Subgenre Sampler
Cult > Independent: 75 Films to Buy & Rent
- Mega Time Squad (2018)
- Dir. Tim van Dammen
Feat. Anton Tennet, Jonathan Brugh, Milo Cawthorne…
- Ingenious low–budget sci–fi comedy set in the tiny North Island town of Thames, New Zealand in which a small–town criminal finds an…
- Spaghettiman (Spaghetti Man) (2016)
- Dir. Mark Potts
Feat. Benjamin Crutcher, Winston Carter
- An absurdist, no–budget superhero spoof centred around a cynical super–slacker whose microwave mishap inadvertently turns him into a man…
- This Giant Papier-Mache Boulder Is Actually Really Heavy (This Giant Paper Mache Boulder Is Actually Really Heavy) (2016)
- Dir. Christian Nicolson
Feat. Christian Nicolson, Daniel Pujol
- Three nerds are inexplicably plunged into a B–grade sci–fi movie where they must comandeer a rickety old spaceship and find a way to…
- Cheap Thrills (2013)
- Dir. E.L. Katz
Feat. Pat Healy, Ethan Embry, Sara Paxton…
- A devilishly effective black comedy about a pair of old friends who enter into an increasingly bloody game of one–upmanship with a wealthy…
- Computer Chess (2013)
- Dir. Andrew Bujalski
Feat. Kriss Schludermann, Tom Fletcher, Wiley Wiggins
- Mumblecore maestro Andrew Bujalski directs this left–of–field mockumentary, shot on low–fi video, about a surreal chess tournament…
- Magic Magic (2013)
- Dir. Sebastián Silva
Feat. Juno Temple, Michael Cera, Emily Browning…
- This bizarre head trip from Chilean dir. Sebastián Silva (THE MAID) has its bewitching moments despite descending into madness. The film follows a…
- Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2010)
- Dir. James Nguyen
Feat. Alan Bagh, Whitney Moore
- Shoe–string trash homage to Hitchcock's THE BIRDS that follows a romantic couple whose small town that is attacked by birds.…
- Mister Lonely (2008)
- Dir. Harmony Korine
Feat. Samantha Morton, Diego Luna, Werner Herzog
- Surreal drama from the king of skewed cinema Harmony Korine (GUMMO) following two parallel plots about identity: a couple of celeb impersonators…
- Scanner Darkly, A (2006)
- Dir. Richard Linklater
Feat. Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jnr., Woody Harrelson…
- Richard Linklater’s latest ‘rotoscope’ animation adapts Philip K. Dick's sci–fi novel into a dystopian proxy for the near future, where…
- 9 Songs (Nine Songs) (2004)
- Dir. Michael Winterbottom
Feat. Margo Stilley, Kieran O'Brien
- A controversially explicit sex'n'rock'n' roll drama about two stray souls – an American student and a British bloke – who over a year…
- Keane (2004)
- Dir. Lodge Kerrigan
Feat. Damian Lewis, Abigail Breslin, Amy Ryan
- A powerful and unnerving feat of ‘mental’ endurance, dir. Kerrigan’s follow–up to the equally unsettling CLEAN, SHAVEN plunges the viewer…
- American Splendor (2003)
- Dir. Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Feat. Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis
- An ambitious celebration of the life of cult US comic–writer Harvey Pekar, told in a quilt–work of monologue, biopic, autobiography and…
- Brown Bunny, The (2003)
- Dir. Vincent Gallo
Feat. Vincent Gallo, Chloe Sevigny
- Notoriously egocentric gem from Vincent Gallo, who stars, directs, writes, shoots, edits and produces an intriguingly desultry road–trip across…
- Cowards Bend the Knee (2003)
- Dir. Guy Maddin
- A true original of contemporary cinema, dir. Guy Maddin here imparts the strange tale of a hockey player beset by monstrous desires, hinging in…
- Haggard (2003)
- Dir. Bam Margera
Feat. Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Brandon DiCamillo…
- Spinoff feature from the creators of JACKASS mostly dispenses with the stuntwork and prankery, substituting plot and comic routines.
