50 Greatest Cult Movie Moments

Point Break (1991)

The Moment: Keanu and Gary Busey raid a house full of gun-toting crims in one of this uber-camp actioner’s most frenetic set-pieces.

Coolest Element: The tension generated here is not to be underestimated, particularly when the lawnmower comes into play.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

The Moment: The dinner scene, in which Marilyn Burns’ luckless victim realises the true horror of her predicament.

Coolest Element:
The macabre comedy of watching the desiccated grandfather try and fail to bash her head in.

Dead Heat (1988)

The Moment: A gloriously messy body-melt scene in which a lovely lady becomes a puddle of steaming goo in a matter of seconds.

Coolest Element: Treat Williams’ reaction to the whole thing is priceless. He looks annoyed as much as anything.

Mulholland Drive (2001)

The Moment: The sudden shocking appearance of the dream-stalking figure by the dumpsters behind the diner. Yikes!

Coolest Element:
You more or less know what’s coming, and yet when the nightmare is made flesh, it’s still enough to scare the life out of the audience.

Harold And Maude (1971)

The Moment: Maude’s rendition of If You Want To Sing Out Sing Out . Young at heart, our Maude…

Coolest Element:
Say what you like about the relationship at the core of the movie, there’s something irresistibly exuberant about this scene.

Re-Animator (1985)

The Moment: A supremely depraved moment in which the headless Dr. Hill gets very creepy indeed with a helpless female scientist.

Coolest Element: It takes the traditional trope of the damsel in distress menaced by a horrifying monster, and puts a horrifying new spin on it.

Army Of Darkness (1992)

The Moment: Ash attempts to destroy the Necronomicon, before realising he’s forgotten the magic words he’s supposed to recite…

Coolest Element: Bruce Campbell’s superb comedic performance as he attempts to con the Book of the Dead by muffling his words.

The Room (2003)

The Moment: The entire rooftop conversation, in which Tommy Wiseau shows off his natural talent for mangling even the most cursory dialogue.

Coolest Element: Every second of this scene, and indeed of the film as a whole, has to be seen to be believed. It’s not known as the best worst movie for nothing…

Pink Flamingos (1972)

The Moment: One of the most infamous scenes in cinematic history, as Divine chows down on a dog turd. For real.

Coolest Element: It may not be “cool” per se, but there’s no denying it’s iconic.

Rushmore (1998)

The Moment: The final curtain quite literally falls at the close of Rushmore , with Max and Miss Cross sharing a slow-motion boogie on the dancefloor before it does.

Coolest Element: The use of Ooh La La by the Faces is one of Wes Anderson’s most apposite musical choices, as Max dances to the lyrics “I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger.”

George Wales

George was once GamesRadar's resident movie news person, based out of London. He understands that all men must die, but he'd rather not think about it. But now he's working at Stylist Magazine.