"There's probably a classier metaphor I could use to describe the feeling you get when you realize you're watching a real midnight movie and not some cheap imitation. And yet, like the famous censorship decision passed down by the 1964 U.S. Supreme Court - a notoriously feckless group that was somehow still more fun than our current justice system - I must say, "I know it when I see it.""
"From the ever-growing list of "genre" and "midnight" shorts competitions on the festival circuit, to the awe-inspiring grassroots campaigns that have followed feature indie triumphs like Mike Cheslik's "Hundreds of Beavers," bawdy counterculture has managed to stay explosive and hopeful even over the toughest times this year. More entertainers are pushing the envelope to match the extreme feel of daily life, and Hollywood's top decision-makers are taking note of a trend IndieWire's Dana Harris-Bridson is already reporting."
A midnight movie is defined by an authentic cult response rather than by a screening time. Cult films form when audiences participate and films reflect communal rituals and social scenes. Festival "genre" and "midnight" competitions and grassroots campaigns help sustain countercultural cinema through difficult periods. Entertainers are pushing boundaries to mirror extreme daily life, and industry decision-makers are noticing shifting audience behaviors. Filmmakers’ timing and audience-building strategies can be as crucial as distribution choices, and staging a midnight screening alone does not automatically create a cult classic.
Read at IndieWire
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