About exploitation films
Exploitation films are a type of film that relies heavily on marketing that exploits or exploits taboo, banned, or sensational themes and will attract a lot of popular and word-of-mouth attention without traditional marketing.
Exploitation movies have been around since the early days of Hollywood. For example, two movies that can be viewed on my site are exploitation movies from the 1930s.
“Reefer Madness (1938). This is considered THE archetypal tabloid anti-drug movie, but it’s actually an exploitation movie made to capitalize on the hot topic of marijuana taboo. Like many exploitation movies of the time,” Reefer Madness ” attempted to make a quick buck on a prohibited subject while circumventing the 1930 Film Production Code. The Code prohibited the depiction of immoral acts such as drug use. (Illegal drug trafficking should not be portrayed in a way that stimulates curiosity about the use or trafficking of said drugs; nor will scenes that show the use of illegal drugs, or their effects, in detail be approved).
“The film toured the country for many years, often being reissued and retitled (” Tell your kids, “” Drug addict, “” Drugged youth, “” Loving madness, “” The burning question. ” Rediscovered in the early 1970s by NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) and projected again as an example of the demonization of marijuana by the government. NORML may have been confused about patronage of the film since one of the film’s distributors, Dwain Esper, testified before the Arizona Supreme Court that “Reefer Madness” was not a trash exploitation film, but was actually sponsored by the US government. ., a convincing lie, but a lie nonetheless. “
And “Sex Madness” (1938). This is another typical sexual exploitation movie from the 1930s, with wild parties, sex outside of marriage, lesbianism, etc. Exposing a showgirl to the “casting chair” also exposes her to syphilis. Filmmakers hoped to capitalize on the taboo subjects of venereal disease, sex before marriage, lesbianism, etc., while circumventing the 1930 Film Production Code, which prohibited a film from containing such content. Movies like this would roam the United States for years, mostly shown in run-down theaters and in slums. This film has been reissued and titled (“Human Wreckage”, “They Must Be Told”, “Trial Marriage”, “About Trial Marriage”) many times to appeal to the same audience. to film, to exploit a taboo subject that may have been the subject of recent press, or to appease local censors who disapproved of the film’s content. “
Exploitation movies often rely heavily on tabloid promotion, regardless of the quality of the movie. Very often exploitation films are low-budget and low-quality. But this, however, is not always true. Exploitation films sometimes attract the attention of critics and even cult fans.
Exploitation films often exploit events that occur in the news and in the short-term public consciousness that major movie studios may not take due to the amount of time it takes to produce a major movie.
Sometimes anti-government films will also exploit a growing minority sentiment. For example, many war films were made about the wars in Korea and Vietnam before major studios were interested in these topics.
Some exploitation films also exploit large studio projects. Lower budget movies often use a faster production schedule and can take advantage of major studio advertising on a particular subject or movie. For example, Edward L. Alperson produced William Cameron Menzies ‘”Invaders from Mars” to top Paramount Pictures’ prestigious George Pal version of “War of the Worlds.” Pal’s “Time Machine” was also surpassed in theaters by Robert Clarke’s Edgar G. Ulmer film, “Beyond the Barrier of Time” (1960). As a result, many major studios, producers, and stars keep their projects under wraps.
If you’re interested in the rich and unique American history of exploitation movies, there are two excellent books on the subject:
“Forbidden Fruit: The Golden Age of Exploitation Film”, Felicia Feaster and Bret Wood, Midnight Marquee Press, 1999.
“Bold! Bold! Shocking! True! A History of Exploitation Movies, 1919-1959” Eric Schaefer, Duke University Press, 1999.