{"id":626040,"date":"2026-04-24T17:59:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T17:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/626040\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T17:59:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T17:59:14","slug":"cult-classic-movies-and-the-fans-that-keep-them-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/626040\/","title":{"rendered":"Cult Classic Movies, and the Fans That Keep Them Alive"},"content":{"rendered":"

April marks the 50th anniversary<\/a> of \u201cThe Rocky Horror Picture Show<\/a>\u2018s\u201d debut as a midnight movie<\/a> at New York City\u2019s Waverly Theater. It is the longest-running theatrical release in movie history.<\/p>\n

\u201cRocky Horror\u201d is the Rosetta Stone of cult films, that elusive stratum of film<\/a> appreciation that cannot be manufactured. As Landmark Theatre\u2019s film buyer and repertory programmer Mike DeLorenzo told IndieWire, \u201cSlapping \u2018instant cult classic\u2019 on a poster doesn\u2019t make the film one<\/a>. The public does.\u201d Many cult films were originally envisioned as major releases but failed to connect during their initial runs. They achieved cult status later as audiences discovered them, from\u00a0John Carpenter\u2019s \u201cBig Trouble in Little China\u201d\u00a0to Mike Judge\u2019s\u00a0\u201cOffice Space.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Stephan<\/a> \"LONDON,<\/a> <\/p>\n

Cult film audiences feel an ineffable connection to a film and to each other. The general public may have been indifferent, but that is part of an outcast film\u2019s appeal and lure: They don\u2019t get it \u2014 we do. They gather at periodic screenings as a close-knit community to express their love, even if that love is shown by launching plastic spoons.<\/p>\n

Below, and in spirit of the \u201cRocky Horror\u201d 50th, IndieWire spoke to five especially passionate devotees to reflect on the film that changed their lives, broadened their horizons, and introduced them to kindred spirits.<\/p>\n

The Volunteer Army Keeping Laurel and Hardy Alive<\/p>\n

In 1965, then-eight-year-old Scott MacGillivray saw his first Laurel and Hardy movie on a \u201cboring Saturday afternoon.\u201d It was \u201cThe Big Noise.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s generally considered to be one of their worst films, but I didn\u2019t know that then,\u201d he said. \u201cI loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n

That same year, John McCabe, author of the seminal 1961 biography, \u201cMr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy,\u201d co-founded The Sons of the Desert<\/a> with Orson Bean, comedian Chuck McCann, and others. It\u2019s a Laurel and Hardy appreciation society \u201cdevoted to the preservation of their films and the encouragement of their showing everywhere,\u201d according to its constitution<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sixty-one years later, the members of the Sons of the Desert are still having the time of their lives. There are 48 chapters \u2014 or tents, each named after one of the team\u2019s films \u2014 in America, 31 in England, and 39 in 15 other countries. The newest was established in Finland a month ago, according to MacGillivray, who joined the Sons at the age of 18 and is now its corresponding secretary and the \u201cGrand Sheik\u201d of the Brats tent based in Boston. He is also the author of the well-received book, \u201cLaurel and Hardy: From the Forties and Forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Brats tent was among the first 10 established. \u201cWe are the old guard,\u201d MacGillivray said. The first Monday of each month (excluding Labor Day), Brats members meet in a church hall in Newton, Massachusetts, to watch three hours\u2019 worth of Laurel and Hardy features and shorts \u2014 as well as those of other vintage comedians, such as Buster Keaton (who has his own International Buster Keaton Society<\/a>) \u2014 on 16mm film or video. The average age is 60.<\/p>\n

\"AtAt a screening of Laurel and Hardy\u2019s \u2018Hats Off\u2019Courtesy Scott MacGillivray<\/p>\n

