Cult Movie Icons
Next in a series of admittedly odd freebies is this bunch of icons inspired by key scenes from cult movies. Not only is the subject matter weird, the icons themselves depict the most disparaged objects. They sure were a lot of fun to create, though, and might drive some of you to discover these movie gems.
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I picked the movies from my favorites therefore you will find both known and obscure choices. The icons were all drawn in Illustrator with a touch of Photoshop to add shadows and enhance some details. Sizes range from 256×256 pixels to 16×16 pixels, Mac and Windows versions. I hope you’ll enjoy the humor, the care and (why not?) the skill it took to bring this icon set to you.
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For those of you who don’t know these films I have prepared a small viewer’s guide to them.
Beware! Some spoilers follow!!
Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959), directed by Ed Wood Jr.

Hailed as the worst film ever, it features visible nylon strings attached to flimsy flying saucers made from hubcaps. Add to that an incoherent plot punctured by unrelated footage and you got yourself the perfect campy flick.
Soylent Green (1973), directed by Richard Fleischer.

Charlton Heston stars in this dystopian classic, where live-in prostitutes are referred to as “furniture” and the food supply has been devastated by a nuclear war. Poor people are fed thin green wafers named soylent green, whose disturbing nature is revealed at the end of the movie.
Eraserhead (1977), directed by David Lynch.

David Lynch‘s puzzling debut. Filmed in black and white, it takes place in drab industrial locations, where weird characters interact in bizarre ways. The plot is surreal, dream-like and exquisitely incomprehensible. The most prominent “prop” is a sick chicken-like baby that complains and wheezes throughout the film. It had to be immortalized in an icon.
They Live (1988), directed by John Carpenter.

“Rowdy” Roddy Piper, the Scottish kilt-wearing wrestler, dons a pair of black sunglasses and discovers a startling secret. The message of this film still rings true today. Here’s one of the best lines from the movie, apparently ad-libbed by Piper.
Pulp Fiction (1994), directed by Quentin Tarantino.

My favorite Tarantino film, it employs a glowing briefcase as MacGuffin. The icon comes in two versions, with and without the glow, so use it as a trash can/recycle bin.
Fargo (1996), directed by Joel Coen.

A movie where every character is dumb and clumsy. The icon depicts the final scene where one of the two villains (Peter Stormare) disposes of his partner’s body in a wood chipper. That’s Steve Buscemi‘s leg sticking out! Two versions, with and without Steve’s leg, to be used as trash can/recycle bin replacement.
The Big Lebowski (1998), directed by Joel Coen.

Jeff Bridges plays The Dude, a hippie with a love for White Russians and Creedence Clerwater Revival who gets mixed up in a typical Coen Bros. plot. Bowling is a recurring theme throughout the film, hence the ball.
The Matrix (1999), directed by Andy & Larry Wachowski.

Every geek’s favorite flick. Choose your pill (clicking the image will open a YouTube video in another window).
Spoiler ends here!
I hope these icons pique your curiosity and encourage you to check out these wonderful movies.
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If you enjoy these icons don’t keep them to yourself: sharing is good!









MAtrix pills are so awesome!
I forever dreamed of the day there would be an Eraserhead baby icon. Thank you.
See? Dreams do come true!
lovely! the pulp fiction briefcase is my favorite!
Hey Andrea really nice works, so impressed with your work!! Really loved these icons! Thank you so much!
A very nice ideea… you are a creative guy!
well, some icons are quite clear to me (like those depicting The Matrix or Pulp Fiction). but some of them really impressed me))) nice works indeed! can’t but admire your creative genius.
It is amazing to me how much these icons have become part of the fabric of our society. I know I recognized most of the connections. Be careful you don’t use these for commercial gain though as there could be some issues with copyright infringement. Thanks for bring back some great memories. I am going to have to rent a few of these to re-watch soon.
This is the most informed writing I’ve ever seen on this subject’s