Prompt Cast
The History and Impact of Exploitation Films
TLDR Exploitation films, popularized after the implementation of the Hayes Code, aimed to make money by showcasing outrageous and controversial subject matter. From grindhouse films to blacksploitation and martial arts exploitation, these movies pushed boundaries and eventually found mainstream success.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
This podcast episode is about exploitation films and how they work, including their history and the types of subject matter they typically exploit.
05:04
Exploitation films and grindhouse films have a distinct definition and were popularized after the Hayes Code was implemented, which led to the rise of the exploitation cinema movement.
09:47
Exploitation filmmakers presented their movies as public service announcements or cautionary tales, but their main goal was to make money and show the craziest things on screen, and the Paramount decision of 1948 and the loosening of restrictions post-World War II led to the rise of exploitation films.
14:32
Grindhouse films are big budget studio-backed exploitation films, and Herschel Gordon-Lewis was one of the first directors to show graphic gore in his movies, which paved the way for the mainstream acceptance of violence and the rise of slasher exploitation films like Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street.
20:22
Melvin Van Peebles' film, Sweet, Sweet Back's Badass Song, was a landmark film that grossed four million dollars and made major studios realize that the black hero is marketable, marking the beginning of the black exploitation subgenre which is considered one of the most important genres in American cinema.
26:12
Exploitation films in the 70s became more schlocky and outrageous, with less focus on political statements and more on appealing to a teenage audience.
30:49
The Toxic Avenger movie, released in 1984, follows the story of a weakling who becomes a hideously deformed creature with superhuman strength after being pushed into a vat of toxic sludge, and it was unique in that its production company, Troma, was known for being master self-promoters and marketeers and had a comprehensive website.
36:05
The film "Reefer Madness" was an early exploitation film that portrayed marijuana as a dangerous drug that could lead to murder and insanity, but it later became a cult film that college students would watch and laugh at while partaking in drugs.
41:03
Bruce Lee's first film, "Fist of Fury," began the martial arts exploitation subgenre, which later led to other martial arts films and even Bruce Lee look-alike movies.
46:00
Exploitation films have expanded into various subgenres, including Nazi exploitation, martial arts exploitation, blacksploitation, carsploitation, and even pornography, with movies like Jaws and the rise of Summer Blockbusters pushing exploitation films into the mainstream.
50:37
Exploitation films have expanded into various subgenres, including Nazi exploitation, martial arts exploitation, blacksploitation, carsploitation, and even pornography, with movies like Jaws and the rise of Summer Blockbusters pushing exploitation films into the mainstream.
Categories:
Society & Culture
