It is not a place you want to be trapped in, and someone must rescue the president-that someone is Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), a disgraced former special operations soldier who was convicted of robbing the Federal Reserve and rocks a mean eye patch. Prisoners are condemned to life and run amok. In this dystopian version of America, Manhattan has been converted into an open prison-the bridges are carpeted with mines and a 50-foot-high wall surrounds the island.

But the pod crashes in Manhattan, which is bad. POTUS (Donald Pleasence) manages to get away in an escape pod, which is good. On his way to an international peace summit in, of all places, Hartford, Connecticut-which might be the the most batshit part of a batshit movie-the presidentвЂ™s plane is hijacked by terrorists. But thatвЂ™s OK-after all, thatвЂ™s what cult movies are all about. Perhaps itвЂ™ll make you mad and inspire you to defend your favorites. Without further ado, here is The RingerвЂ™s ranking of the 50 best cult movies. And though there is no official definition for a cult movie-most times, you know it when you see it-voters were asked to consider only films that (a) were not successful at the box office, (b) were not widely and initially praised by critics, and (c) gained popularity only after they left theaters, whether by word of mouth, midnight screenings, or home-video success. This ranking was assembled through the votes of Ringer staff members. The movies that were too heady for mainstream audiences the comedies that were before their time the small indies that changed the direction of Hollywood. This week on The Ringer, we celebrate those movies that from humble or overlooked beginnings rose to prominence through the support of their obsessive fan bases. вЂњCult films come in all varieties-and sometimes with vigorous debate about their status attached-but genuine, possessive devotion is the baseline.вЂќ

вЂњMaking a list of movies that seem underrated or underappreciated is one thing accounting for the ones that generate religious fervor is another,вЂќ Adam Nayman writes in this history of the cult movie.

Well hello mr.fancy pants