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When we talk about streaming culture, we’re usually enthusing about what’s new, but one of the best things about streaming is how it’s made old and obscure cult hits available to a new generation. Presenting Cult Corner: your weekly look into hidden gems and long-lost curiosities that you can find on streaming.
There’s only about 36 hours left in the year 2015, which means that most people are getting ready to wrap everything up with a bow and leave this crazy year in the rearviewmirror. Not us here at Cult Corner, though; we’re nothing if not obsessed with the past. Just yesterday, in fact, we put together a list of movies released during the last 12 months that are destined to become future cult classics in their own right.
However, that’s not to say that we’re above a little introspection. With that in mind, here’s the 10 most popular Cult Corner entries from this past year. How many of these shows have YOU watched?
- Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (9/16/15): “It’s fun and smart, but it also puts a refreshing feminist spin on period detective dramas. Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle might have been able to craft a tight thriller, but they hardly ever commented on equality between the sexes. Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries confronts sexism head on and frequently features story lines where our heroine is tasked with stopping violence against women.” [Streaming on Netflix]
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'Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries' (9/16/15)
Photo: ABC; Photo Illustration: Jaclyn Kessel WHAT WE SAID THEN: “It’s fun and smart, but it also puts a refreshing feminist spin on period detective dramas. Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle might have been able to craft a tight thriller, but they hardly ever commented on equality between the sexes. Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries confronts sexism head on and frequently features story lines where our heroine is tasked with stopping violence against women.” [Read more]
2'Back In Time' (10/21/15)
Photo: Everett Collection; Photo Illustration: Jaclyn Kessel WHAT WE SAID THEN: “The documentary is full of fun lore about the film like how the story came to be only after co-writer Bob Gale discovered that his dad was a total square as a teenager (and that the two went to the same high school). That revelation led him and Zemekis to brainstorm what would happen if you were stuck back in time and in high school with your nerdy dad and your mom was the school slut?” [Read more]
3'Caprica' (9/30/15)
Photo: Syfy; Photo Illustration: Jaclyn Kessel WHAT WE SAID THEN: “Caprica was not without its fans, nor was it without merit. The series refused to talk down to its viewers and trusted that its audience was smart enough to keep up with all the plot twists, scientific theories, and philosophizing at hand.” [Read more]
4'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' (8/12/15)
Photo: BBC; Photo Illustration: Jaclyn Kessel WHAT WE SAID THEN: “Uh, it’s the show that Sally Draper was watching when she was caught masturbating on Mad Men. That’s some fun trivia for the water cooler, eh?” [Read more]
5'A Trip To The Moon' (6/10/15)
Photo: Everett Collection; Photo Illustration: Jaclyn Kessel WHAT WE SAID THEN: “Even if you don’t know Georges Méliès by name, you’d recognize his contributions to pop culture. The French film pioneer was one of the very first directors to play with special effects and fantastic storytelling. His trademark style influenced one of the most famous music videos of the ’90s — The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Tonight, Tonight” — and he’s a major character in Martin Scorsese’s feel-good family film, Hugo. ” [Read more]
6'Sleepaway Camp' (10/14/15)
Photo: American Eagle Films; Photo Illustration: Jaclyn Kessel WHAT WE SAID THEN: “Sleepaway Camp is a film that people either revere or revile. The 1983 summer camp slasher flick has delighted as many people over the decades as it’s infuriated them. Why? Well, in addition to being a wacky slasher, it has some incredibly disturbing imagery and an incomprehensibly problematic plot.” [Read more]
7'Fridays' (9/2/15)
Photo: Everett Collection; Photo Illustration: Jaclyn Kessel WHAT WE SAID THEN: “Today, Fridays is remembered as a footnote in Saturday Night Live‘s history or as a noteworthy episode in the life of Andy Kaufman, but what it should really be seen as is an important part of Seinfeld’s history.” [Read more]
8'The Star Wars Holiday Special' (12/16/15)
Photo: Lucasfilm & CBS WHAT WE SAID THEN: “Even the staunchest Star Wars fan will throw 1978’s The Star Wars Holiday Special under the bus. The two hour made-for-TV special was the first feature-length follow up to Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope and is an unwatchable crime against entertainment. The songs are terrible, the dialogue’s atrocious, and there’s a weird moment where Bea Arthur has to sing a song to a bunch of aliens in a cantina. Simply put: this is the worst Star Wars ‘sequel’ ever made.” [Read more]
9'Wet Hot American Summer' (8/5/15)
Photo: Everett Collection; Photo Illustration: Jaclyn Kessel WHAT WE SAID THEN: “It’s also gleefully weird and features one of the most impressive casts in film history: Paul Rudd, Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler, Elizabeth Banks, Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Molly Shannon, Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, and more fill out the massive ensemble cast. It’s as much a fun film to watch as a comedy time capsule. People who love this film admire its heart, its humor, and its willingness to be as pointless as possible. People who hate this film often say it’s dumb and childish and nonsensical.” [Read more]
10'Hercules'/'Xena' (10/28/15)
WHAT WE SAID THEN: “Both shows garnered a cult audience that relished the fantasy and the humor on display. While Game of Thrones approaches mythology and medievalism with grim sincerity, Raimi’s shows didn’t care if they were historically inaccurate. The show was overflowing with tongue-in-cheek pop culture jokes. ” [Read more]
[Stream Hercules on Netflix, and stream Xena: Warrior Princess on Netflix, too]