The Sons of the Desert takes its name from one of Laurel and Hardy\u2019s best films, in which the boys lie to their wives and sneak off to the titular fraternal organization\u2019s annual convention. The organization adopted the SOD\u2019s anthem, also courtesy of the film: \u201cWe are the Sons of the Desert \/ Having the time of our lives \/ Marching along, two thousand strong \/ Far from our sweethearts and wives \/ God bless them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laurel and Hardy have a universal appeal that spans children to Lenny Bruce to Samuel Beckett, whose tramps in \u201cWaiting for Godot\u201d have the team in their DNA. MacGillivray finds their characters\u2019 loyalty to each other \u201cenormously appealing.\u201d \u201cWhen they\u2019re tackling a project like rehabbing a boat or delivering a piano, they mostly function in an intimate world of their own with minimal interference,\u201d he said. \u201cViewers who watch them become their friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indifferent syndicators kept Laurel and Hardy off television screens for two decades, MacGillivray said. \u201cGenerations grew up not knowing who they are. It\u2019s up to the Sons of the Desert to keep the flag flying.\u201d<\/p>\n

God bless them.<\/p>\n

\u201cRocky Horror\u201d Is Where the Misfits Fit in<\/p>\n

Jim Hetzer, 54, owes much to \u201cThe Rocky Horror Picture Show.\u201d He met his first wife at a screening. He got his job in the aerospace industry in part because his superiors were impressed by his \u201cRocky Horror\u201d website \u2014 Cosmo\u2019s Factory, the longest-running \u201cRocky Horror\u201d site \u2014 at the dawn of the internet age. He wrote a book, \u201cThe Unofficial Rocky Horror Callback Script.\u201d<\/p>\n

What the film has given him most is a sense of community. \u201c\u2019Rocky Horror\u2019 is where the misfits fit in,\u201d he said. \u201cI can go to a screening dressed any way I want, whether I go straight from work in a suit and tie or dressed in a giant chicken costume, which I have done. No one will make fun. It\u2019s \u2018Welcome to the show.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Hetzer first saw \u201cRocky Horror\u201d on May 23, 1994, at Cincinnati\u2019s Reel Movies (so momentous is \u201cRocky Horror\u201d to fans that they remember milestones like this). \u201cSome guys I was going to play guitar with asked what kind of music I liked,\u201d he said. \u201cI said, \u2018Meat Loaf.\u2019 They said, \u2018You know he\u2019s in a movie, don\u2019t you?\u2019 We went to see it, and he killed as Eddie. But I was uncomfortable with the movie and that environment. I had never been to a place where people ran around in their underwear, and I left after [spoiler alert] Eddie died. After about a month, I said I would watch the whole thing. I said, \u2018This is kind of nice.\u2019 I joined the shadow cast, and I instantly gained 20 friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ROCKY\u2018Rocky Horror Picture Show\u2019\u00a920thCentFox\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

Hetzer now lives in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He lives with shadow cast members who have been doing shows for three decades. He estimates he has seen the movie upwards of 1,000 times and done almost 800 shows in the various cities in which he\u2019s lived.<\/p>\n

He is one of the few people to have won both the Boss Award, recognizing dedication to the \u201cRocky Horror\u201d community, and the President\u2019s Award given by the official fan club every 10-15 years. Still vivid in his memory is meeting Lou Adler, the film\u2019s executive producer, on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. \u201cHe walked over and said, \u2018I know who you are,\u2019\u201d Hetzer said. \u201cThat is one of the highlights of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking back on a lifetime with \u201cRocky Horror,\u201d Hetzer basks in the tight-knit community that has each other\u2019s backs, especially at a time when tolerance and inclusion are under attack. And he marvels at the impact this film has had on his life. \u201cI never would have become an author,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m working on a book about the assassination of President James Garfield. And I certainly wouldn\u2019t have been able to stand in front of 500 people, but I have been in shadow casts since 1992, and I have no stage fright at all. Because \u2018Rocky Horror\u2019 gave me confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Unlikely Afterlife of \u201cSomewhere in Time\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere else can a kid from Southeast Michigan end up hanging out with Jane Seymour, Richard Matheson, and Christopher Reeve?,\u201d asked Steve Ellis, describing the \u201camazing thrill ride\u201d of his association with \u201cSomewhere in Time.\u201d The 1980 romantic time-travel fantasy starring Reeve and Seymour as star-crossed lovers, divided by nearly seven decades, was not well-received by critics, but over the years, thanks to cable and home video, it has found a devoted audience who gather annually to celebrate the film.<\/p>\n

