One of the most prominent victims of remakes is the cult classic, a niche of film that has survived by the sheer weight of its obscurity, thriving off midnight retrospect and obsessive fandom. It’s a type of genre that remains more often unseen from the mainstream light, slowly building a reputation for its camp, its atypical narration and structure, or its completely bonkers approach to storytelling. Names like Ed Wood, Herschel Gordon Lewis and Jean Rollin are synonymous with the cult status, often breaking ground in subject matter, merging avant-garde aesthetics with a more liberated sensibility.
Remaking a cult classic can, and should be, a delicate process, one that takes into consideration the ardent fan base of the original and the mainstream adoration it may inspire. An unsuccessful remake has the potential to shed light on its predecessor and expand its cult appeal, while a successful remake stands on its own as an original take on an old product.
As Flatliners arrives this weekend, apparently a sequel rather than a remake of the memorable cult original, we present five cult classics that could well stand the test of time…