The Cult Movie Brackets – Round One, Bracket One

Cult Movie Bracket Logo SMBy Hampus Eckerman: Time for the first bracket. For each pair, vote for the top cult movie. Vote for what is memorable, what is fun, what is interesting, what is cult.

1. JUICY FRUITS
Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
Labyrinth (1986)

2. THE FINGERS ARE THE BEST PART
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953)
Eating Raoul (1982)

3. DON’T MESS WITH THE KING, BABY
Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)
Knightriders (1981)

4. THE BEST OF FANTASY
Hawk the Slayer (1980)
Return to Oz (1985)

5. REAL BLOOD OR TOMATOES
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978)
A Boy and His Dog (1975)

6. HIJINKS ENSUE
Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
The President’s Analyst (1967)

7. WEIRD RELATIONSHIPS
Crash (1996)
Amelie (2002)

8. CAMPY MOVIES
But I’m A Cheerleader! (1999)
Blazing Saddles (1974)

9. OF MICE AND MEN
The Mouse That Roared (1959)
A Scanner Darkly (2006)

10. MUSIC BATTLE ROYAL
The Blues Brothers (1980)
Heavy Metal (1981)

11. CHARMING FRIENDS
In Bruges (2008)
Repo Man (1984)

12. AAAAAUUUUUGGGGGGGHHH!
Them! (1954)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

13. WELCOME TO THE SIXTIES
Yellow Submarine (1968)
Hairspray (1988)

14. IT’S GONNA BE COLD, IT’S GONNA BE GREY
Groundhog Day (1993)
Eraserhead (1977)

15. FEEDING TIME
Hausu (1977)
The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)

16. POSSIBLE FUTURES
Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988)
Zardoz (1974)

17. THIS IS JUST A ROUGH PATCH
The Quiet Earth (1985)
Sid & Nancy (1986)

18. WHAT DID YOU PEOPLE DO TO HIS HEAD?
Scanners (1981)
Akira (1988)

19. NOT FINISHED WITH DOING WEIRD STUFF
Naked Lunch (1991)
Destroy All Monsters (1968)

20. UTTER CHAOS
Paprika (2007)
Godzilla (1954)

21.BEWARE, BEWARE!
Glen or Glenda (1953)
Tremors (1990)

22. NEW FLESH OR NEW STEEL
Videodrome (1983)
Metropolis (1927)

23. ALLERGIC TO STEEL
Death Race 2000 (1975)
The City of Lost Children (1995)

24. IF SOMETHING GETS IN YOUR WAY, TURN!
Better Off Dead (1985)
Donnie Darko (2001)

25. HAPPY END
Escape from New York
Allegro Non Troppo (1976)

26. LIZARDS VS RODENTS
The Princess Bride (1987)
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)

27. MEN AND THEIR SPORTS
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Shaolin Soccer (2001)

28. BUT THERE WAS NO FLUORIDATION?
The Wicker Man (1973)
Dr. Strangelove or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

29. VIOLENCE INHERENT IN THE SYSTEM
Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)

30. MEETINGS AT A STRANGE TIME
Fight Club (1999)
Forbidden Planet (1956)

31. IT’S A DIFFERENT CULTURE, JIM!
Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1989)
Pink Flamingos (1972)

32. WEIRD LOST CREATURES
The Dark Crystal (1982)
This is Spinal Tap (1984)

69 thoughts on “The Cult Movie Brackets – Round One, Bracket One

  1. Loving the bracket titles!

    3. DON’T MESS WITH THE KING, BABY
    Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)

    And the pain starts at the very first first contest I can vote in! Arthurian myth by way of jousting motorcyclists at Renfaire; I’m not sure whether the first or the last scene is more incongruous. But for sheer, consistent gleeful lunacy, I have to give it to the geriatric Elvis redemption flick.

    4. THE BEST OF FANTASY
    Return to Oz (1985)

    Not quite so difficult. Dorothy in an asylum, threatened with electroshock, the Wheelers, the heads… Nightmare fuel.

    5. REAL BLOOD OR TOMATOES
    Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978)

    7. WEIRD RELATIONSHIPS
    Crash (1996)

    Not the one I’d rather watch. But cultier.

    10. MUSIC BATTLE ROYAL
    The Blues Brothers (1980)

    12. AAAAAUUUUUGGGGGGGHHH!
    Them! (1954)

    It is possible that I will respond to any insufficiently-identified use of the pronoun “them” in conversation with “You mean the giant ants?”.

