Cult Film Studies

Cult films was born in the 1850s,and came to the culmination in 70s and 80s.To the 90s,cult films have a new development.It has not been ditched by mainstream culture,but integrate into the mainsteam culture in another ways quietly(not just the films).This article will start with the birth of cult films,to explore social and aesthetic characteristics of wariation,and postmodern features in cult films.As a main research object of the 50’s cult films in the United States.Discussing why the cult film can form a type with a bad attitude,why the cult film can reap its own audience,eventhough to be rejected by the mainstream,causing controversy,and even blocked.As time passed,many cult films become classical,and inspired many famous film directors.This article is divided into two parts.The first part is mainly about the original of the cult film.First of all,dicussing a hotbed of the birth of cult film:B-movie and the US midnight movie.Then,talk about the emergence of the social cultural background in the cult film.After the Second World War,the "Beat generation" blowed a postmodern wind with subculture trends and has great influence on cult film.The second part is the most important of this article to investigate the characteristics of cult film.First of all,study the cult elements in five aspects in order to have a better understanding of cult film properties.Second,discuss the existing reasons and meaning that the typical aesthetic charateristics of ugliness and variation with the cult classic masterpiece<Pink Flamingo>and<Freak>.At last,this paper discuss the postmodern features in cult films.At the beginning of the birth,is sought after by a group of crazy "subculture" fans,so that one film can be in the cult.And as the representation of the cultural phenomenon,its commercial cultural characteristics,aesthetic characteristics of reference and broken are reflect the postmodernism features typically.Finally,making a summary of the cult films and put forward my own views:the birth of cult films can not leave the social and cultural background.It is just because of has a subculture identity that make it’s possible to be survive in the mainstream.It can still triggered heated debate in contemporary society,the most important is the spirit of cult,not just cult elements those been absorbed by the contemporary age.