The Cult Exploitation Trash B-Movie Thread

[Andy 4,144]

Do you enjoy Trash Cinema or Cult Films? Sleazy Italian Gialli? So bad they’re good Action flicks? Corman Rip-Offs? Sweaty Women in Prison garbage?  Spanish Monster Mash-Ups? French Vampires? Drive-In Nudie musicals?  Indonesian pandemonium?Arthouse on a budget? Sword and Sandal cheapies? Troma Trash? Euro Erotica? Full Moon rubbish? Chop Socky Kung Fu?  
 

Oh sure, you could post about it in the What’s The Last Film You Watched (Older Films) thread.  But they won’t understand you there. They won’t embrace your illogical appreciation for Cinema of the Weird.  
 

I thought it might be nice to have a thread for the underdogs. The films that usually don’t start with much, but swing for the fences with gusto.  Most of these types of films lean into genre rather than drama.  Let’s watch and discuss bona fide Cult Classics and unknown gems lost to time. You won’t be judged for liking a film by Fulci, Rollin, Naschy, Meyer, Lenzi, Brass, or Martino or any other nameless Schlock. 
 

Anyone else want to celebrate the Cinema Absurd and appreciate the beautiful art of the Weird around the World?

 

So What’s the Last Cult Exploitation Trash B-Movie You Watched?

[Jurassic Shark 12,091]

My favourite B movie is Star Wars.

 

3 minutes ago, Andy said:

Drive-In Nudie musicals?

 

Que?

[Andy 4,144]

3 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

My favourite B movie is Star Crash.

 

Fixed.  No Lucasfilm in here please. 
 

3 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Que?

Gas Pump Girls is way more innocent than it looks.  The name implies porno, but it isn’t.  Oh sure there’s boobs, but it’s more “hey kids let’s all pitch in and help my Uncle’s business and defeat the WalMart gas station.” And they sing.  

[Thor 7,521]

Depends. I like some of it, when there's a solid auteur behind the camera. Like Argento. But it isn't usually something I'm attracted to. Music-wise, however, they can often spawn some absolutely brilliant scores. Like Donaggio's ALL LADIES DO IT (aka COSI FAN TUTTE), which is featured on your photo spread.

[Andy 4,144]

@Thor no doubt you must have some appreciation for Argento’s Inferno score by Keith Emerson. 
 

 

[Thor 7,521]

Absolutely! Masterful. I'll add some more titles that I like later on. As I said, score-wise, cult exploitation Trash B Movies are a treasure trove.

[Andy 4,144]

The land of B-Movie Exploitation gave us James Horner, so there’s that. 
 

And while certainly there are plenty of wonderful scores to come from this classification of film, I find a lot to enjoy beyond the music. 

[Thor 7,521]

1 minute ago, Andy said:

The land of B-Movie Exploitation gave us James Horner, so there’s that. 

 

And John Williams, for that matter.

[GerateWohl 4,373]

The Last trash B movie I saw was probably the korean flick "Project Wolf Hunting". Uncut of course.

A lot of exagerated super violence. Tons of blood.

And one of the movies with the most twists I have ever seen.

Still didn't motivate me to check out any sequel. 

 

BTW Anybody here seen "The Greasy Strangler"?

[Andy 4,144]

Doesn’t this Sky Pirates (1986) Blu Ray set look awesome?  Well, it is.  I own it.  Unfortunately  the movie itself is a real stinker.  
 

The Bad:

The script is really boring, cluttered and confusing. The pacing is blah.  It really could’ve used more tongue in cheek humor like the superior Indy rip-off, King Solomon’s Mines. 
 

The Good:  

The aerial stunt work is quite effective.  Many of the airplane scenes look better than anything we’d see 3 years later in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  In fact, I’m not certain if any models were used at all. 
 

Composer Brian May delivers the goods with a cracking fun jaunty score. 

 

It’s a shame this Ozploitation Indy Rip-Off didn’t lean more into the fun, because it doesn’t look cheap, the costume designer did well, and the marketing department gave it their best. 
 

The deluxe Blu Ray comes with a really cool booklet on “Indiana Clones”, a guide to Raiders rip-offs. 

3 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

The Last trash B movie I saw was probably the korean flick "Project Wolf Hunting". Uncut of course.

A lot of exagerated super violence. Tons of blood.

And one of the movies with the most twists I have ever seen.

Still didn't motivate me to check out any sequel. 

 

BTW Anybody here seen "The Greasy Strangler"?

