Another semester is at its close. As crazy as this year has been, I’m grateful I was able to take Cult Film this semester. Film classes have always been the highlight of my courses, and I am glad I got to participate in one last class before graduating. And now it is time for the mega blog.

I’d like to begin by discussing our last screening, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. This was my favorite screening of the semester, right above Carnival of Souls. But I didn’t like it initially. The slow pacing was jarring, in the beginning. I was also distracted at home and kept pausing the film, which dragged it out longer. However, after finishing the film I realized the pacing was brilliant. Especially during the Manson Family scene. The slow, creepy build up was realistic horror. No monster jumping out of a shed with a chainsaw, just a bunch of mind washed freaks waiting for Cliff to make one wrong move. I found myself really getting invested in the characters. While I can’t imagine anyone beating Bruce Lee (seriously, Bruce Lee?!), I loved watching Cliff in ever fight. It also helped that, even if he was suspected for killing his wife, the audience never sees an ‘evil’ side of Cliff. He turns down an under-aged hippie’s sexual advances, checks in on an old friend in fear that he is being taken advantaged of, loves his dog, and cares for his celebrity friend. It’s hard not to like Cliff…even after he and his dog kill two people on screen.

I also really enjoyed DiCaprio’s character, Rick Dalton. While I didn’t care so much about his struggles in the beginning, watching his scene with the young actress really made me feel for the guy. Again, the audience is able to love him because we don’t see any fault in him—he looks out for his best friend/employee, he’s nice to little girls, he’s polite to everyone he meets. Its also important to note how great both Dicaprio and Pitt were in their performances.  Even I noticed how great the acting was in this film, from the leads to the secondary characters. Everyone gave their all, and you can see it.

But how can we talk about Once Upon a Time in Hollywood without discussing that ending? Because…damn. What a finale. Again, I had to sit and think about how I felt about it after watching the final scene. The Manson murders are one of the most infamous cases in America history, and just seeing those scenes of Sharon going about her daily life made me tear up. When the film stared narrating the events up until the Manson murder, I was bracing myself for a worst. So I was completely taken about when the psycho hippies changed their plans. Yet, that decision felt realistic, after their confrontation with Rick. At first, I wondered if this re-imagining was disrespectful to the victums. However the film is not mocking the Manson Murders, but the murderers themselves. Watching Cliff, tripping on acid, kick the ever living shit out of those monsters was something I did not know I needed in my life. Also, love that dog. Go Brandy go! But man, what a brutal scene. I want to meet the make up artists for this film, they deserve an award for those effects. I almost gagged several times just listening to Cliff bash that girl’s head in. So gross…but not as disturbing as the actual Manson Murders. Even Rick’s new wife got in a good shot at the criminals. Never mess with an Italian.

The last scene, with Rick being invited into Sharon’s home, really got to me. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is not an insult to Manson’s victims, but a mockery of Manson and his zealot followers. If only Rick and Cliff were real. If only Sharon, Jay, Wojciech, and Abigail had survived. This film isn’t about Manson—its about the heroes who manage to stop him in this alternate world.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a new cult classic that I can’t wait to share with my family. But what is a cult film? As we’ve learned, cult cinema is a unique branch of film that centers around the audience’s ‘worship’ of a particular movie. Cult film fans enjoy films that are either unknown in mainstream society, or down right rejected by the mainstream. And yet, that is what makes these films so loved. To love something that everyone else looks down on makes you unique, makes you and those like you stand apart from the mundane tastes of everyone else. There is very much an ‘us vs them’ mind set with cult film. Either you love the disgustingness of Pink Flamingos and consider it a film like no other, or you label it a bad movie and try to never to think of it again.

But what draws the audience in? Often, it is the films ability to show something taboo. Midnight features and Grindhouse Theaters gained fame for their showings of movies that other theaters felt were too risky to show anywhere else. That’s exactly where Rock Horror Picture Show gained its cult audience, resulting in their active participation of the film. Some fans would even act out the scenes in theaters during the showings. Pink Flamingos is once again a great example of a cult film, in that audiences today still see it as the most disgusting film ever made, which was its intended purpose. Some films are considered cult because of how under rated they are by the main stream. Carnival of Souls is a wonderfully unsettling film that, for some reason, many people have not watched. Herk Harvey, who wrote, directed, produced, and even starred in the film, had an initial budget of only $17,000. He was only able to create the film thanks to help of local businessmen and his friends, who pitched in by either making donations or starring in the film.  Some cult films gain recognition for standing above others in their genre. Blacula, a blaxsploation film about an African prince turned blood sucking anti-hero has one of the best actors starring as its lead, William Marshall. While Blacula could have just been another quick cash grab for black audiences, Marshall made this film fantastic in the seriousness he took in his roll. It didn’t hurt that Mamuwalde got to take out a couple of L.A cops in the final fight either. Blacula became so much more than an exploitation film thanks to dignity and suave Marshall brought to the story and characters, making Mamuwalde a heroic black icon.

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Perhaps a cult film is all about nostalgia. While we watched no less than three rock and roll cult films, my favorite was Dazed and Confused. Made in the 90s, this film gives a realist take on the last day of school for 1970s teenagers. With such a large cast of characters, its easy to find at least one relatable. In contrast, Sid and Nancy was a tough film to get through. While one of my least favorite films this semester, I respect the film’s brutal honesty in its portray of these two infamous individuals. My main issue with the film was how hard it was to understand the characters. Their accents were incredibly difficult to understand, and that’s without their constant swearing and slurred speech when on drugs.

My only recommendation for this class would be to pick one rock-and-roll film. I enjoyed Detroit Rock City, but between all three of these rock films, Dazed and Confused stands out as the most memorable. Surpiria and Valerie’s Week of Wonders were great when showed back to back, and are a must see for the course. While I wasn’t in love with Matinee, I did enjoy the story after watching Sid and Nancy. Instead of three or two rock films, maybe show Night of the Living Dead, or Rock Horror Picture Show. When I think cult film, I thing Rocky Horror, so I was a bit surprised that we didn’t watch it. Then again, Rocky Horror has become more mainstream in recent years.

Lastly, I want to say how much I enjoyed the presentations. Seeing everyone talk about their own cult films was really enjoyable. Special shout to Trolls 2 and Back to the Future—I remember those two presentations the most. You gave us a lot of freedom in this class, Dr. Schlegel, and I greatly appreciate that. I’m glad I got to take as many classes as I did with you. You are one of the professors I am going to remember and miss after graduating.

Take care everyone. Stay alive, stay safe, and have a great summer.