No, Jim Jones isn’t fronting the concession stand. No, Charlie Manson isn’t the bathroom attendant drying off the hands of patrons. Certainly, Plymouth State University’s own professor Paul Rogalus isn’t adorned in robes uttering incantations. What is happening at The Flying Monkey however, is nothing short of fantastic and magical. The night of September 19th marked the first of what is hoped to be many Cult Movie Night events hosted at The Flying Monkey. The Cult Movies series will screen on a chosen Wednesday night at 6:30PM once a month, alongside monthly movie events on weekends.
For those wondering “What is a cult movie? What makes a cult movie?” A cult movie can be defined by its audience, a loyal and dedicated following who have more than likely watched the film hundreds of times within a period of time. Cult Films generally do not do well at the box office and it is after the fact they are resurrected by a group of diehard fans. Some cult movies have achieved the status of fame, most notably The Rocky Horror Picture Show whose fame was produced by its initial cult status. Most cult films however, stay underground and are praised amongst certain eccentric circles. Cult films certainly have a stereotype of being quirky, experimental, and utterly twisted garnering the film its select audience.
The first film to be screened under this series of events was 1984’s cult classic Repo Man directed by Alex Cox and starring Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton. Repo Man follows the path of Otto (Estevez), a brooding punk rocker who, after being fired from his lowly position as a grocery store clerk accidently stumbles his way in landing a job with the “Helping Hand Acceptance Corporation” a quaint little organization in the line of repossessing cars. Otto, encounters a young girl named Leila who in a panic, informs Otto of 1964 Chevy Malibu coming from New Mexico and the four alien bodies in the trunk come included at the owners risk!
At first the story sounds ridiculous, until the Malibu is being offered a $20,000 dollar reward sparking the interest of secret government officials, Leila, Otto, “The Helping Hands,” and a rival repo organization, The Rodriguez Brothers. The movie turns into a no-holds-barred competition for the vehicle which is being driven around by a mad scientist who stole the alien bodies from the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Repo Man has cited as being 7th greatest cult film of all time by Entertainment Weekly and rightly so. Repo Man‘s cult status success is apparent through its quirky hilarious narrative, effects so low budget it would make Ed Wood proud, and its hat tip toward the punk rock culture of the 80’s. The soundtrack features iconic punk legends as Iggy Pop (who wrote the theme), Black Flag, The Circle Jerks, and Suicidal Tendencies.
Paul Rogalus, a professor of the University’s English department is the man behind the curtain for The Flying Monkey’s new installment. Rogalus is a man who loves the art of a good film and is renowned for teaching nearly all classes attributed to film within the English Department. Rogalus has hinted at future cult movies screening this fall will include Harold and Maude andKubrick’s classic A Clockwork Orange. For those who know Rogalus it is safe to assume it is only a matter of time before we’ll be seeing Pulp Fiction on The Flying Monkey’s silver screen. The next film playing in Rogalus’ Cult Movie series is Harold and Maude on October 17th at 6:30 PM. Show up and support your Cult Movies.