Cult Cinema - Dissertation Example

The content is often offbeat or even transgressive, besides being aberrant or challenging. The central themes tend to be far-fetched and uncanny but still become the center of the audience’s attention. Thus, cult cinema tends to be categorically different from mainstream cinema; this dissimilarity is revealed by the lack of highfalutin artistic exclusiveness, mass consumerism, and political correctness in cult movies. This dissertation will provide a context for defining cult cinema, by delineating the peculiar characteristics that distinguish it from other genres.

This dissertation is based on information accumulated from a vast array of primary and secondary research sources dealing with cult cinema. The chief source was literature comprising books, journal articles, and articles in periodicals specifically aimed at identifying the underlying factors that drive the audience toward cult cinema. Since the dissertation is aimed at exposing the factors that have developed a fan following, analysis of the narrative, literary techniques, characters, and plot is relevant to this study.

In addition to that, secondary methods shall also encompass analysis of box office success and commercial business of the top fifty cult films. Secondary resources such as statistical data concerning commercial revenue reveal that cult films were box office hits. Similarly, reviews of most successful movies based on the viewers’ ability to recall showed that many cult films such as Blade Runner, The Shawshank Redemption, Godzilla, Star Wars, Jaws, and Scary Movie were the favorites of all time.

Other literature such as journal articles and books define the textual attributes and enigmatic signifiers that appeal to young and middle-aged fans. Furthermore, an analysis of movies made during the last two decades revealed how audiences' demand has accelerated the trend of the making of cult films. In the ultimate analysis, the information contained in the following pages will shed light on how cult cinema, despite being bizarre and farfetched has produced some groundbreaking films and developed a huge fan following.