"Cult" comes from the Latin word "cultus" (kul.tus). In Latin, "cultus" means worship or belief. “Cult” (cult), on the other hand, refers to the object of that act of worship (cultus). The act of worship can be directed toward a person, an idea, a work, or something else. The object of worship attains “cult” status and is described as a cult.

The Devils

Cult works or cult productions emerge when art lovers demonstrate an act of worship toward a given work. When a work is created, it may be produced in accordance with a specific movement, theory, approach, genre, or subgenre. However, a work is not created to be a cult classic—and even if it were, that does not mean the work is or will become one. The “cult” designation can only be applied to a work in relation to the reaction of art lovers who encounter it. For this reason, while a work’s movement, genre, or other classifications may be determined by the creator, the “cult” designation—which is treated as a category—is at the discretion of the art lover.

The “cult” designation is described as a “cult work” in the context of art. When describing a work within the various art disciplines, the term is specialized according to the discipline as “cult film,” “cult novel,” “cult book,” or “cult album.” “Cult production” is a term generally used in cinema and is synonymous with “cult film.”

Cult films are those that have garnered a devoted audience and, over time, have not only retained but also expanded that audience, while distinguishing themselves from the mainstream films of their era in terms of content and/or approach. Cult films transcend specific directors, genres, eras, and movements. For this reason, not all works classified under a particular movement, director, genre, era, etc., can be directly categorized as cult films.

Onibaba

Film genres and subgenres can also be included in the description of cult films. For example: cult horror movies , cult war movies , cult comedy movies, etc.

In the field of cinema, the concept of “cult” has gradually begun to shift away from its original meaning and take the place of the concepts of “good” or “the best.”

A Clockwork Orange

Just as with the definition of a cult film, the definition of a cult director is related to the behavior exhibited by the director’s followers, rather than the director themselves. Some of the directors generally classified as cult directors are listed below.

KültAlt is the most comprehensive Turkish-language resource for cult films. KültAlt features numerous cult film lists organized under various headings. When compiling these lists, great care is taken to ensure the highest possible level of film diversity. For this reason, content is created without being limited to auteur cinema, film genres, cinematic movements, or historical periods. As a result of this approach, even if a list is created within a specific scope, it includes enough films to cover the entire scope.

Below is a selection of the cult film lists available on KültAlt.