    13. WELCOME TO THE SIXTIES
    Yellow Submarine (1968)

    It is possible that this is favoritism. I live this movie.

    15. FEEDING TIME
    Hausu (1977)

    Hausu wins it, for the bizarre and obscure factors. And because yeah, if I find out someone else has seen it, I have to try and bond with them over it.

    16. POSSIBLE FUTURES
    Zardoz (1974)

    You can’t do this to me. Not in the first round. Not the only film at least partially directed by Donald Jackson against Sean Connery in a red velour diaper. Look, if fans of the truly bizarre in cinema will promise to check out the Jackson ouvre sometime — Frogtown et sequelae, The Guns of El Chupacabra, Roller Blade, The Roller Blade Seven — I can vote for Zardoz with a clean conscience.

    17. THIS IS JUST A ROUGH PATCH
    The Quiet Earth (1985)

    It belongs here, so I seconded it, but I loathe Sid & Nancy with the the heat of a thousand angry suns. I saw it in high school as a double feature with Pink Floyd’s The Wall. It was not a cheerful evening. I’m so glad I can vote against it.

    18. WHAT DID YOU PEOPLE DO TO HIS HEAD?
    Akira (1988)

    Tough. But Akira seems more cult-y.

    19. NOT FINISHED WITH DOING WEIRD STUFF
    Destroy All Monsters (1968)

    This may be another case of person bias.

    20. UTTER CHAOS
    Godzilla (1954)

    Ouch! I love Paprika. Against any other kaiju movie, I’d vote for it. But Godzilla is the wellspring, from which all other kaiju movies spring.

    21.BEWARE, BEWARE!
    Glen or Glenda (1953)

    The classic.

    24. IF SOMETHING GETS IN YOUR WAY, TURN!
    Better Off Dead (1985)

    26. LIZARDS VS RODENTS
    The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)

    It’s not that I don’t love The Princess Bride. And I’m not all that impressed by this Buckaroo. But my idiosyncratic definition of a cult movie has to include some element of obscurity, and everyone I know has watched TPB multiple times. Even the most mainstream media muggles amongst them. So, no. It’s inconceivable.

    27. MEN AND THEIR SPORTS
    The Big Lebowski (1998)

    28. BUT THERE WAS NO FLUORIDATION?
    The Wicker Man (1973)

    Obscurity broke the tie.

    29. VIOLENCE INHERENT IN THE SYSTEM
    A Clockwork Orange (1971)

    I hate this movie, too. Less than Sid & Nancy, though. But it’s more of a cult movie to me. I look forward to voting against it in the future.

    32. WEIRD LOST CREATURES
    The Dark Crystal (1982)

    I wonder if Spinal Tap’s drum set could be played by gelfling hand, or else by none?

  2. LunarG: It’s not that I don’t love The Princess Bride. And I’m not all that impressed by this Buckaroo. But my idiosyncratic definition of a cult movie has to include some element of obscurity, and everyone I know has watched TPB multiple times. Even the most mainstream media muggles amongst them. So, no. It’s inconceivable.

    That’s exactly what swayed my vote. Because if this was just a pick-your-favorite vote, I love The Princess Bride more by several magnitudes.

  3. 1. JUICY FRUITS
    Labyrinth (1986)