Ellis, 71, is the event planner and emcee for the annual Somewhere in Time Weekend<\/a> held at the Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island, Michigan, where the production was filmed. Last October marked the event\u2019s 35th anniversary. He has served in his role for almost 30 years. (The Weekend is independent of INSITE<\/a>, the International Network of Somewhere in Time Enthusiasts that was founded in 1990, and of which Ellis is a member.)<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is going to sound sappy, but the shared experience of 700 people watching \u2018Somewhere in Time\u2019 in the theater where the film had its world premiere is absolutely amazing,\u201d Ellis said. \u201cIt has become a tradition for everybody in the theater to stand up before we get started and greet one another and shake hands.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Ellis, a professor of English at the University of Toledo, was present at the creation. In his mid-20s, he visited Mackinac Island, where his family vacationed when he was a child, to witness a day of filming with his then-wife. He happened to be a fan of Richard Matheson, who adapted his own novel \u201cBid Time Return\u201d for the screen. \u201cI went to see the film when it came out, and I got the sense I was the only person in the theater who liked it,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople were grumbling under their breath as they were walking out. The film closed quickly. Then a guy named Jerry Harvey started Z Channel<\/a>, the legendary precursor to HBO. He played the movie relentlessly, and it gained a lot of traction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not for nothing did Ellis write \u201cThe Somewhere in Time Trivia Book,\u201d now being prepared for a fifth edition. He estimates he\u2019s seen the film start to finish roughly 80 times. It never gets old. He called the film a \u201cgood old-fashioned throwback.\u201d Its costume design was nominated for an Academy Award. John Barry\u2019s lush romantic score was not, Ellis noted, but you can hear echoes of it in his Oscar-winning work for \u201cOut of Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n

But most meaningful to him are the relationships he\u2019s made over the years with the cast and crew. Christopher Reeve (\u201cthe nicest and most charming human being\u201d) invited him to the ceremony enshrining Reeve on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. \u201cIt amazes me when I look at my phone, and I have a text message from Jane Seymour, who has attended the Weekend several times,\u201d he said. \u201cThe people involved in making \u2018Somewhere in Time\u2019 are genuinely nice and delighted that people are still interested in a little film they made 46 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Room\u201d Gave Him a Wedding Vow<\/p>\n

In his wedding vows, Michael Rousselet told his bride, \u201cI love you more than the worst movie.\u201d Which brings us to \u201cThe Room<\/a>,\u201d whose cult status as an interactive film experience on par with \u201cRocky Horror\u201d has been credited to Rousselet, one of the film\u2019s earliest, um, champions. \u201cI can talk about \u2018The Room\u2019 forever,\u201d Rousselet said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Room\u201d concerns a love triangle between Johnny (Wiseau), Lisa (Juliette Danielle), and Johnny\u2019s best friend Mark (Greg Sestero, whose book \u201cThe Disaster Artist\u201d about the making of the film became a critically acclaimed film directed by and starring James Franco). As with the hapless films of Ed Wood, such as \u201cPlan 9 from Outer Space,\u201d \u201cThe Room\u201d displays ineptness on every level. \u201cYou wonder if the movie is going to make it to the end,\u201d Rousselet said.<\/p>\n

Rousselet first encountered the film via its \u201cbombastic and confusing\u201d trailer in 2003, then forgot about it until he and his friend, Scott Gairdner (who directed the Conan-as-Aunt-Gladys opening for this year\u2019s Oscar broadcast), saw the film\u2019s title on a marquee a month later. They pulled their car over instantly. The ticket taker, Rousselet recalled, tried to talk them out of buying tickets. A sign said that there would be no refunds after the film\u2019s first 15 minutes. \u201cIt\u2019s like they were daring us to see this movie,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"FromFrom a screening of \u2018The Room\u2019 in 2005Courtesy of Mr. Rousselet<\/p>\n

