Cult classics take center stage at Rider University’s annual film symposium

For decades, cult classics like Harold and Maude, The Toxic Avenger and The Rocky Horror Picture Show have inspired intense devotion among fans. They may never have achieved blockbuster box-office receipts or widespread critical acclaim, but for films that have attained cult status, mainstream appeal isn’t really the point.

Cult films will be examined in depth during this year’s film symposium at Rider University on March 4 and 5. The two-day annual event includes screenings, presentations from professors and students, and a student film festival and screenwriting competition. This year’s highlighted events also include featured presentations by author Nick Dawson and filmmaker Lloyd Kaufman.

“Cult films hold a special place in people’s lives and in the broader culture,” says Dr. Cindy Lucia, director of Rider University's Film and Media Studies Program. “We’re very excited to explore some of the most iconic cult films in history.”

Nick Dawson is the author of Being Hal Ashby: Life of a Hollywood Rebel, the first biography of director Hal Ashby. Ashby directed several quintessential movies of the 1970s, including The Last Detail starring Jack Nicholson, Shampoo starring Warren Beatty and Being There starring Peter Sellers.

During his talk on March 4 at 6:30 p.m. in Rue Auditorium, Dawson will focus on Ashby's 1971 movie, Harold and Maude, a black comedy that emerged after its initial flop to serve as a touchstone for current filmmakers like Cameron Crowe and Wes Anderson. The film was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress's National Film Registry in 1997. Dawson provided the audio commentary for The Criterion Collection's 2012 re-issue of the movie on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Released in 1984, the low-budget, over-the-top Toxic Avenger quickly earned cult status. Lloyd Kaufman, who shared writing, producing and directing credits on the film, will discuss his beloved creation on March 5 at 6:30 p.m. in room 102 of the Science and Technology Center. The Toxic Avenger has spawned three sequels, a stage musical, cartoons and more.

Rider faculty and students are also planning several roundtable discussions that will touch on Rudy Ray Moore's Dolemite films, Pedro Almodóvar's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Jim Sharman's Rocky Horror Picture Show and other cult classics. Dr. Jay Stern, an assistant professor of communication who has made four feature films, will moderate a student film festival and screenwriting competition.

“When students first voted on cult classics as our symposium topic, we had a long and lively discussion attempting to define ‘cult’ in the first place,” Lucia says. “Part of our symposium is devoted to getting a grasp on the slippery term."

Lucia points out that the term is often associated with horror, but some comedies, like The Big Lebowski, are also included. While many cult films begin with critical derision, sometimes critically acclaimed films like Being There and Blue Velvet achieve cult status.

"Cult filmmakers like Lloyd Kaufman and Jess Franco pay self-conscious devotion to schlock, political incorrectness, campy send-ups and over-the-top cartoonish violence. How is their work both entertaining yet highly subversive?" Lucia says. "These are the kinds of questions we’re asking.”

Rider University's annual film symposium is presented by the Film and Media Studies Program. The symposium is free and open to the public. All March 4 events, as well as daytime events on March 5, take place in Rue Auditorium (Sweigart Hall 115) on Rider’s Lawrenceville campus. On March 5 at 6:30 p.m., Lloyd Kaufman will appear in Science and Technology 102 on the Lawrenceville Campus. More details, including a full schedule, are available at www.rider.edu/events/film-symposium.

Photo caption: Director Hal Ashby at work on his 1971 film Harold and Maude. Ashby biographer Nick Dawson will speak at Rider's annual film symposium on March 4.