Sleaze-tastic! Midnight Movie madness, Cult sensations, and Exploitation
As I continued to age into a young man, I liked to watch movies that did not generally permeate to more mainstream audiences. In addition within the last year or so I also gained a taste for exploitation movies. And I feel this is a fitting group to talk about after talking about the 70’s cult sensation Eraserhead.
Death Wish: 1974 (R)
USA / Paramount
67%
The king of the vigilante exploitation flicks! Charles Bronson plays a bleeding heart liberal whose world is rocked when his daughter is sexually assaulted and his wife murdered. Turning his back on his former “conscientious objector” past, he starts cleaning up NYC by roaming the streets and subways at night and killing the street walking scum who try to mug and assault him. And while I would have liked to have seen some closure by him killing the guys who assaulted his family, we do still get plenty of scenes where Paul Kersey gets to do what he does best, as well as his dealings with the local police. Classic exploitation.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: 1975 (R)
USA / 20th Century Fox
78%
Kind of hard to discuss cult films without talking about THE cult film. A film that still gets midnight screenings across the nation after nearly 40 years! Talk about legs! Based off a stage play, The Rocky Horror Picture Show brought the stage show to the cinema where it has become the epitome of the midnight movie. With a loyal and devoted fan base this movie musical blends stage theatrics with B movie sentimentalities. In addition it sports an excellent soundtrack and Tim Curry in easily his most recognizable role. It also manages to be my favorite musical not associated with Disney and certainly not for kids. So come up to the lab, and see what is on the slab, while having fun at Frankenstein place where you may or may not do The Time Warp!
Coffy: 1973 (R)
USA / MGM
75%
A classic movie from the blaxploitation era, Coffy is a vigilante / revenge film starring the queen of the genre, the incredibly hot Pam Grier! Her sister is hooked on heroin, the system is inept, and Coffy is going to get to the bottom of the problem and is not afraid to get her hands dirty! Great action, cool, and a fantastic leading lady. Where the brothas of blaxploitation disappointed me, they can’t come close to the number one sista of the genre. It is not a deep film, but then again exploitation is not meant to be. And did I mention Pam Grier is hot?
The Toxic Avenger: 1985 (R) (Ex Top 50)
USA / Troma
63%
Troma Entertainment is an independent film company that has stayed in business for almost 40 years by making movies that are cheaper than dirt. They are weird, unusual, unique, and often very violent and full of nudity. The Toxic Avenger is a low budget exploitation film with three things going for it: a very weird and very unique premise, lots of practical gore effects, and lots of camp. The movie is directed by Troma co founders Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, and covers the fateful events when 98 pound weakling Melvin fell into a vat of toxic waste where he became a hideously deformed creature of super human size and strength. And thus was born, the Toxic Avenger (or Toxie for short). The plot is thin, but like I said, one of the things this movie has going for it is the practical effects. And given the trend of CGI gore in horror movies nowadays, it is incredibly refreshing to be reminded of the day when practical gore effects were the norm and not the rarity. I admit this kind of movie is not for everyone. The acting is over the top, the production values are beyond cheap, and there is no subtlety to the villains who are unquestionably evil. But to those of us who love it, it is a cult classic.
Escape from New York: 1981 (R) (Ex Top 50)
USA / MGM
83% (CF)
Another cult classic, this one from John Carpenter. The President of the United States is trapped in the island prison of Manhattan after Air Force One is hijacked, and the warden of the prison (Lee Van Clef) sends in former Special Forces officer and soon to be inmate Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) to get him out. The deal is set, Snake has 22 hours to get the president out of New York, and he gets a full pardon. Snake is the character that makes this movie so damn cool, and he oozes pure cynicism from every pore. As such Snake is in my opinion the ultimate anti-authority figure. Not the straight shoot ’em up action star (though he is handy with a gun and his fists) but he is also a very cunning warrior who uses his brain to out fox his opponents on more than one occasion. The production design for the movie is perfect! The city is run down and without power save for certain areas. This allows for very creative set pieces such as the arena in which Snake engage in a gladiatorial death match, the floors of the World Trade Center, and the home of the Duke of New York (Isaac Hayes). And as with a lot of Carpenter films, he self composed the score on a synthesizer. It is an excellent piece of B movie style fun with one of my favorite characters in the cinema.
Pink Flamingos: 1972 (NC-17)
USA / Dreamland
82%
The most recent filmmaker I have come to enjoy came to define bad taste with his cult classic. John Water’s Pink Flamingo. I first became aware of this movie through the Cinema Snob, but did not actually set out to watch the flick until I saw the film featured in a documentary called Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream. This film documents six movies closely associated with the midnight movie movement. Two of my favorite movies Eraserhead and Night of the Living Dead I knew were going to be discussed in this film as well as The Rocky Horror Picture Show. So I decided to check this out as well. Well Pink Flamingos was discussed in this documentary so I decided to give that a watch too. I was expecting the filthiest movie ever. And I got pretty much that. Cannibalism, murder, rape, incest, selling children to lesbians, drug use, curses, and ***** eating make up a large chunk of a movie which was written while John Waters was high. And it shows. But it is a very unique film and definitely worth checking out if you are not too squeamish.