Defining cult movies : the cultural politics of oppositional taste / edited by Mark Jancovich ... [and others].

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Jancovich, Mark.

Series:

Inside popular film

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sensationalism in motion pictures.

Horror films--History and criticism.

Horror films.

Exploitation films--History and criticism.

Exploitation films.

Physical Description:

xi, 244 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm.

Place of Publication:

Manchester, UK ; New York : Manchester University Press : Distributed exclusively in the USA by Palgrave, 2003.

Summary:

Defining cult movies stresses the sheer diversity of the films which have been brought together under the term 'cult movies'. Indeed, there is debate about whether films become cult movies on the basis of their modes of production, exhibition, internal textual features or through acts of appropriation by specific audiences. This collection concentrates on the analysis of cult movies, how they are defined, who defines them and the cultural politics of these definitions. The definition of the cult movie relies on a sense of its distinction from the 'mainstream' or 'ordinary'. This also raises issues about the perception of it as an oppositional form of cinema, and of its strained relationships to processes of institutionalization and classification. In other words, cult movic fandom has often presented itself as being in opposition to the academy, commercial film industries and the media more generally, but has been far more dependent on these forms than it has usually been willing to admit. For example, the history of academic film studies and that of cult movie fandom are inextricably intertwined. The international roster of essayists range over a wide and entertaining gamut of cult films from Dario Argento, Spanish horror and Peter Jackson's New Zealand gorefests to sexploitation, kung fu and sci-fi flicks, as well as investigations of Sharon Stone, 'underground' and fan trivia. As a result, this book will be of interest to students and researchers in the fields of film, media and cultural studies and to all those interested in this diverse and fascinating area of contemporary culture.

Contents:

2 Esper, the renunciator: teaching 'bad' movies to good students / Jeffrey Sconce 14

3 The masculinity of cult / Joanne Hollows 35

4 The cult of masculinity: from fan-boys to academic bad-boys / Jacinda Read 54

5 Spanish horror and the flight from 'art' cinema, 1967-73 / Andrew Willis 71

6 Trading in horror, cult and matricide: Peter Jackson's phenomenal bad taste and New Zealand fantasies of inter/national cinematic success / Harmony H. Wu 84

7 The making of a cult reputation: topicality and controversy in the critical reception of Shivers / Ernest Mathijs 109

8 The Argento effect / Peter Hutchings 127

9 Sexploitation as feminine territory: the films of Doris Wishman / Moya Luckett 142

10 Kung fu cult masters: stardom, performance and 'authenticity' in Hong Kong martial arts films / Leon Hunt 157

11 'Sharon Stone, Screen Diva': stardom, femininity and cult fandom / Rebecca Feasey 172

12 The importance of trivia: ownership, exclusion and authority in science fiction fandom / Nathan Hunt 185

13 Art, exploitation, underground / Mark Betz 202

14 Midnight sex-horror movies and the downtown avant-garde / Joan Hawkins 223.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0719066301

071906631X

OCLC:

52519110