They saw it in an empty theater. \u201cWe were ecstatic,\u201d Rousselet said. Before it was over, he was calling friends on his phone and urging them to see it. He and Scott stayed for the next screening and opened the back door to let 15 of them in. \u201cThey were dying with disbelief,\u201d he said. They saw the movie four times over the next three nights and brought over 100 people to see it. Rousselet decided to \u201c\u2018Rocky Horror\u2019 it up\u201d in part by shouting call-backs to the screen inspired by the hecklers on \u201cMystery Science Theater 3000.\u201d It was Rousselet\u2019s inspiration to yell \u201cSpoons\u201d at the sight of inexplicable framed photos of cutlery. This evolved into the throwing of plastic spoons, which is now a screening staple.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Room\u201d lives as a midnight movie in the grand \u201cRocky Horror\u201d tradition. The Music Box Theatre in Chicago screens it every couple of months, and \u201ca few hundred people turn out every time,\u201d according to programmer Rebecca Lyon.<\/p>\n

Rousselet, 42, the director of \u201cDude Bro Party Massacre 3 \u201d(there is no 1 or 2), produced by the collective 5secondfilms, which has its own cult following, insists he genuinely loves \u201cThe Room.\u201d He has seen it upward of 200 times, been invited to \u201cguest-heckle\u201d it during a cinema class at his alma mater, the University of Southern California, and has a cameo in \u201cThe Disaster Artist\u201d high-fiving Franco\u2019s Wiseau during the film\u2019s disastrous premiere.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is endlessly entertaining,\u201d Rousselet said, \u201cwhich is more than can be said for most conventionally bad films. \u2018The Room\u2019 is constantly rewarding you. The main character isn\u2019t Johnny. It\u2019s the movie itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Tiny Film About Beavers That Kept a Beloved Seattle Theater Alive<\/p>\n

With cult films, as with real estate, location is everything. Jack Bereiter lives in Seattle, where Mike Cheslik\u2019s \u201cHundreds of Beavers<\/a>\u201d ran monthly for two years at the Grand Illusion Cinema. The city\u2019s longest-running theater lost its lease in 2025, but you can\u2019t keep \u201cHundreds of Beavers<\/a>\u201d down. While the theater seeks a new space, fellow indie theater Central Cinema is carrying on the screenings with 60 percent of its ticket sales going to Grand Illusion\u2019s relocation fund.<\/p>\n

\"HUNDREDS\u2018Hundreds of Beavers\u2019Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

Trevor Brandt, Grand Illusion\u2019s lead programmer, credits \u201cgood old-fashioned word of mouth\u201d for \u201cHundreds of Beavers\u201d\u2019 growing cult status. \u201cBefore every showing, we asked audiences who was seeing it for the first time, and 80 percent would raise their hands,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

How does one even describe \u201cHundreds of Beavers\u201d? Let\u2019s just say that if you love silent comedies, slapstick, Tex Avery cartoons, and the sight of beaver cosplay, this is the movie for you.<\/p>\n

Bereiter saw it for the first time last January with his roommate at the Central Cinema, which is a 15-minute walk from his house. \u201cI had heard nothing but great things,\u201d he said. \u201cI saw it, and I was absolutely blown away. The second time I saw it was with a co-worker, their partner, and a couple of friends. Half of us had seen it, and half had not. It was the perfect split of new amazement and continued amazement.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is music to Jessica Rosner\u2019s ears. Rosner is the independent film booker who has been instrumental in getting \u201cHundreds of Beavers\u201d into theaters. \u201cNever in my wildest dreams could I have imagined \u2018Beavers\u2019 would still be playing in theaters more than two years after it opened,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s wonderful that it\u2019s gaining this cult audience, but it is a truly great movie that I love.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cult films \u2014 well, all films really, but especially cult films \u2014 thrive on the shared theatrical experience. Bereiter bought a copy and lent it to his father, who tried watching it at home. \u201cHe said it was not for him,\u201d Bereiter said. \u201cBut I\u2019m going to try to get him to see it in a theater because it is so fun. Everybody is just so giddy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"April marks the 50th anniversary of \u201cThe Rocky Horror Picture Show\u2018s\u201d debut as a midnight movie at New…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":626041,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[49,48,75,1554,234758,337,189167,234759],"class_list":["post-626040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-entertainment","tag-film","tag-hundreds-of-beavers","tag-movies","tag-the-rocky-horror-picture-show","tag-the-room"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=626040"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626040\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/626041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=626040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=626040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=626040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}