I’ve not seen either of those.  Project Wolf Hunting looks like a decent modern violence fest. 

[GerateWohl 4,373]

5 minutes ago, Andy said:

Project Wolf Hunting looks like a decent modern violence fest. 

It is 

[mrbellamy 6,293]

So I actually have had this box set for years:

 

 

But I still have not watched a single film from it. I guess I never knew where to start. Maybe this thread will finally give me an excuse to just try them all, unless someone has a favorite from this list:

 

[Thor 7,521]

I don't know which BABYSITTER film is in your collection. There are obviously many films with that title (and that's without taking porn into consideration). The 2022 film has a marvelous score by Forever Pavot, one of the 10 best that year, and the 1975 film likewise has a stunning Francis Lai score. But I don't believe it could be any of those, since both leave out the "The".

[JWScores 28]

17 hours ago, Andy said:

Do you enjoy Trash Cinema or Cult Films? Sleazy Italian Gialli? So bad they’re good Action flicks? Corman Rip-Offs? Sweaty Women in Prison garbage?  Spanish Monster Mash-Ups? French Vampires? Drive-In Nudie musicals?  Indonesian pandemonium?Arthouse on a budget? Sword and Sandal cheapies? Troma Trash? Euro Erotica? Full Moon rubbish? Chop Socky Kung Fu?  

 

Morricone has probably written a couple dozens scores for each of these genres.

 

[Sweeping Strings 2,364]

Back on the first Saturday night in December I double-billed Hammer's bizarre martial-arts/bloodsuckers mash-up Legend Of The Seven Golden Vampires and the 2010 remake of Piranha, accompanied by beer. 

It was the same night as my work Xmas bash, and I maintain that I had a better time at home ... gore, chop-socky, laughs and plenty of tits. What's not to love?  

[Jurassic Shark 12,091]

17 minutes ago, Sweeping Strings said:

gore, chop-socky, laughs and plenty of tits

 

Are you implying this is not a fitting description of your office Christmas bash?

[Andy 4,144]

2 hours ago, Sweeping Strings said:

Back on the first Saturday night in December I double-billed Hammer's bizarre martial-arts/bloodsuckers mash-up Legend Of The Seven Golden Vampires and the 2010 remake of Piranha, accompanied by beer. 

Beer isn’t required for this thread but it sure helps. Those are both solid choices.  The 3D presentation of Piranha is a hoot. 

[Thor 7,521]

OK, I can keep this going for a while if we're talking scores, but let me just start off with five recommendations for films I consider belonging to this category:

 

OCCHIALI NERI (Arnaud Rebotini)

 

Brilliant, seething synth score for the latest Argento flick that tries to pay hommage to the Goblins of this world.

 

DOWN TWISTED (Berlin Game)

 

1987 thriller (and early Courtney Cox film) from the Cannon group. Another great synth score from Eric Allaman and Richard Scheuregger under the Berlin Game nomer.

 

CODE OF SILENCE (David Michael Frank)
 

Considered a Chuck Norris 80s cult classic these days, but containing a spectacularly funky Frank score.

 

EMMANUELLE 2 (Francis Lai)

 

Always a master of exploititative sex comedies and dramas, Lai delivers a superbly elegant and sensual score for this 1975 film, just a couple of years before his iconic BILITIS.

 

TERMINAL EXPOSURE (Hans Zimmer)

 

1987 B movie, about sex, crime and action (and a little bit of BLOW UP-like premise at its core), and the first Zimmer did solo (without Myers). You can hear the seeds of his later sound in it. Great stuff. I think NoteforNote released it recently.

[mrbellamy 6,293]

4 hours ago, Thor said:

I don't know which BABYSITTER film is in your collection. 

 

It's this one

 

[Thor 7,521]

Ah, OK. So not any of the two I mentioned. This one has a Robert O. Ragland score, I see - mostly famous for GRIZZLY and Q, but really underrated composer.

[Andy 4,144]

10 hours ago, mrbellamy said:

So I actually have had this box set for years:

 

 

There’s bound to be tons of fun in there. I’ve seen some of them and I have an even more daunting version of that same set, with 200(!) movies over 50 discs!

 

 

From your set, start with Van Nuys Blvd.  1979 Vansploitation movie. Think American Graffiti with Van Culture.  
 

Anything made by Crown International is worth a watch. All of their movies seem made for the Drive-In. 

