Film: Classic Exploitation Movies

Exploitation films are usually films that exploit a certain part of for instance popular culture and everyday life such as ethnicity, zombies, bikers or even sex. These types of films were especially common in the 1960s and 1970s, screened at drive-ins and grind houses and by a few years later often gaining a cult reputation and a horde of followers. The plot in these movies won’t win any Academy® awards and in some cases probably neither the acting — instead they offer a zany and bonky trip into another world, a world of retro kitschyness and cool awkwardness — often set to very memorable funky grooves and beats. Directors, such as Quentin Tarantino have revived the genre lately with modern classics such as Pulp Fiction, Death Proof, Kill Bill etc. So turn off the lights, fetch the popcorn and let the exploitation begin!

About the author: Chris

Founded Ultra Swank in 2005. Has a crush on Pan Am, Disneyland and the Century 21 Exposition. Lives life as an expat in Barcelona, Spain.

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By Chris

December 18th, 2009

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Comments for this post

  • http://martinklasch.blogspot.com/ p-e fronning

    Vanishing Point skulle jag faktiskt inte kalla för en exploitation film utan snarare ett action-drama med dragning åt tragik. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang har jag inte sett men den tycks vara en agentfilmsparodi helt enkelt – men den kanske innehåller en massa sex, vad vet jag. :)

  • http://www.ultraswank.net Chris

    I disagree. Vanishing Point is what you simply call 'carexploitation'. Even Quentin's Death Proof is considered a homage to the grind house movies. But it's hard to put a label on every movie, I guess that it all comes down to opinion in the end.

  • http://martinklasch.blogspot.com/ p-e fronning

    Well, if one wants to label it somethingsomethingexploitation it would be carexploitation. You are right about that. :)

  • Guest

    That Coffy chick sure looks like she's really pissed off.

Ultra Swank – Your one stop blog for retro living, style and design

Ultra Swank takes you back in time into the kitsch, chic and swank living of the 50s, 60s and the 70s. We mainly focus on the design, architecture and the lifestyle of the happy-go-lucky and space-age-living mentality of that era – but also on the music and movies that takes you back to happier times. Ultra Swank is run by Chris, a Swede born in the wrong decade that currently resides in Barcelona. Read more

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