ABSTRACT

Cult media, including films, television, books, comics and anime, have always inspired a high level of affective engagement amongst fans. Cult programs often have what Fiske (1987) called “producerly stories”, which inspire a passionate response from fans and a high level of fan loyalty and involvement. The high level of emotional attachment to the text, as well as to the fictional characters and the actors who portray them, contribute to the designation of a media product as “cult”. Not everyone who views a film, even one which will become a cult film, will experience this high level of emotional investment; some audience members will remain viewers and not become fans. Those films which eventually become categorized as cult films, however, will amass a group of people who go beyond the level of viewer/spectator and become fans.