 

From your list:

 

	1. The Babysitter - 1969 b/w old dad lusts for teasing babysitter.  Tame by today’s standards.  Fairly entertaining.
	2. Best Friends - hippie existentialist film with kids driving around in a Winnebago.
	3. Blood Mania - Whacked out sleazy melodrama. Over the top. Want to see the woman who played Greedo in Star Wars topless? Here’s your film.  Good one.
	12. The Hearse - slow, moody, atmospheric.
	17. Malibu Beach - good clean fun beach movie. With boobies. Thanks to the dog who goes around stealing bikini tops.  I’d also recommend Crown’s Beach Girls if this is your thing.
	18. Malibu High- the most deceiving movie poster ever. What looks like a typical beach romp is actually a nihilistic girl gone bad crime movie. It’s hilarious.  And you get to hear the theme music from The People’s Court in a whacky foot chase.
	20. The Pick Up - saw it but a little mean spirited for my taste.
	22. The Pom Pom Girls - OK movie, thought it might be more fun
	27. The Teacher - typical hot for teacher trash. Not bad
	30. Trip With Teacher - a lot like the Pick Up
	31. Van Nuys Blvd. - Winner!

7 minutes ago, mrbellamy said:

 

It's this one

 

I seem to remember this one has sort of a mambo based score.  It’s garbage. But somehow fun to watch, despite its icky undertones. 
 

 

The Netflix one is a good time for modern day trash.  

19 minutes ago, Thor said:

EMMANUELLE 2 (Francis Lai)

 

Always a master of exploititative sex comedies and dramas, Lai delivers a superbly elegant and sensual score for this 1975 film, just a couple of years before his iconic BILITIS.

You’re not the first person to mention both of these scores.  What a weird era where softcore films would get scores people talk about 50 years later. 

[Thor 7,521]

Indeed. If we're keeping it to softcore stuff, I always have to give a shoutout to things like HISTORIE D'O (both original Bachelet and Zimmer/Myers sequel), L'ATTENZIONE (Donaggio), FEMINA RIDENS (Cipriani), ORGASMO NERI (Cipriani).....but I'm getting ahead of myself, I promised to mention only five at a time. Besides, BILITIS towers over all of these anyway (but that's a proper good film, not a trashy B movie).

[Andy 4,144]

Impulse, 1974

William Shatner

D. William Grefé

 

 

“My God, Bones, what have I done?”

 

Seriously, why is this film not better known?  My Wife and I watched the Blu-Ray from Grindhouse Films last night.  We didn’t have beer or any other substances, but I imagine it wouldn’t make much difference. We were rolling with laughter. Must be seen to be believed. 

Oh and the actor who played Odd Job shows up as a former prison boyfriend. Hilarity ensues. 
 

Shatner is absolutely unhinged playing a psychotic predator in a story that reminds me of The Stepfather.  There are no words for the level of Bill’s acting here. But on the Shat-Meter, this rates an 11/10.  
 

 

Seriously, was he on drugs at this time?  

 

How in the world did Robert Wise, Nicholas Meyer, and Leonard Nimoy get the performances they got out of Shatner just a few years later?

 

 

Tons of bonus features and two other full length features are included.  This is a safe blind buy for anyone who likes a bad movie that will make you laugh. 
 

Impulse, Grindhouse Video

 

 

[Sweeping Strings 2,364]

On 29/03/2024 at 8:51 PM, Andy said:

Doesn’t this Sky Pirates (1986) Blu Ray set look awesome?  Well, it is.  I own it.  Unfortunately  the movie itself is a real stinker.  
 

The Bad:

The script is really boring, cluttered and confusing. The pacing is blah.  It really could’ve used more tongue in cheek humor like the superior Indy rip-off, King Solomon’s Mines. 
 

The Good:  

The aerial stunt work is quite effective.  Many of the airplane scenes look better than anything we’d see 3 years later in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  In fact, I’m not certain if any models were used at all. 
 

Composer Brian May delivers the goods with a cracking fun jaunty score. 

 

It’s a shame this Ozploitation Indy Rip-Off didn’t lean more into the fun, because it doesn’t look cheap, the costume designer did well, and the marketing department gave it their best. 
 

The deluxe Blu Ray comes with a really cool booklet on “Indiana Clones”, a guide to Raiders rip-offs. 

I’ve not seen either of those.  Project Wolf Hunting looks like a decent modern violence fest. 