    2. THE FINGERS ARE THE BEST PART
    The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953)

    3. DON’T MESS WITH THE KING, BABY
    Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)

    4. THE BEST OF FANTASY
    Return to Oz (1985)

    5. REAL BLOOD OR TOMATOES
    Pass

    6. HIJINKS ENSUE
    Adventures in Babysitting (1987)

    7. WEIRD RELATIONSHIPS
    Amelie (2002)

    8. CAMPY MOVIES
    Blazing Saddles (1974)

    9. OF MICE AND MEN
    A Scanner Darkly (2006)

    10. MUSIC BATTLE ROYAL
    The Blues Brothers (1980)

    11. CHARMING FRIENDS
    Pass

    12. AAAAAUUUUUGGGGGGGHHH!
    Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

    13. WELCOME TO THE SIXTIES
    Yellow Submarine (1968)

    14. IT’S GONNA BE COLD, IT’S GONNA BE GREY
    Groundhog Day (1993)

    15. FEEDING TIME
    The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)

    16. POSSIBLE FUTURES
    Pass

    17. THIS IS JUST A ROUGH PATCH
    Pass

    18. WHAT DID YOU PEOPLE DO TO HIS HEAD?
    Akira (1988)

    19. NOT FINISHED WITH DOING WEIRD STUFF
    Pass

    20. UTTER CHAOS
    Pass

    21.BEWARE, BEWARE!
    Pass

    22. NEW FLESH OR NEW STEEL
    Pass

    23. ALLERGIC TO STEEL
    The City of Lost Children (1995)

    24. IF SOMETHING GETS IN YOUR WAY, TURN!
    Donnie Darko (2001)

    25. HAPPY END
    Escape from New York

    26. LIZARDS VS RODENTS
    You. Are. A. Jerk.
    The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
    This will lose. It’s not the better movie, but it’s the more cult one.

    27. MEN AND THEIR SPORTS
    The Big Lebowski (1998)

    28. BUT THERE WAS NO FLUORIDATION?
    Dr. Strangelove or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

    29. VIOLENCE INHERENT IN THE SYSTEM
    Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)

    30. MEETINGS AT A STRANGE TIME
    Pass

    31. IT’S A DIFFERENT CULTURE, JIM!
    Pass

    32. WEIRD LOST CREATURES
    The Dark Crystal (1982)

  4. 1. JUICY FRUITS
    Phantom of the Paradise (1974) – 8 votes
    Labyrinth (1986) – 27 votes

    Winslow Leach hates juicy fruits, be they on stage or in a pair of pants. But against supernatural powers, he is lost.

    WINNER: Labyrinth

    2. THE FINGERS ARE THE BEST PART
    The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953) – 13 votes
    Eating Raoul (1982) – 10 votes

    Poor Raoul. When he has to face the music, he’s dog food.

    WINNER: The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.

    3. DON’T MESS WITH THE KING, BABY
    Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) – 20 votes
    Knightriders (1981) – 2 votes

    There is always someone else who wants to be King. But when it comes to crashed vehicles, only one can survive the aftermath.

    WINNER: Bubba Ho-Tep

    4. THE BEST OF FANTASY
    Hawk the Slayer (1980) – 9 votes
    Return to Oz (1985) – 13 votes

    At first, Hawk thought he was safe. While Dorothy was in real pain from electrotherapy, a wooden plank can’t be hurt that way. His Vulcan-Elf was also fast enought to defeat all enemies. In the end, this is not enough against the Nome King and planks are good materials for ornaments.

    WINNER: Return to Oz.

    5. REAL BLOOD OR TOMATOES
    Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978) – 16 votes
    A Boy and His Dog (1975) – 17 votes

    There were two tomatoes crossing the road. Then both were killed by radioactive insects.

    WINNER: A Boy and His Dog

    6. HIJINKS ENSUE
    Adventures in Babysitting (1987) – 10 votes
    The President’s Analyst (1967) – 10 votes

    Dr. Sidney Schaefer: You can vent your aggressive feelings by actually killing people! It’s a sensational solution to the hostility problem.
    Chris: Don’t fuck with the babysitter.

    WINNER: TIE!

    7. WEIRD RELATIONSHIPS
    Crash (1996) – 4 votes
    Amélie (2002) – 22 votes

    Ballard draws the wrong conclusions after watching a swedish move on trafic safety, seeing it as not a caution, but as an instruction manual. Bye, bye, Ballard.

    WINNER: Amélie

    8. CAMPY MOVIES
    But I’m A Cheerleader! (1999) – 3 votes
    Blazing Saddles (1974) – 33 votes

    No candies for these cheerleaders.

    WINNER: Blazing Saddles

    9. OF MICE AND MEN
    The Mouse That Roared (1959) – 24 votes
    A Scanner Darkly (2006) – 11 votes

    How can you win a bracket against people armed with a bomb that could destroy a continent?

    WINNER: The Mouse that Roared

    10. MUSIC BATTLE ROYAL
    The Blues Brothers (1980) – 28 votes
    Heavy Metal (1981) – 9 votes

    When you’ve got the blues and it actually makes you happy. Blues Brothers are in a mission for God, Heavy Metal meanwhile is sacrificed to Uhluhtc.