Dunn is…
- Masked and Anonymous (2003)
- Dir. Larry Charles
Feat. Jeff Bridges, Penelope Cruz, Bob Dylan…
- In a near–apocalyptic future America, a popular singer (Bob Dylan) sets out on a nationwide tour to revive his career before heading into a…
- Zero Day (2003)
- Dir. Ben Coccio
Feat. Andre Keuck, Calvin Robertson
- A confronting, fictionalized insight into the nihilistic mind–set of two alienated students who plotted and carried out a violent massacre at…
- Spun (2002)
- Dir. Jonas Akerlund
Feat. Jason Schwartzman, Brittany Murphy, John Leguizamo…
- A cinematically exhilarating depiction of existence among a group of methamphetamine (P) addicts in Los Angeles, that is sure to divide audiences as…
- American Astronaut, The (2001)
- Dir. Cory McAbee
Feat. Cory McAbee
- Wobbling unusually between satire, male angst and experimental derring–do, this slice of outer orbit cinema is set in a grungy future existence…
- Waking Life (2001)
- Dir. Richard Linklater
Feat. Wiley Wiggins
- A luminous, visually unique reprise of dir. Linklater’s SLACKER, whereby a lone protagonist (Wiley Wiggins) wanders the streets of Austin, Texas…
- Believer, The (2000)
- Dir. Henry Bean
Feat. Ryan Gosling, Summer Phoenix, Theresa Russell…
- The darker side of Jewish identity is examined in this risky, provocative drama about a disillusioned young man who tries to reconcile his repressed…
- Dogma (1999)
- Dir. Kevin Smith
Feat. Kevin Smith, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck…
- Eccentric meditation on Roman Catholicism in a modern–day context from writer/director Kevin Smith (CHASING AMY), that's just as bizarre as it…
- Acid House, The (1998)
- Dir. Paul McGuigan
Feat. Stephen McCole, Maurice Roeves, Garry Sweeney
- Those with a taste for undiluted Irvine Welsh (author of TRAINSPOTTING) will find warts–and–all satisfaction in this portmanteau of three…
- Buffalo 66 (1998)
- Dir. Vincent Gallo
Feat. Vincent Gallo, Christina Ricci, Ben Gazzara…
- Released from prison after doing someone else's time, an embittered yet benign loner sets about evening the score, but not before kidnapping a sweet…
- Gummo (1998)
- Dir. Harmony Korine
Feat. Chloe Sevigny
- The writer of KIDS turns the camera on his hometown, Xenia, Ohio, selectively seeking out the disenfranchised, the bored and the ugly to distinctive…
- Happiness (1998)
- Dir. Todd Solondz
Feat. Lara Flynn Boyle, Dylan Baker, Philip Seymour Hoffman…
- Controversial is the byword for this disturbing trawl through the sad–case lives of various American suburbanites and their families (Lara…
- Pi (1998)
- Dir. Darren Aronofsky
Feat. Sean Gullette
- Super–inventive, grungy portrait of a maths genius who slides into a maelstrom of paranoia as he get closer to 'cracking the code' that may or…
- Freeway (1996)
- Dir. Matthew Bright
Feat. Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Sutherland
- Grim white trash road–movie black comedy made of The Brothers' Grimm's "Little Red Riding Hood" sends young Reese Witherspoon on a lost highway…
- God's Lonely Man (1996)
- Dir. Francis Von Zerneck
Feat. Michael Wyle, Jamie Walters
- The story of St. Francis of Assisi is loosely transposed to the underbelly of modern LA – a redemption–seeking nervous loner befriends a…
- Trainspotting (1996)
- Dir. Danny Boyle
Feat. Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller…
- The creators of SHALLOW GRAVE reinvigorate the British film industry by transforming an obscure cult novel about heroine addicts into a…
- Doom Generation, The (1995)
- Dir. Gregg Araki
Feat. James Duval, Rose McGowan, Johnathon Schaech
- The boundaries of good taste are demolished in this white–trash road movie obsessed with teenage sex and scatology. The joke turns cruel in the…
- Kids (1995)
- Dir. Larry Clark
Feat. Leo Fitzpatrick, Sarah Henderson, Justin Pierce…
- Cult photographer Larry Clark's debut, 24hrs of New York streetkid life, attracted immediate controversy. The unblinking depictions of sex, drugs and…
- Boy Meets Girl (1994)
- Dir. Ray Brady
Feat. Tim Poole, Danielle Sanderson, Margot Steinberg
- For many years banned in the UK on video at least, this abrasive, low–budget drama plays out the wilfully unpleasant scenario of a man who gets…
- Clean, Shaven (1993)
- Dir. Lodge Kerrigan
Feat. Peter Greene
- Cult actor Peter Green followed his great work in LAWS OF GRAVITY with this difficult but startling independent feature as a violent schizophrenic…
- Bad Lieutenant (1992)
- Dir. Abel Ferrara
Feat. Harvey Keitel
- Deeply disturbing character study of a bent cop that Harvey Keitel goes off the method deep–end to authenticate. An addiction to smack and…
- Careful (1992)
- Dir. Guy Maddin
Feat. Kyle McCulloch, Gosia Dobrowolska, Paul Cox
- Iconoclast film–maker Guy Maddin’s dreamlike tale of repression and disorder, set in an alpine village where rigidly studious young men…
- Slacker (1992)
- Dir. Richard Linklater
Feat. Richard Linklater
- A hugely original and influential film that virtually coined the phrase for young aimless academics of the 1990s. Essentially plotless, it is…
- Adjuster, The (1991)
- Dir. Atom Egoyan
Feat. Elias Koteas, Arsinee Khanjian, Maury Chaykin
- Eliptical and seductive fifth feature from one of cinema's most original talents. Two 'adjusters' – an insurance assessor, and his wife, a film…
- Barton Fink (1991)
- Dir. Joel Coen
Feat. John Turturro, John Goodman, Judy Davis
- The Coen Bros' striking if enigmatic account of a brilliant scribe hampered with writer's block and a strange hotel companion in mid 1940s Hollywood.…
- Johnny Suede (1991)
- Dir. Tom DiCillo
Feat. Brad Pitt, Nick Cave
- Brad Pitt is priceless as a naive, super–quiffed romantic who dreams of basking in the limelight of rock idoldom. This small gem underscores…
- Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
- Dir. Gus Van Sant
Feat. Matt Dillon, Kelly Lynch, Heather Graham…
- A stylised yet vivid journey into the lives of a group of sympathetic, drug–addicted youths in the early '70s.
