True Cult Classic Movies Part 2
Part 1
Here is part 2 of my continuing series on true cult classic movies. I talk about why and how I am doing this and defining the term in part 1, so start there first if you want my methodology. I’ll just way I continuing painstakingly going through every single year until I got 12 more movies, and 1 honorable mention in this case.
My hope is that people who are looking for good movies that are off the radar of mainstream critics and fans will find something cool they like to watch. You and I could argue about which other movies could belong here, but you can’t say that the ones I’ve picked don’t fit. Let’s get to it.
Hellraiser (1987, Clive Barker)
An antique puzzle box promises sensations beyond ordinary experience, but opening it summons the Cenobites—beings whose understanding of pleasure and pain shows very little mercy. When Julia finds her ex-boyfriend in a horrifying condition she agrees to help him recover, inadvertently pulling her family into a nightmare.
Clive Barker adapted his own novella to direct Hellraiser; he moves away from typical slasher themes and uses gothic horror, striking practical effects, and a mix of desire and doom. The story can feel uneven, but the human characters, driven by betrayal and obsession, are as disturbing as the monsters. Critics were split on whether Barker’s ideas were truly original or just for shock value. The film’s cult following continues through special screenings and fans who recreate the Cenobite designs. This devotion keeps Hellraiser alive as something stranger and harsher than the usual Pinhead merchandise suggests.
The Lost Boys (1987, Joel Schumacher)
Two brothers arrive in Santa Carla, which is a beach town known for its boardwalk, frequent disappearances and a group of cool teenage vampires who ride motorcycles. When the older brother Michael gets drawn in by their leader David, his younger brother Sam joins forces with the Frog brothers from the comic shop to save him.
Instead of gloomy castles The Lost Boys gives us neon carnival lights, leather jackets, and a sense of fun. The relationship between the brothers keeps the story relatable, while the music and style perfectly capture the 1980s (ah, the 80’s). Santa Carla is based on a real place, and the film has a devoted following there. Santa Cruz County honors the movie all year round with a map of filming spots. Every June people still gather on the same beach for an outdoor screening, and some fans even travel from other countries to attend. Away from the coast Alamo hosts movie parties with plastic vampire teeth, and in 2026 it was turned into a stage musical!
The Monster Squad (1987, Fred Dekker)
In The Monster Squad, tight-knit crew of suburban kids who love old monster movies finds out the hard way that Count Dracula actually exists. He shows up in their small town looking for an ancient amulet, and he brings the Wolf Man, the Mummy, Frankenstein’s monster, and the Gill-Man with him. The kids hold treehouse meetings, make wooden stakes, and try to warn the adults but no one believes them. So the Monster Squad has to defend their hometown themselves.
It works because it never talks down to its audience. The creatures have great practical effects, and the kids’ banter is sharp enough to carry the comedy. The film captures that 1980s feeling of freedom, danger, and childhood camaraderie. It flopped in theaters, fans kept it alive. They organized anniversary screenings and even a nationwide cast tour for the Alamo’s 20th anniversary. The 2018 documentary Wolfman’s Got Nards shows how this overlooked movie built a loyal following.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988, Stephen Chiodo)
In Killer Klowns from Outer Space comet flashes across the sky, and two teenagers head into the woods to check out a glowing circus tent, which is actually an alien spaceship. Suddenly, the Klowns appear—grinning aliens with popcorn guns, acid pies, and shadow puppets that are much more dangerous than you’d expect. They roam a quiet town, trapping people in cotton-candy cocoons. The aliens aren’t sure why that’s a bad thing, either: “We just want to kill you?”
The Chiodo Brothers made every creepy mask and creature by hand, and the movie delivers its colorful nightmare with complete seriousness, which is why it’s also funny. It barely even made it to theaters, showing in only a few cities, but it found fans through TV and VHS. Those fans stuck around! Now, people hold an annual Killer Klowns Punk Rock Fest in Gardena, California, complete with a cosplay contest and a screening, and the movie pops up at Halloween events across the country.
