Five lesser known cult movies everyone really needs to watch

There are many cult films out there that have become so popular they could be considered mainstream. Word has gotten around and the likes of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and The Goonies and Fight Club have become classics rather than underground hits.

Of course, there are still many out there that could be described as having a cult following, with a dedicated fan base seeing them as favourites, or better still the greatest film of all time. That’s why we decided to explore some of the better, but slightly under-the radar films everyone really should watch.

Quadrophenia

Fans of The Who will be well aware of Quadrophenia, the 1979 British movie based upon the album of the same name by the world-famous rock band.

The film features the music of the album throughout and follows Jimmy, a young man who escapes his dead-end job by living his life in the mod scene, staying up late, partying and battling rockers, but his life begins to spiral out of control. This coming-of-age story received rave reviews (in fact, the New York Times named it on its Best 1,000 Ever Movies list) but it never quite made it into the wider public consciousness. 

Rounders

Rounders should have been huge, and while it did find more popularity during the early 2000s as more people began to play poker and casino games at online providers, it remained popular mostly with gamblers.

Starring Matt Damon and Ed Norton very early in their career, it is one of the coolest gambling movies of all time and there continues to be demand for a second movie from some quarters of society. It may well be perfect timing too – there’s huge growth in online game play currently, and a new release or maybe even a re-release of Rounders would no doubt prove another underground hit.

The Sandlot

The Sandlot falls in the same category as The Goonies and Stand By Me, although it never got the same sort of praise and acclaim that those films did.

The movie follows a group of kids who hit a Babe Ruth-signed baseball over a fence and must set about figuring out how to get it back. There’s only one problem: the Beast.

It’s a fun movie, perfect for all the family, and has stood the test of time due to the simple concept that almost everyone can relate to. It’s packed with humour and guaranteed to put a smile on viewers’ faces.

The Long Good Friday

At the other end of the spectrum is The Long Good Friday, a gritty British gangster film of 1980 starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren.

Hoskins plays Harold Shand, a London gangster looking to redevelop the capital’s docks area with the help of the American mob – only someone’s out to destroy the deal.

The movie is hugely well-regarded, and has been noted as number 21 in the best British movies of all-time by the BFI. It’s believed it even received praise from the Kray twins!

The Warriors

Sticking with the gangster theme, The Warriors really is a cult classic that isn’t talked about as much as it should be these days. Available on a number of streaming services at present, it follows a Coney Island gang who have been wrongly accused of killing Cyrus, a respected gang leader who had gathered the city’s gangs for a citywide truce.

They must make their way back to Coney Island from Van Cortlandt Park with the police and rival gangs on their tail. But will they make it?

The editorial unit