A high point in the career…
- Roadkill (1989)
- Dir. Bruce McDonald
Feat. Valerie Buhagiar, Don McKellar
- This first road movie from dir. Bruce McDonald (HIGHWAY 61) is possessed of a naive charm and raw energy that characterizes many of the best indie…
- Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
- Dir. Shinya Tsukamoto
Feat. Tomorowo Taguchi, Kei Fujiwara
- Mind–blowing cyberpunk tour–de–force that sandwiches enough visuals to fill three movies into its sweat–breaking 67 minutes.…
- Down by Law (1988)
- Dir. Jim Jarmusch
Feat. Tom Waits, Roberto Benigni, John Lurie
- Three disparate misfits become friends after sharing an escape from a crummy Southern jail. Art and humour rarely mix better than in this eccentric…
- Heat and Sunlight (1988)
- Dir. Rob Nilsson
Feat. Rob Nilsson, Consuela Faust
- This film documents the final, agonising hours of a love affair between a man and his exotic dancer girlfirend. An intriguing, erotic oddity with…
- Bad Taste (1987)
- Dir. Peter Jackson
Feat. Peter Jackson
- New Zealand's entry into the splatter comedy genre, shot on consecutive Sundays over a four year period, is among the best ever made. Outrageously…
- Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1987)
- Dir. John McNaughton
Feat. Michael Rooker, Tom Towles
- Theatrically banned, this uncut version ranks as one of the more unsettling works ever committed to film. In short, a low–budget masterpiece…
- River's Edge (1986)
- Dir. Tim Hunter
Feat. Crispin Glover, Keanu Reeves, Ione Skye…
- Terrifying drama about a group of school friends who discover that one of them has murdered a classmate. Major cult film from the '80s with its lurid…
- Screamplay (1986)
- Dir. Rufus Butler Seder
Feat. George Kuchar, Katy Bolger
- Tacky amusement can be found in this midnight flick about a splatter movie writer whose nightmare visions become frighteningly real!
- Loveless, The (1981)
- Dir. Kathryn Bigelow, Monty Montgomery
Feat. Willem Dafoe, Robert Gordon, Marin Kanter
- A brooding, fetishised love–letter to the motorcycle movies of the 1950s (THE WILD ONE et al), with a bike gang having a troubled interlude in…
- Madame Wang's (1981)
- Dir. Paul Morrissey
Feat. Virginia Bruce
- Latterday Morrissey/Warhol production set around the politico–erotic misadventures of a German lad who stows away to New York City. Features…
- Falls, The (1980)
- Dir. Peter Greenaway
Feat. Peter Westley, Aad Wirtz, Michael Murray
- One of dir. Greenaway's more trenchantly avant–garde works (think 'A Walk Though H' crossed with DROWNING BY NUMBERS), expanding his riddling…
- Desperate Living (1977)
- Dir. John Waters
Feat. Liz Renay, Mink Stole, Edith Massey
- The third in John Waters' unholy trilogy again succeeds in his aim to simultaneously shock and incite hysterics. No Divine this time, but Liz Renay,…
- Opening Night (1977)
- Dir. John Cassavetes
Feat. John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara
- Intermittently fascinating, semi–improvised opus from Cassavetes (who also stars), about an aging actress (Gena Rowlands) who suffers a…
- Killing of a Chinese Bookie, The (1976)
- Dir. John Cassavetes
Feat. Ben Gazzara
- Cassavetes' most personal film concerns a strip–club owner (Ben Gazzara) who becomes indebted to the mob. An acquired taste for this one as…
- Cars That Ate Paris, The (1974)
- Dir. Peter Weir
Feat. Terry Camilleri, John Meillon
- This no–budget wonder marked the auspicious debut of Peter Weir. It's a delirious black comedy in which an outback community ambush passing…
- Heat (1972)
- Dir. Paul Morrissey
Feat. Sylvia Miles, Joe Dallesandro
- A great trash drama, this is the most polished production of all the Warhol–esqe features, with a bravura performance from Sylvia Miles. It's…
- Pink Flamingos (1971)
- Dir. John Waters
Feat. Divine, Mink Stole, Edith Massey…
- John Waters' creative pinnacle (or nadir!) remains the ultimate statement in bad taste – a pure, unadulterated exercise in shock value!…
