There are distinct qualities that make a movie a cult: a devoted and niche following, popularity based on word-of-mouth enthusiasm, and a tendency to remain in fans' memories years after release, as well as many other intricacies, often hotly debated by film buffs. Experimental: The Essential Cult Movies sifts through the greatest movies of the genre ever made, to bring together a list of the best cult classics that ever graced the cinema screens or didn't, in some cases!

An element of the art house, an experimentalism and a sense of pushing the boundaries are the defining elements in the diverse section of Film Lab. Where else are you likely to find Disney, Roger Corman, Mick Jagger, Stanley Kubrick and the Monkees lumped together in the same category? This section is full of surprises but there's no need to tread carefully: all of these movies are rewarding in some sense and prizing style over substance is no crime here. Prepare to be amazed, appalled and enlightened.