Ted Raimi and Joe Bob Briggs in Survival of the Film Freaks

Ted Raimi and Joe Bob Briggs appear in Bill Fulkerson and Kyle Kuchta’s documentary, Survival of the Film Freaks. This movie addresses the ways that cult films are affected by advancements in technology.

Ted Raimi and Joe Bob Briggs were very familiar faces in the 90’s. Of course, Raimi appeared in such cult friendly vehicles as Twin Peaks, Lunatics: A Love Story, Darkman, Candyman and Army of Darkness.

Joe Bob was the host of the Drive-In Theater and the wildly popular Monstervision. Both shows routinely reviewed cult movies.

In this documentary, written and directed by Bill Fulkerson and Kyle Kuchta examines how the ways to distribute entertainment on multiple platforms affects how audiences react to films. Joe Bob hits the nail on the head when he remarks, “Who would have said five years ago that a Netflix mini-series would influence the culture?”

He is absolutely right. Many people subscribe to that streaming service so the odds that a movie or series would have that kind of impact is extremely plausible.

Ted Raimi also makes the observation, “Who knew that movies would find, I guess now, a sixth or seventh home, you know?” Another example of the various ways that entertainment can find an audience.

At the Film Freeway site for the production, according to director Bill Fulkerson, “The documentary is both a love letter to and a question of cult cinema’s future.” Which brings up the following question by natural progression.

Along with the easy access to entertainment, other potentially troublesome issues arise. Illegal downloading is the first thing that springs to mind especially for particular titles that might be hard to find conventionally.

Unfortunately, I have witnessed this firsthand on the internet. Someone will want to see a particular movie that is unavailable on streaming services, DVD or Blu-ray. Invariably, this person will post that they are looking for said film and then they will get a barrage of website links to learn about Torrenting and VPN and the list goes on and on.

Is there a solution to this issue? Will cult cinema be able to be sustained in the digital age?

The documentary made its world premiere at HorrorHound Weekend Film Festival in August. This Saturday, Survival of the Film Freaks will be shown at the Witch City Horror Film Festival in Salem, Massachusetts.

Are you a fan of cult films? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.