- Women in Revolt (1971)
- Dir. Paul Morrissey
Feat. Candy Darling, Holly Woodlawn, Jackie Curtis
- Aspiring 'stars' Candy Darling and Holly Woodlawn try their hand at breaking into Hollywood, but end up joining a womens' rights group. Warhol…
- Hi Mom! (1970)
- Dir. Brian De Palma
Feat. Robert De Niro, Charles Durning, Allen Garfield…
- One of dir. De Palma's underrated early satires is loosely a sequel to 'Greetings', with Robert De Niro returning from the Vietnam War to try and…
- Honeymoon Killers, The (1970)
- Dir. Leonard Kastle
Feat. Shirley Stoler, Tony Lo Bianco
- Fascinating, tabloid tale of the 'lonely hearts' murderers of the 40's and 50's. Grimly realistic, ultimately tragic story of obsessive love and…
- Trash (1970)
- Dir. Paul Morrissey
Feat. Joe Dallesandro, Holly Woodlawn
- Only the inimitable Joe Dallesandro could play a drug–addicted loser with a sex problem and still come off cool. Holly Woodlawn and other…
- Wanda (1970)
- Dir. Barbara Loden
Feat. Barbara Loden, Michael Higgins
- The sole writing/directing credit of Barbara Loden, whose command of verite storytelling is matched by her own astonishing performance as a feckless…
- Kenneth Anger's Magick Lantern Cycle Vol. 4 (1969-1980)
- Dir. Kenneth Anger
- Underground film–maker Kenneth Anger manifests his dark artistic vision in two shorts that almost defy description.
"Lucifer Rising"…
- Plot Against Harry, The (1969)
- Dir. Michael Roemer
Feat. Harry Plotnik
- Repentent racketeer Harry Plotnik is released from jail, but his plans to go legit in New York's Jewish community become inadvertently thwarted by…
- Wedding Party, The (1969)
- Dir. Cynthia Monroe, Brian De Palma, Wilford Leach
Feat. Jill Clayburgh, Robert De Niro
- Brian De Palma collaborated with others to make this while still at college in 1963. Improvised film details the sparring between a couple before…
- Faces (1968)
- Dir. John Cassavetes
Feat. John Marley, Gena Rowlands, Lynn Carlin
- A marriage in crisis lurches into a downward spiral of drunkeness and desperate affairs. The dishevelled honesty and stark camerawork may not suit…
- Flesh (1968)
- Dir. Paul Morrissey
Feat. Joe Dallesandro
- A product of the Andy Warhol factory in which trash icon Joe Dallesandro hustles his way through a series of (homo)sexual encounters.…
- Color Me Lurid (1966)
- Dir. George Kuchar
- A sampler of six of the kitschest and coolest short films from the weird mind of George Kuchar. Fans of John Waters' work will be delighted and…
- Spider Baby (1964)
- Dir. Jack Hill
Feat. Lon Jr. Chaney
- More of a twisted black comedy than a traditional horror flick – a threesome of child monsters and their ‘uncle’ rabidly protect their rural…
- John Cassavetes Collection Boxset (Shadows, Faces, A Woman Under the Influence, Killing of a Chinese Bookie, Opening Night) (1959-1977)
- Dir. John Cassavetes
- Five–film anthology of John Cassavetes' groundbreaking independent cinema. Includes Charles Kiselyak's lengthy documentary on Cassavetes, A…
- Shadows (1959)
- Dir. John Cassavetes
Feat. Lelia Goldoni
- Cassavetes' influential debut explores inter–racial relationships with improvised dialogue, gitanes, ray–bans and Charlie Mingus…
- Kenneth Anger's Magick Lantern Cycle Vol. 2 (1954)
- Dir. Kenneth Anger
- Features "Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome" (1954), a depiction of an imaginative world of gods invoked and controlled by the untamed desires of…
- Kenneth Anger's Magick Lantern Cycle Vol. 3 (1949-1965)
- Dir. Kenneth Anger
- Three more shorts from Mssr. Anger, including "Kustom Kar Kommando" (1965), "Puce Moments" (1949), and his most famous and controversial work,…
- Kenneth Anger's Magick Lantern Cycle Vol. 1 (1947-1953)
- Dir. Kenneth Anger
- The first of a four–part compendium of shorts from the American iconoclast: 'Fireworks' (1947), made at the tender age of 15, 'Rabbit's Moon'…