Revoltor's pocket guide to exploitation films
With Grindhouse flopping hard I thought it'd be a good idea to list a few of my personal favorite exploitation films. Defining what makes a film an exploitation film is a little grey but I pretty much label any movie that feels over the top in any aspect wether it be sex or violence, to be an exploitation film. Without further delay, here's a handful of mine:
1. Thriller (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072285/)
I actually just got around to watching my copy of it and I've got to admit the hype is justified. This bitch gets fucked badly both mentally and physically only to bring hell back on every motherfucker that did her wrong. It's hampered by a few excessive slo-mo shots (like 2 minutes of a dude flailing around) but the rest is gravy and moves along at a great pace. The version I have includes scenes of hardcore sex which only add to the realism. Of course if you just want wank material you should be well off (as I'm sure most viewers back then felt)
2. Cannibal Holocaust (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078935/)
This one goes without saying. Possibly the only film that ever made me gag. Surprisingly there's a really good story in this movie that plays on the ethics of documentary. That aside prepare for real animal mutilation that includes real monkeys, turtles and a poor little muskrat. Don't worry, we see all of them eaten for real too.
3. Fight for your Life (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076023/)
This movie needs to be seen by more people. Ok, the premise is simple: A white bigot convict and his cohorts find refuge in a black family's house. What follows is a test in racial relations that would make Martin Luther King shit his pants. It's really just a funny/mean movie. I'm a total asshole so of course I laugh during all the fucked up parts like when the white dude fires at the black guy's feet and orders him to dance. The black guy breaks into this hilarious soft shoe routine.
4. Enter the Dragon (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070034/)
While I know for a fact this film played the 42nd street grindhouses, I'm still wary of labeling it an exploitation film since it was pretty mainstream for the time. Jim Kelly adds a heavy blaxploitation element so I'm gonna include it anyway. All of Bruce Lee's movies were schlock but for some reason ENTER THE DRAGON transcended all of it and gave us big-budget schlock. With an unforgettable villain like Mr Han and his suitcase of hand attachments one would be hard pressed to dislike it.
5. Maniac (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081114/)
I'd feel empty If I didn't list Bill Lustig's sleaze masterpiece MANIAC. There are times in this movie where you just start thinking "what the fuck is wrong with this guy" and then he proceeds to just freak the shit out of you even more by doing crazy shit like fantasizing with his collection of mannequins. Seriously fucked up shit about a psycho serial killer who can't get over the abuse his mother inflicted upon him as a child. Joe Spinelli, who plays the "maniac" basically carries the entire film. He's fucking incredible.
Honorable Mentions:
Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes
These might make for a good Craven double-feature since both films involve normal folk like you and I going totally apeshit and turning the tables on their persecutors. Anyway both films are chock-full of grit and have healthy doses of sleaze. LHOTL more-so as it piles on the female degradation with scenes of torture including forced urination. Both films aren't without their flaws but I'll be damned if you can find a more nihilistic pair of movies by the same director (on second thought this is Craven we're talking about)
To wrap it up I wanna recommend two trailer compilations: 42ND STREET FOREVER and the SOMETHING WEIRD SAMPLER which'll provide you with at least 4 hours of exploitation film goodness in bite size morsels. As with most modern-day cinema the trailers are sometimes better than the actual features themselves (thanks Tarantino and Rodriguez!)
