Don't Just Sit There...
Throw rice! Sing scales! A guide to the rare and rabid world of participatory film.

The Sound of Music (1965)
The L.A. hills are alive with the sound of you-know-what at the Hollywood Bowl's sing-along.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
The granddaddy of cult films — one that encourages reenactments, rice-throwing, and cross-dressing.

Showgirls (1995)
This much-reviled film got new life as a midnight movie in 1996: Audience choreography and mimicry of the camp dialogue ensued.

The Big Lebowski (1998)
Fans at vodka-fueled ''Lebowski Fest'' events dress in costumes both obvious (''The Dude'') and bizarre (a giant Creedence tape).

Laughs From Underground
From Jerry Lewis to an animated Jesus, a look at some other cult obsessions among comedians.

The Day the Clown Cried
In the '90s, comedian Patton Oswalt held readings of this infamously terrible Holocaust drama, until one of the producers sent a cease-and-desist order.

The Spirit of Christmas
Trey Parker and Matt Stone's short — commissioned by a Fox exec as an animated Xmas card — was a Hollywood hit and helped score a deal for South Park.

The Aristocrats
For years, comedians have amused themselves seeing who can tell the filthiest version of this joke, which was commemorated in the 2005 doc of the same name.

The Foot Fist Way
Will Ferrell loved this comedy so much that he helped it to get distribution. Fist fan Judd Apatow cast star Danny McBride in Pineapple Express.

Celebrity Fan Club
These comedic all-stars are just some of the Hollywood insiders who see genius in the badness of The Room:

Kristen Bell, Actress

David Wain, Director (Role Models)

Jonah Hill, Actor

David Cross, Actor-Comedian (Arrested Development)

Paul Rudd, Actor

Joe Lo Truglio, Actor (Role Models)

Tim Heidecker, Actor-Director (Tim and Eric Awesome Show, great job!)

Eric Wareheim, Actor-Director (Tim and Eric Awesome Show, great job!)

Originally posted Dec 12, 2008 Published in issue #1026 Dec 19, 2008 Order article reprints
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