 Chuck Kleinhans states that the difference between a guilty pleasure and a cult film can be as simple as the number of fans ; David Church raises the question of how many people it takes to form a cult following , especially now that home video makes fans difficult to count . As these cult films become more popular , they can bring varied responses from fans that depend on different interpretations , such as camp , irony , genuine affection , or combinations thereof . Earnest fans , who recognize and accept the film 's faults , can make minor celebrities of the film 's cast , though the benefits are not always clear . Cult film stars known for their camp can inject subtle parody or signal when films should not be taken seriously . Campy actors can also provide comic book supervillains for serious , artistic @-@ minded films . This can draw fan acclaim and obsession more readily than subtle , method @-@ inspired acting . Mark Chalon Smith of the Los Angeles Times says technical faults may be forgiven if a film makes up for them in other areas , such as camp or transgressive content . Smith states that the early films of John Waters are amateurish and less influential than claimed , but Waters ' outrageous vision cements his place in cult cinema . Films such as Myra Breckinridge ( 1970 ) and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls ( 1970 ) can experience critical reappraisal later , once their camp excess and avant @-@ garde filmmaking are better accepted , and films that are initially dismissed as frivolous are often reassessed as campy . Films that intentionally try to appeal to fans of camp may end up alienating them , as the films become perceived as trying too hard or not authentic . 
