Frank, Allegra (2018-01-10). A disturbing cult classic finally hits Steam, with a follow-up on the way.
11. ↑ Dutton, Fred (2012-03-16). The Cult of Psychonauts (en).
12. ↑ Dring, Christopher (2021-10-04). Why bother bringing back Alan Wake? (en).
13. ↑ Bailey, Kat (2020-12-31). The Making of Fallout: New Vegas: How Obsidian's Underrated Sequel Became a Beloved Classic.
14. ↑ Spec Ops: The Line review – apocalypse now (en) (2012-06-26).
15. ↑ Template:Citation
16. ↑ Template:Citation
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 10 Failed Albums That Became Cult Classics (April 2, 2020).
18. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
19. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"Bilal on World Cafe". *NPR*. January 26, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
20. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Lindsey, Craig D. (February 25, 2013). "Bilal's New A Love Surreal Was Inspired By Salvador Dali". *The Village Voice*. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
21. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
22. ↑ Chan, Melissa (2017-05-09). For Gamers, By Gamers - How Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan Built A Cult Brand From A Gaming Mouse (en-US).
23. ↑ Classic Fiat 500 joins Lego's Creator Expert series | CarAdvice (en).

## Further reading

* Jancik, Wayne; Lathrop, Tad (1996). *Cult Rockers: 150 of the most controversial, distinctive and intriguing, outrageous and championed rock musicians of all time*. Pocket Books.