    WINNER: The Blues Brothers

    11. CHARMING FRIENDS
    In Bruges (2008) – 6 votes
    Repo Man (1984) – 21 votes

    A repo man spends his life getting into tense situations. A failed Hitman is lost from the beginning.

    WINNER: Repo Man

    12. AAAAAUUUUUGGGGGGGHHH!
    Them! (1954) – 9 votes
    Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) – 33 votes

    King Arthur: Now stand aside, worthy adversary!
    Ant: ‘Tis but a scratch!
    King Arthur: A scratch? Your leg’s off!
    Ant: I’ve got five more!

    But in the end, that is not enough.

    WINNER: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

    13. WELCOME TO THE SIXTIES
    Yellow Submarine (1968) – 25 votes
    Hairspray (1988) – 11 votes

    Hairspray suddenly finds both cockroaches and rats in its hair and runs away screaming.

    WINNER: Yellow Submarine

    14. IT’S GONNA BE COLD, IT’S GONNA BE GREY
    Groundhog Day (1993) – 30 votes
    Eraserhead (1977) – 5 votes

    If repeating just one days is seen as hell, think of if that day had been Eraserhead.
    The chicken writhes, the infant cries and your head is taken to a pencil factory. I’ll take the groundhog day anytime.

    WINNER: Groundhog Day

    15. FEEDING TIME
    Hausu (1977) – 2 votes
    The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) – 22 votes

    Eaten by a piano or by a living plant from outer space? The filers are reverse-vegetarians.

    WINNER: The Little Shop of Horrors

    16. POSSIBLE FUTURES
    Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988) – 6 votes
    Zardoz (1974) – 20 votes

    The Penis is Evil and Sam Hell remains stuck in his electronic codpiece with no fertile women in sight.

    WINNER: Zardoz

    17. THIS IS JUST A ROUGH PATCH
    The Quiet Earth (1985) – 13 votes
    Sid & Nancy (1986) – 9 votes

    Sorry, Sid. Your personal catastrophe has nothing against destroying the world.

    WINNER: The Quiet Earth

    18. WHAT DID YOU PEOPLE DO TO HIS HEAD?
    Scanners (1981) – 13 votes
    Akira (1988) – 14 votes

    This one was so close, so close, one in the lead, then a tie again. But in the end, there is a difference in taking drugs to create mental power and to take drugs to dampen them.

    WINNER: Akira

    19. NOT FINISHED WITH DOING WEIRD STUFF
    Naked Lunch (1991) – 3 votes
    Destroy All Monsters (1968) – 18 votes

    Some insects are just larger than others.

    WINNER: Destroy All Monsters

    20. UTTER CHAOS
    Paprika (2007) – votes
    Godzilla (1954) – votes

    Different types of Japanese chaos and havoc, but radioactive lizards can’t loose.

    WINNER: Godzilla

    21. BEWARE, BEWARE!
    Glen or Glenda (1953) – 8 votes
    Tremors (1990) – 18 votes

    Is Glen a homosexual or a transvestite? We’ll never know for sure, because he is eaten by the big, green dragon that sits on his doorstep. No more angora for you.

    WINNER: Tremors

    22. NEW FLESH OR NEW STEEL
    Videodrome (1983) – 6 votes
    Metropolis (1927) – 26 votes

    Turns out, Max Renn was just a hallucination.

    WINNER: Metropolis

    23. ALLERGIC TO STEEL
    Death Race 2000 (1975) – 22 votes
    The City of Lost Children (1995) – 11 votes

    One = Hundred. Points that is. Frankenstein is still in the race.

    WINNER: Death Race 2000.

    24. IF SOMETHING GETS IN YOUR WAY, TURN!
    Better Off Dead (1985) – 14 votes
    Donnie Darko (2001) – 14 votes

    Frank wants to keep his bunny costume and the paperboy wants his two dollars. Locked in a stalemate, they both contine to next round.

    WINNER: TIE!

    25. HAPPY END
    Escape from New York (1981) – 28 votes
    Allegro Non Troppo (1976) – 7 votes

    Allegro Non Troppo is psyched, has been warming up for months. Now it is time to obliterate! Sorry to say, Plissken destroys the tape before the match starts.

    WINNER: Escape from New York

    26. LIZARDS VS RODENTS
    The Princess Bride (1987) – 29 votes
    The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) – 11 votes

    R.O.U.S rouse up in a rousing victory. Roses to them!

