Some movies become classics because they’re well told, beautifully made or because they capture an important moment in time. And some movies become classics because their fans, for whatever and sometimes unknowable reasons, decide to love them with a passion that’s usually reserved for Rihanna and Beyoncé.
There’s no other criteria for becoming a cult classic movie, and most of them have nothing in common. Sometimes they have a big reveal or a shocking twist that people can’t stop talking about. (Or refuse to talk about ala Fight Club.) Sometimes a quote from the movie worms its way into our vocabulary (“Is butter a carb?”) and some inspire countless memes that keep their legacy alive.
No offence to the Oscar winners, but this camp is where my true movie tastes lie.
In celebration of “so bad they’re good” movies and the people who love to hate them (or should that be “hate to love them”?), we’ve rounded up the best cult classic movies you can stream right now on Prime Video.
Morbius
When Jared Leto’s vampire superhero flick was released in cinemas, Morbius memes dominated the internet for weeks. The Morbius madness was so fervent that Sony even re-released it in cinemas. Morbius is the quintessential cult movie: its audience loves it, but that love isn’t because of, or is in direct opposition to, the quality of its script or performances.
Mean Girls
Is there a woman aged between 18 and 40 who isn’t obsessed with Mean Girls? Tina Fey’s teen comedy stars Lindsay Lohan as new girl Cady, who starts at North Shore High School and is quickly taken in by the Plastics, a group of popular girls played ICONICALLY by Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert.
Mean Girls is probably best known for quotes like “On Wednesdays, we wear pink,” “Boo, you whore,” and “She doesn’t even go here!” which you’ve no doubt heard someone drop in conversation at least 87 times.
Legally Blonde
Another genuinely good cult classic movie, Legally Blonde subverts the dumb blonde trope by dropping blonde bombshell Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) into Harvard Law School to get revenge on a man who dumped her for not being “serious” enough. She soon learns she’s actually quite good at this and uses her knowledge about beauty and fashion to represent a woman who’s been wrongfully accused in a murder case.
If you need further encouragement, Legally Blonde also stars Jennifer Coolidge, Selma Blair, Luke Wilson, Holland Taylor and Linda Cardellini and is the originator of the Bend and Snap.
Fifty Shades of Grey
What can be said here that hasn’t already been said about Fifty Shades of Grey, besides that it’s streaming now on Prime Video.
Okay, here’s a little bit more for you… Dakota Johnson stars as Anastasia Steele, an aspiring writer who begins a sadomasochistic relationship with the devilishly handsome Christian Grey, played by Jamie Dornan.
The Lobster
The Lobster is beloved by a small (but growing) audience who are familiar with director Yorgos Lanthimos’ work. Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Olivia Colman and John C. Reilly star in this absurdist satire of modern relationships, where single people have 45 days to find a lifelong partner or risk being turned into an animal.
Fight Club
In honour of the first rule of fight club (you don’t talk about fight club) I’ll keep this brief. Brad Pitt and Edward Norton star in David Fincher’s Fight Club about a mild-mannered office worker who forms a club where men, dissatisfied with their mundane lives, fistfight each other for cathartic release. Come for Brad Pitt, stay for the twists and turns.
Bridesmaids
Kristen Wiig. Maya Rudolph. Rose Byrne. Melissa McCarthy. Bridesmaids was THE MOMENT when it came out in 2011, and its whip smart jokes and deadpan moments of absurdity hold up today. It follows Annie, a 30-something woman whose life has fallen spectacularly short of where she thought it would. When Annie becomes the maid of honour in her best friend Lillian’s wedding party, she clashes with the rich and snobby bridesmaid Helen, and the pair engage in a fierce, passive aggressive battle for Lillian’s affection.
Heathers
In one of her first roles, Winona Ryder plays Veronica Sawyer, a girl in the popular group at her high school alongside three girls who all share the first name Heather. When Veronica has enough of the Heathers’ schoolyard reign of terror, she teams up with an outcast new kid to humiliate them, ruining their reputation. But their plan takes a dark turn in this iconic teen black comedy.
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