The 20 Best Cult Movies On Netflix

By Jade Budowski @jadebudowski

Published Aug. 8, 2017, 9:00 a.m. ET

These flicks may not have slayed at the box office, but they're classics in our hearts. Photos: Everett Collection ; Illustration: Dillen Phelps

**Paris is Burning**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 100%
This acclaimed documentary chronicles the 1980s New York City drag scene and focuses on the tight knit communities of their "house" culture, and the balls attended by the groups from each house that feature cues from the world of fashion. This intimate, dazzling portrait of the time, the controversial *Paris Is Burning* holds up as a true cult classic decades later.
[Stream Paris is Burning ]Photo: Everett Collection

**The Iron Giant**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 96%
Set during The Cold War, this animated adventure follows a young boy who befriends a giant, kind-hearted robot from outer space that the hyper-paranoid government is determined to destroy. Heartwarming, sad, and thrilling, this gorgeous film will touch you in unexpected ways.
[Stream The Iron Giant]Photo: Everett Collection

**Heathers**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 95%
Starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater as masochistic teenagers, this off-beat, twisted dark comedy became a true cult classic after its 1988 release. The teaming up of a reluctant good girl and straight-up sociopath is one that is way more fun to watch than it should be.
[Stream Heathers]Photo: Everett Collection

**Best in Show**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 95%
This hilarious mockumentary follows a colorful cast of characters as they compete in the cutthroat world of dog shows. With its spot-on improv comedy and incredible group of actors at the helm (including Christopher Guest, Parker Posey, Michael McKean, John Michael Higgins, and frankly, way too many to name), Best in Show is sure to find a permanent slot on your queue.
[Stream Best in Show] Photo: Everett Collection

**The Fly (1958)**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 95%
Before Jeff Goldblum, there was the 1958 classic that horrified viewers everywhere. After a scientist attempts to use his teleportation device and a fly slips in with him, a terrifying accident ensues - and the rest is history. The creepy, campy sci-fi/horror classic will bend your mind and give you goose bumps.
[Stream The Fly (1958)]Photo: Everett Collection

**A Nightmare on Elm Street**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 94%
A deranged, disfigured serial killer stalks people in their dreams and evidently kills them in real life in this 1984 horror classic that introduced us to Freddy Krueger. Our maniacal villain continues to kill those indulging in sweet slumbers while these victims frantically try to find out why they are the targets of Krueger's murderous tendencies.
[Stream A Nightmare on Elm Street]Photo: Everett Collection

**The Nightmare Before Christmas**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 94%
This stunning stop-motion flick introduces us to the iconic Jack Skellington, the king of Halloween Town, as he discovers Christmas Town and confuses the demented residents of his own spooky home as he tries to integrate the holiday cheer into their everyday darkness. This revolutionary film is stocked with classic songs and wicked humor.
[Stream The Nightmare Before Christmas]Photo: Everett Collection

**The Host**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 93%
A snack bar owner whose daughter is suddenly snatched from him by a death-bringing monster that has emerged from the Han River is the focus of this masterful monster film from South Korea. While the family initially mourns and agonizes over the loss, when they discover she is still alive, they resolve to do whatever they can to take on the monster and save her. Armed with genuine jump-out-of-your-seat moments, this is an outstanding entry into the monster movie genre.
[Stream The Host]Photo: Everett Collection

**Young Frankenstein**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 93%
Celebrate the late, great Gene Wilder by indulging in one of his most delightful works of comedy, Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein. This hilarious black-and-white spoof of Mary Shelley's classic tale finds the grandson of Victor Frankenstein (that's fronkensteen, by the way) trying to escape the legend's shadow, but all this changes when he discovers his grandfather's diary and begins replicating his experiments - and creates his own monster.
[Stream Young Frankenstein]Photo: Everett Collection

**Pumping Iron**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 93%
This iconic 1977 docudrama chronicles the battle of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno for the title of Mr. Olympia, and in the wake of its release managed to popularize the fitness craze of the 1980s. Full of much more heart than you might expect, there's a reason this flick is considered a classic.
[Stream Pumping Iron] Photo: Netflix

**Mindhorn**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 91%
Starring Kenneth Branagh, Julian Barratt, Andrea Riseborough, and Steve Coogan, this action-comedy flick follows a has-been actor best known for playing a detective named "Mindhorn" in a 1980s series. While his career has stalled, he finds new purpose when he's forced to work with police to track down a serial killer, as the killer refuses to speak with anyone but Mindhorn (he believes he's a real person). Wacky, charming, and hilarious, *Mindhorn* will sneak up on you.
[Stream Mindhorn]Photo: Everett Collection

