Tag: Exploitation Cinema

• Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972)

  July 5, 2022

  1970s, Action, Drama, Exploitation Cinema, Japanese Cinema, Prison Movies, Thriller

  Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972) belongs undeniably to a sleazy exploitation category, the “women in prison” sub-genre. Yet if you can stomach that grubbiness, this entry proves to be an artistic triumph because of two strong elements: (1) the theatrical and surreal style that director Shunya Ito (his debut film!) brings to it, and (2)… Read.

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  The New Kids (1985)

  December 16, 2021

  1980s, Action, B Movie, Exploitation Cinema, Family, High School Movies, Horror, Teen Movies, Thriller

  The New Kids (1985) is a better poster than a movie. Along with the VHS cover to Class Of 1999, this was a poster that I became obsessed with, the teen gang horror vibes, on the level of an illustrated paperback cover, the heightened drama and off-frame implication. The movie itself, which sets its climax… Read.

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  Walking The Edge (1985)

  August 17, 2021

  1980s, Action, B Movie, Crime, Drama, Exploitation Cinema, Los Angeles, Thriller

  Walking The Edge (1985) had been discussed so much on the Pure Cinema Podcast that when Fun City Editions put out their Blu-ray, I had to get a copy. Mid-1980s revenge thriller starring the late, great Robert Forster? I’m there! Factor in lots of driving scenes across LA and a pumping synth-and-sax score by Jay… Read.

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  Basket Case (1982)

  June 13, 2021

  1980s, Comedy, Drama, Exploitation Cinema, Horror, Independent Film, New York

  I remember reading about Basket Case (1982) in Danny Peary’s Cult Movies 2, a copy of which was in my high school library. The synopsis and the accompanying photographs repulsed me at the time, and I was never keen to seek it out. Currently undergoing a mission to see the movies listed in Cult Movies… Read.

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  The Violent Years (1956)

  March 11, 2021

  1950s, B Movie, Crime, Exploitation Cinema, Independent Film, Thriller

  Sometimes you need to skip the Mystery Science Theater 3000 commentary and just enjoy an Edward D. Wood Jr scripted exploration of white female teenage juvenile delinquency on its own beautiful merits. This is The Violent Years (1956), which is a remarkable insight into what happens to teenage girls who are not given the right… Read.