    WINNER:The Princess Bride

    27. MEN AND THEIR SPORTS
    The Big Lebowski (1998) – 18 votes
    Shaolin Soccer (2001) – 10 votes

    Soccer? What kind of weird sport is that? No, Bowling, that is a real sport for real dudes.

    WINNER: The Big Lebowski

    28. BUT THERE WAS NO FLUORIDATION?
    The Wicker Man (1973) – 8 votes
    Dr. Strangelove or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) – 31 votes

    No summer for the population of SummerIsle. The bees have escaped (wait, what?) and neither prayers or chanting works. The Wicker Man burns down and the remains are buried in a landslide by the movie company.

    WINNER: Dr. Strangelove or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

    29. VIOLENCE INHERENT IN THE SYSTEM
    Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979) – 25 votes
    A Clockwork Orange (1971) – 15 votes

    Alex: No. No! NO! Stop it! Stop it, please! I beg you! This is sin! This is sin! This is sin! It’s a sin, it’s a sin, it’s a sin!
    Pontus Pilatus: Why are you getting so worked up about Biggus Dickus?

    WINNER: Monty Python’s Life of Brian

    30. MEETINGS AT A STRANGE TIME
    Fight Club (1999) – 7 votes
    Forbidden Planet (1956) – 25 votes

    Fight Club meets the third rule: Goes limp, taps out and the fight is over.

    WINNER: Forbidden Planet

    31. IT’S A DIFFERENT CULTURE, JIM!
    Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1989) – 8 votes
    Pink Flamingos (1972) – 9 votes

    The Piranha Women grows hungry and tries to eat the flamingos. Not realizing that the flamingos are plastic, they stuff themselves to death, suffocating.

    WINNER: Pink Flamingos

    32. WEIRD LOST CREATURES
    The Dark Crystal (1982) – 15 votes
    This is Spinal Tap (1984) – 26 votes

    The Gelflings are lost behind the scene and never arrive to the battle.

    WINNER: This is Spinal Tap

  5. Paprika (2007) – votes
    Godzilla (1954) – votes

    Looks like Godzilla knocked over the scoreboard there.

    Seriously, great work getting those score up so fast!

  6. I certainly can’t be unhappy that The Princess Bride won its bracket in a landslide.

  7. “Looks like Godzilla knocked over the scoreboard there.”

    Ooooops! Should be:

    20. UTTER CHAOS
    Paprika (2007) – 4 votes
    Godzilla (1954) – 21 votes

    Different types of Japanese chaos and havoc, but radioactive lizards can’t loose.

    WINNER: Godzilla

  8. This is really, really spooky. In every single case where I’d only seen one movie so I abstained… the one that I’d actually seen won.

  9. I still think Yellow Submarine is the least culty film there. The Princess Bride and The Big Lebowski were, at worst, sleeper hits, which, despite being hugely popular now, didn’t do so well when first released. Yellow Submarine was released by the biggest band in the world (at the time), and was a “smash hit” with “widespread critical acclaim” (according to Wikipedia).

    Still like it, though, so I can’t complain too hard.

    I think the one I’m sorriest to see go is A Scanner Darkly. It wasn’t without its flaws, but I think it’s far-and-away the best Dick adaptation I’ve seen. (Still haven’t seen Radio Free Albemuth.) But it lost to a great movie, so I can’t actually complain at all. I can only curse the dice! 😉

  10. Least culty movie on list is most likely Akira which was a gigantic mainstream success, one of the top animated movies ever done. It has been praised by every critic, has viewers everywhere and has had an enormous influence.

    But I go more on the nature of the following than the movie itself. The Princess Bride really has a cult like following.

  11. The lede for the Wikipedia article on Akira says “The film has garnered a large following as a cult film since its theatrical release”. It actually uses the words “cult film”! And that’s not a term Wikipedia tends to use lightly.

    It may have been Big In Japan, but elsewhere, it was pretty obscure at first. It only got a limited theatrical release in the US, and didn’t start building up a fan base until the video version came out. Roger Ebert’s endorsement gave it a big boost, but that didn’t happen until the video release.

  12. We only had 24 hours to get our votes in? Damn. Will try to remember that for next bracket.

    Xtifr, back when my son and I went to see Akira, we had to drive to the other side of town to see it at the one arthouse theater where it was showing for one night only.

