Cult films are not usually the first place you go when you're choosing a movie for a date night. You've got yourself pretty covered with a nice romantic comedy, or you could really amp up the class with a nice foreign film. But going right to final jeopardy with a cult film for a date night? That's just a recipe for disaster.
Still, for all of the inherent negativity that exists with cult films, sometimes attaining cult status can be the best thing that ever happened. Take, for instance, the rock band Europe. They wrote a song called "The Final Countdown" in the mid-80s. Nearly four decades later, this song is still a part of every New Year's Eve celebration, which means that this one song guaranteed them a gig somewhere on the planet forever. In some ways, cult status essentially keeps something alive far beyond its lifespan, and for the quirkiest of cult films, this means that in a theater somewhere, there is still life. Click over here
But a date night, though? Actually, it ends up being a pretty good fit. There's enough campiness to feel like a comedy, with enough heavy stuff to feel like a serious movie, and there's enough of a horror element to make it a scary movie. For couples who have a hard time choosing a movie for date night, a cult film might just be the ticket.
Here are five quirky cult films that should make your date night watch list:
Lost Boys - Filled with iconic 80s actors and having a story resting on family turmoil, comic books, and teenage vampire gangs, this movie is one wild ride. It's actually a pretty solid movie, and who doesn't love seeing Dianne Wiest as a lovable mom?
Rocky Horror Picture Show - Over four decades later people still pack theaters in full costume to watch sing every single frame of this movie. Think of it as a very twisted take on the Creation story you remember from Sunday school. Very twisted. You have to watch this at least once.
They Live - Put on some mysterious shades, and instead of basking in your coolness, you get a chance to see the world as it really is. As much as today's world goes on about the role of media and how it informs the masses, this movie is more relevant now than ever. Plus, if there were one person you'd want to uncover the conspiracies that plague our planet enslave humanity, it would be the late "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. This movie owns.
Night of the Living Dead - Yeah, it's a horror film, but it's not the undead that are the real monsters. A brazen look at society's dark side, and one of the truly chilling movies of the 20th century. Released in the late 1960s, it makes you wonder just how much things haven't changed.
Tucker and Dale vs Evil - Two sweet hillbillies just looking for some downtime at their fixer-upper vacation home are mistaken for murdering sociopaths by some college kids who were too quick to judge a book by its cover. Easily one of the more unique takes on the horror genre, and it is certainly one of the best comedies of the last decade.
Cult films are, in many ways, exactly what watching movies are all about. They're entertaining, thought-provoking, and artistic. And since so many fans of these movies refuse to let them die, they stand to live a very fruitful life for generations to come.
