What makes a “cult film”? John Waters, director of “Pink Flamingos” and “Hairspray” spoke about the essentials required to make a movie a “cult film classic” at a recent film festival, reports the Delaware News Journal.
Waters outlined the pivotal importance of well-defined, often sensational characters and scenes that engender devotion.
Describing “Pink Flamingos” as “notorious,” he said that film credit would probably be featured first in his obituary. “Pink Flamingos” is widely known for its now famous finale of a 300 pound transvestite named “Divine” eating freshly laid “dog doo.”
Similarly, Faye Dunaway who played the tyrannical Joan Crawford in “Mommie Dearest,” made cult film history screaming “no wire coat hangers”
Recognized cult films like “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” “Mommie Dearest” and “The Producers” all have outrageous characters. And Broadway has mined this genre for two hit musicals. First translating Mel Brooks’ movie “The Producers” into box office gold and now Waters’ “Hairspray.”
Fans of Waters films are deeply devoted and see their favorites over and over again. This type of cult following turned “Rocky Horror Picture Show” from a flop to a lucrative franchise and made Susan Sarandon a star.
Audience participation became the hallmark of “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Fans attending that movie cloned its characters through the use of costumes and chanted dialog while viewing the film. Likewise, the cult following devoted to “Mommie Dearest” often brought wire coat hangers to play along with Faye Dunaway.
Let’s hope for the sake of hygiene that Waters fans don’t mimic the definitive scene within “Pink Flamingos” anytime soon.
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