  13. 1. JUICY FRUITS
    Labyrinth (1986)

    2. THE FINGERS ARE THE BEST PART
    Abstain

    3. DON’T MESS WITH THE KING, BABY
    Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)

    4. THE BEST OF FANTASY
    abstain

    5. REAL BLOOD OR TOMATOES
    A Boy and His Dog (1975)

    6. HIJINKS ENSUE
    Adventures in Babysitting (1987)

    7. WEIRD RELATIONSHIPS
    Crash (1996)

    8. CAMPY MOVIES
    Blazing Saddles (1974)

    9. OF MICE AND MEN
    Abstain

    10. MUSIC BATTLE ROYAL
    The Blues Brothers (1980)

    11. CHARMING FRIENDS
    Repo Man (1984)

    12. AAAAAUUUUUGGGGGGGHHH!
    Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

    13. WELCOME TO THE SIXTIES
    Hairspray (1988)

    14. IT’S GONNA BE COLD, IT’S GONNA BE GREY
    Groundhog Day (1993)

    15. FEEDING TIME
    Hausu (1977)

    16. POSSIBLE FUTURES
    Zardoz (1974)

    17. THIS IS JUST A ROUGH PATCH
    The Quiet Earth (1985)

    18. WHAT DID YOU PEOPLE DO TO HIS HEAD?
    Akira

    19. NOT FINISHED WITH DOING WEIRD STUFF
    Naked Lunch (1991)

    20. UTTER CHAOS
    Abstain

    21.BEWARE, BEWARE!
    Tremors (1990)

    22. NEW FLESH OR NEW STEEL
    Videodrome (1983)

    23. ALLERGIC TO STEEL
    Death Race 2000 (1975)

    24. IF SOMETHING GETS IN YOUR WAY, TURN!
    Donnie Darko (2001)

    25. HAPPY END
    Escape from New York

    26. LIZARDS VS RODENTS
    The Princess Bride (1987)

    27. MEN AND THEIR SPORTS
    The Big Lebowski (1998)

    28. BUT THERE WAS NO FLUORIDATION?
    The Wicker Man (1973)
    (Only because I don’t consider Strangelove a cult film, probably because when I first saw it, it was already considered a classic)

    29. VIOLENCE INHERENT IN THE SYSTEM
    Abstain

    30. MEETINGS AT A STRANGE TIME
    Fight Club (1999)

    31. IT’S A DIFFERENT CULTURE, JIM
    Pink Flamingos (1972)

    32. WEIRD LOST CREATURES
    This is Spinal Tap (1984)

  14. 1. JUICY FRUITS
    Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
    Labyrinth (1986)

    PotP is wonderful fun filled with the most garish indulgences of the mid-70s, but Labyrinth featured both sets of Bowie’s balls being juggled simultaneously.

    2. THE FINGERS ARE THE BEST PART
    The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953)
    Eating Raoul (1982)

    ER is one of those movies that it’s always the same kind of guy that introduces it to you as the funniest film ever.

    3. DON’T MESS WITH THE KING, BABY
    Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)
    Knightriders (1981)

    Black JFK steals the show from Old Elvis and a fart sucking mummy.

    4. THE BEST OF FANTASY
    Hawk the Slayer (1980)
    Return to Oz (1985)

    Both are godawful, but RtO has some wonderfully unintentionally twisted bits once you think about it.

    5. REAL BLOOD OR TOMATOES
    Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978)
    A Boy and His Dog (1975)

    I got the VHS tape for this in my stocking on my 9th birthday. My parents have much to answer for.

    6. HIJINKS ENSUE
    Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
    The President’s Analyst (1967)

    Nothing can beat Thor the car mechanic.

    7. WEIRD RELATIONSHIPS
    Crash (1996)
    Amelie (2002)

    Amelie is quirky, sweet and often unexpected. Crash relied on being ‘shocking’ ahead of solid writing too often.

    8. CAMPY MOVIES
    But I’m A Cheerleader! (1999)
    Blazing Saddles (1974)

    Mongo only pawn… in game of life.

    9. OF MICE AND MEN
    The Mouse That Roared (1959)
    A Scanner Darkly (2006)

    The novel is great and Peter Sellers is at his comic best.

    10. MUSIC BATTLE ROYAL
    The Blues Brothers (1980)
    Heavy Metal (1981)

    There’s too many weak moments in Heavy Metal to push it further.

