I think I knew by the end if this past January that 2025 was destined to be a rip-roaring year of personal movie discovery. And indeed, as the year progressed, I kept hitting jackpot on that slot machine of random cult movie selections. Ka-ching! Ka-ching! Hey, I wasn’t complaining — even though I knew it was going to make my annual end-of-year list that much harder.

As you’ll see with the honorable mentions section, there were a lot of potential choices and difficult decisions I had to make pulling just 15 out of a much larger list. In the end, I used the standard I always use: I picked the films that represented my greatest delight at having discovered them. Some are obscure, some are odd, and some are known cult legends. Let’s get to it, shall we?

Hundreds of Beavers (2022)

Think you’ve seen it all? Until you’ve watched Hundreds of Beavers, you really haven’t. Part live-action cartoon, part video game, part absurdist farce, this delightfully silly movie is a slow but satisfying burn that my family and I deeply enjoyed.

Tourist Trap (1998)

Marv from Home Alone goes on a National Lampoon Vacation-style family road trip with the ghost of his Civil War ancestor (Paul Giamatti). It’s every bit as wonderful as it sounds and would’ve been a lasting classic had this not been shuffled off as a TV movie and then never given a DVD release. Justice for Tourist Trap!

Interstate 60 (2002)

And speaking of road trips, Interstate 60 charmed me as a quirky, episodic account of one guy traveling an impossible highway looking for his purpose in life — all while encountering bizarre people, situations, and a half-leprechaun wish-giver. Fun fact: This was written and directed by Back to the Future’s Bob Gale and has both Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox in bit parts.

Detention (2011)

Want to see what it’d be like if every teen movie from the ’80s and ’90s showed up to play at the same time? Then you’ve got to check out Detention, easily my top favorite find of the year. From time traveling bears to alien invasions to body swapping to slasher satires, this hyperactive convoluted genius of a flick has it all — and then some.

Feast of the Seven Fishes (2019)

I had this list all locked up… and then I watched Feast of the Seven Fishes for Culty Christmas and knew I had to bump something to make room for this. It’s a charming throwback romcom with amazingly relatable characters, some gut-busting laughs, and a heavy dose of Italian cheer. I think it may be one of my new favorite Christmas flicks.

Moving Violations (1985)

Bill Murray’s brother and Stacey Keach’s brother face off in a genuinely funny flick about adults forced to go to traffic school for a few weeks. There’s a pretty amazing ensemble here and escalating situations that includes a visit to NASA, an obstacle course from hell, and a doctor visit that Marty McFly’s sister will never forget.

Slotherhouse (2023)

With a name like that, you know Slotherhouse is going to be dumb. And it was. But you know what it also was? Kind of a brilliant satire of sorority culture and slashers that made me laugh way more than I had expected. Plus, you’ll never believe what a properly motivated killer sloth is capable of doing…

The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)

Want to laugh so hard that you can’t breathe? Then join me when I first watched this highly recommended animated flick about a family (on yet another road trip!) who end up fighting off a worldwide AI apocalypse. The distinct “Spider-verse” art style further sets this apart, but it’s really the witty writing that had me in stitches.

Idle Hands (1999)

Once upon a time in the late ’90s, I was pretty harsh on Idle Hands as a lame stoner flick. Upon re-evaluating it in 2025, I found that it aged incredibly well as a sly horror-comedy with a great cast, hilarious physical acting by Devon Sawa, and an edgy tilt that embraced both scares and laughs in equal measure. So I’m sorry for the mean things I once said to you, Idle Hands. We cool now.

Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987)

Is this the most insane horror sequel of the ’80s? I can’t even begin to evaluate that answer considering the wide field of bizarre follow-ups, but Hello Mary Lou is certainly a contender. A ghost from the ’50s returns to possess and stalk high schoolers in the ’80s as prom returns. Favorite bits are the Nightmare on Elm Street-like dream sequences.

Teen Witch (1989)

The infamous “I’m hot you’re not” rap battle of suburban white kids is only the start of what makes this ’80s teen fantasy flick so enjoyable. A sweet-but-dorky girl discovers that she’s got magic powers and starts abusing them all over the place. Music has a big presence in this film, as does the “girl power!” message.

Gunmen (1993)

Christopher Lambert and Mario Van Peebles teamed up for this popcorn action-buddy thriller with lots of quips, stunts, gunfights, and Denis Leary chewing all scenery as a bad guy. It’s simple and straightforward fun that also put Patrick Stewart in a wheelchair years before X-Men.

Ski School (1991)

In this last gasp of ’80s “snobs vs slobs” showdown, kooky ski instructors at a resort try to win some competition or another while throwing parties, finding love, and being quippy as hell. It’s totally basic but a really good time even so, and the 1994 sequel isn’t half-bad either.

They Came Together (2014)

The spoof genre isn’t completely dead, but it is underground as evidenced by the tepid reception of Paul Rudd (!) and Amy Poehler (!) doing a collective bodyslam on the romcom genre. It’s wonderfully silly and probably belongs in the ’90s.

14 Going on 30 (1988)

Friends, this Disney TV body swap-style movie may be one of the more underrated gems of the ’80s, a precursor to the much better-known 13 Going on 30. I thought this one was a blast with great humor, music, and feel-good charm. It left a dopey smile on my face, and that got it on this list.

Honorable mention time! Here are all of the other films that I also quite liked this year but didn’t make the cut of the top 15:

• Eliminators (1986): This genre blend wants to be the most ’80s thing ever — and it gets close.
• Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986): Tobe Hooper’s absolutely insane sequel tried to one-up the slasher genre.
• Baby Driver (2017): Music is at the heart of this slick crime caper by Edgar Wright.
• Penelope (2006): A fantasy-styled love story of a girl with a pig nose.
• Going Postal (2010): This miniseries does Terry Pratchett’s hysterical fantasy novel justice.
• Body Waves (1992): A messy but ultimately fun summer beach movie with very ’90s indie vibes.
• Bullet Train (2022): Brad Pitt marries action and comedy together once more in this heist.
• Mystery Team (2009): What if eternal boy detectives were suddenly forced to handle a murder case?
• Alien Romulus (2024): A worthy Alien sequel with an unfortunate penchant for fanservice.
• Airborne (1993): Rollerblading, Seth Green, and all the early ’90s cool you can handle.
• Invaders from Mars (1986): Tobe Hooper’s really weird love letter to B-movies was intriguing, at least.
• Stir of Echoes (1999): The OTHER 1999 movie where a guy sees dead people. Pretty decent!
• The Wizard of Speed and Time (1989): A hyperactive movie with a lot of clever stop-motion.
• TiMER (2009): Really clever romcom premise and even better writing. Underrated.
• The Dungeonmaster (1984): A quirky anthology of scifi versus fantasy.
• Ghost Ship (2002): An imperfect yet ambitious haunted house flick set on a cruise liner.
• Spectral (2016): I think I liked the premise of soldiers vs ghosts more than the end product.
• Spudmonkey (2001): Basically Australian Clerks with an eye on the indie music scene.
• Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024): This long-in-coming sequel wasn’t the best W&G flick, but it was still enjoyable.
• Deadpool & Wolverine (2024): Is it possible to have too much nostalgia and fanservice? Nah.
• Black Dog (1998): Patrick Swayze does Speed with an 18-wheeler. It kind of rocks.
• Glass Onion (2022): Another great whodunnit from Rian Johnson.
• Gunhed (1989): The first live-action mecha movie that’s as confusing as it is stylish.

That’s this year’s list! Catch up on my previous years’ cult discoveries from 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 as I wipe the slate clean and start a fresh new list for 2026.