Option 1: In Mathijs and Sexton’ Cult Cinema, the authors argue, “If we look beyond lists, definitions of cult cinema come in four contexts: sociological studies, reception studies, textual interpretations, and aesthetic analyses” (6). Selecting a single film of interest as a starting point, center your research on at least two of the four (closely related) contexts. (Sociological and reception studies tend toward research-oriented—reception studies requiring, for example, analysis of diverse reviews—while textual interpretations and aesthetic analyses lean to “close reading.”)
Your film selection can be either historical or contemporary. Since the project requires more than a single viewing of the selected film, your ability to easily access the film should be taken into consideration when you make your filmic selection. In addition, recall that at the end of the term you will present your project to your classmates; therefore, take into further consideration how your written work might be presented visually.
For starters, a selected list of cult films, categorized (with some overlap), is provided below. The Index in Cult Cinema provides hundreds of additional titles.