    11. CHARMING FRIENDS
    In Bruges (2008)
    Repo Man (1984)

    I admit, I never understood the love for Repo Man. Harry Dean Stanton was great but overall, it’s not that good.

    12. AAAAAUUUUUGGGGGGGHHH!
    Them! (1954)
    Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

    There is entirely too much of my childhood defined by Monty Python jokes.

    13. WELCOME TO THE SIXTIES
    Yellow Submarine (1968)
    Hairspray (1988)

    It’s not so much I’m voting for YS as I’m voting against Hairspray.

    14. IT’S GONNA BE COLD, IT’S GONNA BE GREY
    Groundhog Day (1993)
    Eraserhead (1977)

    Saw it in a rep theatre at 17 without the slightest clue what I was going to see. Yikes.

    15. FEEDING TIME
    Hausu (1977)
    The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)

    No contest here. Hausu was deeply twisted were as LSoH was largely forgotten until the musical adaptation.

    16. POSSIBLE FUTURES
    Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988)
    Zardoz (1974)

    Sean Connery’s outfit is largely the reason this movie is remembered.

    17. THIS IS JUST A ROUGH PATCH
    The Quiet Earth (1985)
    Sid & Nancy (1986)

    Broke my brain watching it as a kid. Was convinced it was the most original idea at the time.

    18. WHAT DID YOU PEOPLE DO TO HIS HEAD?
    Scanners (1981)
    Akira (1988)

    No contest here. The soundtrack alone puts it over the edge.

    19. NOT FINISHED WITH DOING WEIRD STUFF
    Naked Lunch (1991)
    Destroy All Monsters (1968)

    Essentially the Justice League of Kaiju.

    20. UTTER CHAOS
    Paprika (2007)
    Godzilla (1954)

    You must respect the greatness of the original.

    21.BEWARE, BEWARE!
    Glen or Glenda (1953)
    Tremors (1990)

    GoG is a perfect example of the fact that Wood couldn’t direct a damn thing well.

    22. NEW FLESH OR NEW STEEL
    Videodrome (1983)
    Metropolis (1927)

    Also a deeply weird film that is iconic but also underrated as well.

    23. ALLERGIC TO STEEL
    Death Race 2000 (1975)
    The City of Lost Children (1995)

    DR2000 isn’t good but it’s fun to watch. CoLC kind of got lost in its own twists.

    24. IF SOMETHING GETS IN YOUR WAY, TURN!
    Better Off Dead (1985)
    Donnie Darko (2001)

    DD was surprising that it even got made, much less how odd the movie was.

    25. HAPPY END
    Escape from New York
    Allegro Non Troppo (1976)

    Much like Heavy Metal, ANT is inconsistent in quality.

    26. LIZARDS VS RODENTS
    The Princess Bride (1987)
    The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)

    Both are ridiculously overrated by their fans, but PB has the better writing.

    27. MEN AND THEIR SPORTS
    The Big Lebowski (1998)
    Shaolin Soccer (2001)

    The film is actually a bit stranger than most people think when you big picture it.

    28. BUT THERE WAS NO FLUORIDATION?
    The Wicker Man (1973)
    Dr. Strangelove or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

    One of my favourite movies of all time.

    29. VIOLENCE INHERENT IN THE SYSTEM
    Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)
    A Clockwork Orange (1971)

    Easily the best of the Python movies and wonderfully multilayered in the satire. I still find things I’ve missed every time I’ve watched it.

    30. MEETINGS AT A STRANGE TIME
    Fight Club (1999)
    Forbidden Planet (1956)

    Really tough one, and I think if I was 20 years older the results would be different. But I grew up on what FB helped create, while FC was a unique new experience.

    31. IT’S A DIFFERENT CULTURE, JIM!
    Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1989)
    Pink Flamingos (1972)

    This film is still wonderfully insane, exploitative and for a 13 year old boy pre-internet, a defining bridge to manhood.

    32. WEIRD LOST CREATURES
    The Dark Crystal (1982)
    This is Spinal Tap (1984)

    It’s a great film, although I admit there’s a lot of overlap with ‘Bad News’, a Rik Maytel and Adian Edmundson production.

  15. Oh, I forgot about the Akira soundtrack. One of my all-time favorites (along with Koyaanisqatsi). Though I will admit that I also own the Better Off Dead soundtrack.

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