Troop Beverly Hills (1989, Jeff Kanew)
Phyllis Nefler is a pampered Beverly Hills housewife whose marriage is on the rocks, so she tries to prove herself by taking over her daughter’s Wilderness Girls troop. Instead of focusing on traditional scouting, she brings fashion and style to the group. She turns survival skills into lessons in glamour, which annoys her rival troop leader, and the girls face the possibility of having their group dissolved unless they can prove their wilderness skills at the annual Jamboree. Shelley Long plays Phyllis as over-the-top but always keeps her likable.
Troop Beverly Hills flopped in theaters, like you’d expect, then found its people through repeat TV airings. Today the fans are camp lovers, queer audiences, and nostalgic Wilderness Girls alums who show up in costume, shout lines at the screen, and sing “Cookie Time” together. There are drag tributes and sing-along screenings now, and the Academy Museum gave it a 4K showing in 2025. It’s sunny, silly, and a lot funnier in a theater full of people who know the words.
Troll 2 (1990, Claudio Fragasso)
A family trades homes for the summer and finds themselves in Nilbog, a tiny farming town where the locals are very, very insistent that everyone eat the green food. Young Joshua, with help from his late grandfather’s ghost, uncovers a disturbing secret: the townspeople are vegetarian goblins who turn people into plants to eat them. Still, as we learn from the sort-of wise father, “you can’t piss on hospitality!” Despite the title there are no trolls in this movie. None. It’s also not scary in the slightest.
What makes Troll 2 unforgettable isn’t just that it’s bad: it’s the sheer conviction behind the wooden dialogue, the homemade monsters, and a bizarre seduction scene involving way too much popcorn. The film barely made it to theaters, but fans brought it back to life by hosting parties with goblin costumes, green food, line shouting and popcorn throwing. The fans turned it into an international hit, and the documentary Best Worst Movie shares the whole story. It’s best enjoyed with friends who love movies that go completely off the rails.
Army of Darkness (1993, Sam Raimi)
Ash gets sucked back to 1300 AD, where medieval knights throw him into a pit full of monsters. Armed with a chainsaw hand and a shotgun, this housewares clerk quickly convinces the locals he could be their chosen hero. All Ash wants is to get home, but to do that, he has to remember three simple words. Ash isn’t exactly known for his smarts but luckily, he has his boomstick! Love this movie so much.
Army of Darkness is a slapstick fantasy adventure that feels like the Three Stooges made a Ray Harryhausen movie. It flopped, making about $11.5 million on an $11 million budget, but its real success came after theaters. Fans gather for quote-along screenings, turning Ash’s over-the-top confidence into a group experience as they shout out his best lines (Shop smart. Shop S-mart!). Watch it for the stop-motion skeleton fights, creative practical effects, and Bruce Campbell’s talent for making Ash’s swagger so much fun. Ash can handle the undead, but following directions is a different story.
Serial Mom (1994, John Waters)
Beverly Sutphin seems like the ideal Baltimore housewife: she cooks, recycles, and takes care of her dentist husband and their teenage kids. But she does also kill anyone who breaks her strict rules of suburban manners, whether it’s a rude neighbor or someone wearing white shoes after Labor Day. Kathleen Turner brings her to life with such cheerful conviction that each murder feels like just another task on her daily list: “We all have our bad days.”
Serial Mom didn’t make much money, and critics couldn’t agree on whether John Waters’s love for his main character made the satire stronger or weaker. The film found its audience later, mostly in repertory theaters–independent venues now show it around Mother’s Day, and drag-hosted Movie Bingo nights have made it a shared experience for everyone. It’s worth watching for Turner’s unhinged comic performance and Waters’s gleefully perverse take on America’s appetite for celebrity killers. The movie was ahead of its time.
