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The term ´cult film star´ has been employed in popular journalistic writing for the last 25 years, but what makes cult stars distinct from other film stars has rarely been addressed. This collection explores the processes through which film stars/actors become associated with the cult label, from Bill Murray to Ruth Gordon and Ingrid Pitt.

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List of illustrations Acknowledgements Notes on contributors Introduction: Star-Making, Cult-Making and Forms of Authenticity; K.Egan & S.Thomas PART I: CONNECTING ´CULT´ AND ´STARDOM´ Cult Movies With and Without Cult Stars: Differentiating Discourses of Stardom; M.Hills Marginal Moments of Spectacle: Character Actors, Cult Stardom and Hollywood Cinema; S.Thomas PART II: CULT STARDOM AND THE MAINSTREAM: MANAGEMENT, MEDIATION AND NEGOTIATION ´You´re Bill Groundhog-Day-Ghostbusting-Ass Murray´: ´Mainstream´ Success, Star Agency and Cult Reinvention; J.Whalley Prisoner of Cool: Chlo‰ Sevigny, Alternative Stardom and Image Management; J.Sexton From Behind the Masks to Inside: Acting, Authenticity and the Star Wars Co-Stars; J.Scott PART III: DIRECTORS, REPUTATIONS AND CULT ACTING Vincent Price and Cult Performance: The Case of Witchfinder General ; J.Smith Hal Hartley´s ´Look-out-Martin-Donovan´s-in the-house!´ shot: The Transformative Cult Indie star-director Relationship and Performance ´idiolect´; S.Rawle Cronenberg Connected: Cameo Acting, Cult Stardom and Supertexts; E.Mathijs Low-flying Stars: Cult Stardom in Mumblecore; J.Lyons PART IV: CULT IDENTITIES: GENDER, BODIES AND OTHERNESS Damaged Beauty: Montgomery Clift, Tragedy and the Redefinition of a Star Image; K.McNally Forever Emmanuelle: Sylvia Kristel and Soft-core Cult Stardom; L.Wimmer A Real Horror Star: Articulating the Extreme Authenticity of Ingrid Pitt; K.Egan ´You´re really a Miniature Bond´: Weng Weng and the Transnational Dimensions of Cult Film Stardom; I.R.Smith PART V: CULT STARDOM IN CONTEXT: CONNOISSEURSHIP AND FILM CRITICISM ´The Screen´s Number One and Number Two Bogeymen´: The Critical Reception of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in the 1930s and 1940s; M.Jancovich & S.Brown

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´This book makes for a compelling read, offering a series of original insights alongside valuable synthesis of existing literature in the twin fields of stardom and cult cinema, also providing insightful analysis and textual readings of a wide range of films. It promises to make a significant contribution to various sub-disciplinary areas of film studies: most notably, stardom and cult cinema but also fandom and performance.´ - Martin Shingler, University of Sunderland, UK

´The editors and contributors exhibit a strong understanding of cult cinema and star studies with engaging and accessible writing

throughout the anthology. This is an insightful and fascinating collection that opens new doors to exploring cult films and stardom.´ - Julie Lobalzo Wright, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television

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