**An American Werewolf in London**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 89%
Two American college students on a walking tour of England are attacked by a werewolf and the survivor of the incident returns to London. He soon realizes that he's taken on the attributes of his supernatural assailant, and he unwittingly goes on rampages around the city. This bonkers 1980s horror comedy is a must-see.
[Stream An American Werewolf in London ]Photo: Everett Collection

**Delicatessen**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 89%
Set in the post-apocalyptic future, this wildly innovative French film manages to seamlessly combine multiple genres, including comedy, science fiction, and horror. All the action occurs in one apartment complex owned by a man who runs the downstairs butcher shop, the last place that seemingly is able to provide great cuts of meat. When a new superintendent discovers what the real source of the meat is, however, everything changes.
[Stream Delicatessen] Photo: Netflix

**Pee-wee's Big Adventure**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 87%
Paul Reubens' classic character is at the helm of Tim Burton's first feature-length film, a comedy following an eccentric, prankster man-child who embarks on a cross-country journey to retrieve his treasured bike from the thieves who took it. Don't sleep on this irreverent comedy - you'll come out armed with the pop culture references of the decade.
[Stream Pee-wee's Big Adventure]Photo: Everett Collection

**The Shining**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 87%
Stanley Kubrick's chilling tale of a family torn apart by the evil presence at their winter hotel is equal parts cult and horror classic. Starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall, the film is full of truly unsettling sequences (and a career-best performance from Nicholson). So what are you waiting for? Heeeeere's Johnny!
[Stream The Shining ]Photo: Everett Collection

**Gremlins**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 85%
Set against a Christmastime backdrop, this classic horror comedy kicks off when a man brings his teen son an unusual pet called a mogwai. Though he's been warned not to expose the mogwai to water and light and not to feet it after midnight, the rules are broken, and complete chaos ensues. Unexpectedly violent and bizarrely hilarious, there's a reason *Gremlins* remains a favorite after all these years.
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**Mean Girls**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 84%
Was there ever a more-quoted movie than *Mean Girls*? This modern classic follows new kid Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) as she goes undercover (and soon gets sucked into) The Plastics, a group of popular girls who spend their days making other students' lives hell. Biting, witty, and fresh every time, you might just start wearing pink every Wednesday after one viewing.
[Stream Mean Girls]Photo: Everett Collection

**Mulholland Drive**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 83%
This David Lynch-helmed mystery starring Naomi Watts and Justin Theroux depicts a young actress who moves to Hollywood and encounters a woman who has narrowly escaped murder and is now suffering from amnesia after a car crash. Sexy, surprising, and completely weird, this modern classic is a must-see.
[Stream Mulholland Drive]Photo: Everett Collection

**Slums of Beverly Hills**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 80%
This 1970s-set dramedy starring Natasha Lyonne (*Orange is the New Black*) and Marisa Tomei depicts a nomadic lower-middle-class family living on the outskirts of Beverly Hills. Though it was initially met with mixed reviews, the flick later became a cult classic and cemented a place in Hollywood for Lyonne's unique talents. Full of wisecracks and relatable family dynamics, *Slums of Beverly Hills* is an understated delight.
[Stream Slums of Beverly Hills]Photo: Everett Collection

**Oldboy**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 80%
This 2003 South Korean neo-noir tells the story of a man who is kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years without explanation, and is suddenly released with money, nice clothes, and a cell phone. He soon finds out that he must find his captor within five days and uncover the motive of his unknown tormentor. This shocking, visually stunning flick will leave you reeling.
[Stream Oldboy]Photo: Everett Collection

It’s hard to pin down exactly what a cult classic is, but the one thing we’re grateful for is that streaming platforms like Netflix often give life to movies that may otherwise have been forgotten. These are the kinds of flicks that are released ahead of their time, aren’t loved by critics or the box office at the beginning, or somehow forgotten. Your underrated favorites are getting a second chance over on Netflix, and it’s worth celebrating.

Under the the streaming behemoth’s “Cult Movies” category, there are broader parameters than you might expect. The sub-genres include things like comedies, B-horror, and camp, among others, and some of the flicks present may bewilder you. It’s the perfect chance to indulge in lesser-known titles and experience a documentary you might have missed, comedy you’ve forgotten, or weird drama that may have flown under the radar. Cult classics are what make movies so great – they’re full of surprises.

Wondering where to start? We’ve gone through Netflix‘s vast catalogue to find the best of the best. These are the 20 best cult movies on Netflix, ranked by their Rotten Tomatoes Critic Scores.