Empire Records (1995, Allan Moyle)
In Empire Records a crew of eccentric record-store clerks finds out their independent shop might be taken over by a big corporation. Over one crazy day they try to save it while dealing with their own problems, a shoplifter, and a disastrous appearance by washed-up pop star Rex Manning. This movie also appeared in my list of the best movies about life in the 90s.
The film barely registered in theaters, grossing not even half a million domestically and getting bad reviews. But its quotable dialogue, alternative-rock soundtrack and hangout camaraderie found an audience beyond that failed release. Fans embraced its celebration of misfits and independent music, then turned its fictional April 8 occasion into Rex Manning Day. Some neighborhoods hold block parties, and special events let people sing along, quote lines, and act out scenes together. The movie’s cult following comes more from hanging out with these characters and keeping their rebellious, anti-corporate spirit alive for other fans to enjoy.
The Craft (1996, Andrew Fleming)
Sarah Bailey moves to a Catholic prep school in Los Angeles, carrying a troubled past and hidden telekinetic powers. She teams up with Nancy, Bonnie, and Rochelle, who are outcasts and rumored to be witches, forming a four-person coven. At first, their spells target bullies and crushes, but things take a dark turn when Nancy’s hunger for power turns lethal.
The Craft saw only modest box office returns and mixed reviews, critics were divided over the film’s shift toward special effects and moral lessons in the second half. Still, fans kept the movie alive, and the line “We are the weirdos, mister” became a badge of identity. Independent theaters often show it around Halloween, Manchester’s Girl Gang collective hosts immersive screenings with spell casting and costume contests, and it was even made into a drag show. People keep watching it for Fairuza Balk’s unhinged villainy, the alt-rock soundtrack, and its story about the thrill and cost of teenage power.
Practical Magic (1998, Griffin Dunne)
No one can decide what kind of movie Practical Magic is. It’s part witch comedy, part romance, part domestic drama, and part ghost story. Critics back then wanted it to choose a lane, but fans didn’t mind. They loved the best parts: two sisters sneaking snacks at midnight instead of following rules, and aunts who handle a curse like it’s just another chore.
That’s why people have created real after-hours rituals around the film. In Coupeville, Washington, where some scenes were filmed, there’s a weekend full of costumes, tours, and margaritas. A theater in Charlotte puts on its own immersive event. The ghost-boyfriend story hardly gets mentioned. Fans come for the kitchen, the sisters, and a chance to be a little witchy together.
Velvet Goldmine (1998, Todd Haynes)
A glam-rock star fakes his own death on stage, and a reporter spends years trying to figure out what really happened. Todd Haynes tells the story with jumps and flashbacks, which divided critics. Some thought it was ambitious, while others found it messy. The movie didn’t make money, but people remember the glitter.
Today, Velvet Goldmine lives on wherever people show up dressed for it. In Atlanta, one fan watched it with friends, threw a glam party, and then started screenings where everyone dressed up. A film club in Nottingham describes it as a story about finally seeing yourself on screen. It’s not just a movie people recommend—it’s one they give to friends and say, “Put on something sparkly.”
Honorable Mention: They Live (1988, John Carpenter)
I had to include this movie, it’s awesome and it came sooo close! A drifter named Nada wanders into LA looking for work, and finds a box of ordinary-looking sunglasses, but when he puts them on the world goes black and white. Billboards and magazines bark “OBEY” and “CONSUME,” and a good chunk of the wealthy elite turn out to be aliens broadcasting control through the TV. He grabs a shotgun and drags his skeptical coworker Frank into the fight, which includes a hilariously absurd six-minute alley brawl over whether Frank will just put the glasses on.
John Carpenter gets his message across with action instead of preaching. Roddy Piper is the perfect unexpected hero, and his famous line about chewing bubblegum and kicking ass became a pop culture hit. The movie’s “OBEY” visuals even inspired a well-known clothing line and street art. I love it, but I couldn’t find the kind of ongoing audience participation/ritual needed for a true cult classic. So it’s a personal favorite, not an official pick.