Film, like all art media, possesses a large range in quality, finesse and skill. While Ingmar Bergman and Akira Kurosawa may very well be the da Vincis of film, there are plenty of finger paintings put to screen as well. Assessing film quality is like comparing Jackson Pollock to Jan van Eyck, but the Palouse Cult Film Revival offers opportunities to experience the good, the bad and the ugly on the big screen.
Palouse Cult Film Revival President and founder Eric Billings invites viewers to keep an open mind and open heart for iconic movies.
“It could be a really poorly written movie, but beautiful cinematography and I might like it for that reason, or I might like it because it’s so bad, it’s good,” Billings said. “You couldn’t make it up if you tried, like ‘The Room’, for example.”
PCFR was founded in 2017 when Billings approached The Kenworthy to organize a film series called ‘So Bad it’s Good.’ “Killer Klowns from Outer Space” and “Tremors” were among the first films shown. From there, Billings proposed annual showings of the infamous Wiseau flick “The Room.”
“That’s where I started this idea of the cult film revival. We’re going to revive cult films and bring them back to the theater,” Billings said.
Since then, “The Room” has become a PCFR and Kenworthy mainstay, along with the upcoming Lebowskifest.
While “Killer Klowns from Outer Space” and “The Room” are notoriously derided by critics, cult films are not all bad.
“It’s a film that generally gains maybe more steam later than when it first is initially released,” Billings said.
“Twilight” is one such film, first released to a feral fandom, which has maintained its popularity and gained fans who appreciate its absurdity.
Kelsey Kuball and Madison Whitmore, WSU students and Twilight fans, were queued with fellow Twi-hards outside the theater.
“We love ‘Twilight,’ it’s hilarious,” Kuball said.
While angsty teen vampire Edward Cullen may beg to differ, the energy in the theater was undeniably comedic. Audience members were given a choice between four team theme bags: Team Bella, Team Edward, Team Jacob and Team Charlie. Each bag contained character-specific props and goodies, and a call-out sheet.
“It’ll be fun to share the silliness with everyone else,” Whitmore said.
This year is by far the busiest for PCFR, showing a total of 15 films. In the next four weeks, PCFR is showing “The Big Lebowski,” “Shredder,” “Jawbreaker,” “Mac and Me,” “The Brady Bunch Movie” and “The Room.”
“Before COVID, we would get a good crowd at the theater, but it wasn’t packed. It’s not like it is now, local theaters can get a lot of people to show up,” Billings said.
All 264 seats of the Kenworthy were full for “Twilight”, and “The Big Lebowski” was nearly sold out.
Classics like “Twilight” and “The Big Lebowski” have high replay value, which is not necessarily an indication of quality, according to Billings.
“There are movies that I never want to see again, but those are great movies too,” Billings said. “I do think rewatchability plays a lot into cult classics and what makes some of them better than others.”
Many of the faces that Billings sees at the annual showing of “The Room” are familiar and die-hard fans of the film. In recent years, these fans have been able to speak with “The Room” star Greg Sestero. Sestero has made the pilgrimage from Hollywood to Moscow since 2022.
“One area that I’ve been focusing on with PCFR in recent years is how do I bring some talent to the Palouse, invite them into our community and for people to have opportunities to meet and interact with those artists,” Billings said.
“Jawbreaker” writer and director Darren Stein and “Shredder” producer Rory Veal will be in attendance for their respective films in the coming weeks.
“Outside of the community I’m trying to build within the actual movie events, I’m trying to open up opportunities to build other types of community, whether that’s engaging students, engaging other businesses in town,” Billings said.
These Q&A and interactive events have drawn a diverse crowd of movie fans, from college students to young families, hoping to indoctrinate them into the folds of the Cult film revival.
“I build community by bringing people together of diverse backgrounds to all enjoy a film together,” Billings said.
Be sure to visit https://www.palousecultfilms.org/ for the upcoming film schedule and ticketing information.