Have never seen that ... surprised that I didn't rent it on VHS back in the day. Even more surprised to hear King Solomon's Mines described as superior ... sure I enjoyed it at the time, but a last-few-years rewatch revealed it to be a shonky Cannon cheapo. Particular 'highlights' were the crane/framework/whatever (that the tribe who hang upside down from trees were ACTUALLY hanging from) being clearly visible in shot and probably the worst giant spider I've ever seen in a film. 

[Andy 4,144]

King Solomon’s Mines actually looks cheaper and has lots of seams showing, but it doesn’t take itself seriously.  It knows it’s a Cannon film.   Sky Pirates is just really boring, except for a few setpieces, number one being the aerial stunts. 

[Sweeping Strings 2,364]

Having looked up Sky Pirates on Wikipedia, gotta say its McGuffin sounds (appropriately enough?) not unlike the Dial Of Destiny.

[Andy 4,144]

It did to me too!  I was thinking it would be prescient in the way Billy Zane’s Phantom was after Crystal Skulls.  
 

It sounds good on paper. Time vortexes, a powerful tablet broken into three parts, Easter Island.   It’s watchable, but only that. 

[Sweeping Strings 2,364]

Given the mention of the Shat in this thread, here's an enjoyable 'creature feature' with him that fits right in to it - 



Think Arachnophobia, but without the gags. 

[Andy 4,144]

Great fun, that one. Love the scene of Shatner picking live tarantulas off the car seat before getting in his truck. 

[Sweeping Strings 2,364]

Something like 5000 live tarantulas used in the filming. Kudos to the cast ... there wouldn't be a fee high enough for me *shudders*. 

[Andy 4,144]

the Sword and the Sorcerer , 1982

D. Albert Pyun

 

 

Wow, that poster looks like it was airbrushed onto the side of a 70s Van!  Believe it or not, everything in that poster actually happens in the climax of the film.  The problem is, Albert Pyun makes really crappy movies (Cyborg, Captain America, and almost Cannon’s Spider-Man), as in boring.  Not enough sword, and definitely not enough sorcery.  It’s a bit of a slog. I always remember this VHS was ubiquitous at every video store. Although I can’t imagine watching it on VHS because boy is it DARK.  There’s decent swashbuckling from our hero, but it’s a lot of back and forth getting new characters to help aid the revolution.  Richard Moll is good as the sorcerer, there’s just not enough of him. 
 

5/10

[Andy 4,144]

Private Resort (1985)

 

 

I felt like watching a shitty Spring Break style teen sex comedy. So my wife picked Private Resort, probably hoping to see some early Johnny Depp.  From the box art, you could assume it’s a Depp vehicle, and you’d be wrong.  Oh he’s in it a lot, but it seemed like he was Rob Morrow’s sidekick. 
 

No matter. You get two horny guys with zero backstory looking to get laid at the resort.  Hector Elizondo plays “The Maestro”, a bumbling jewel thief who…

 

Ah, who cares?  There’s plenty of bewbs, bare ass from both Depp and Morrow, lots of physical Benny Hill style comedy, no tattoos, zero diversity (unless you count the two Sumo wrestlers), and the large chested woman from the Police Academy movies.  
 

Did I mention there’s bewbs?
 

How the hell do I give this a number ranking out of 10?  I’m not gonna even try.  Sad fact is, I laughed at this stupid but entertaining time capsule.  A throwback then even to those old ribald Euro sex comedies.  They don’t and can’t make them like this anymore. 
 

 

[Sweeping Strings 2,364]

Sometimes, I'll discover sex comedies etc that have been 'snuck onto' YouTube uncut and the YT overlords haven't cottoned on yet. Always fun, hehehe. 

[Sweeping Strings 2,364]

This is on the Legend channel tonight and having had a site devoted to Brit horror movies tell me that 'there's a lot of blood and quite a lot of nudity', the Tivo has been duly set to record it - 


 

[Andy 4,144]

Wow!  This one sounds right up my alley after reading a few reviews. Sounds like a campy horror comedy with late era Hammer sensibilities.  I will look forward to your review. Definitely adding this to my list!

[Sweeping Strings 2,364]

Could well be part of another 'Saturday night double feature' this weekend, if I can find a suitable second flick.  

[Sweeping Strings 2,364]

Bingo! Another channel called Talking Pictures TV has Silent Rage (an apparently utterly preposterous Chuck Norris action/sci-fi/horror number) on tomorrow night, so I'll record that too  . 

[Andy 4,144]

Deathstalker (1983)

 

Oh this is ridiculously fun!  Antihero Richard Hill wears a blonde wig the production designer got at a Halloween store.   The story is so thin, there’s nothing to get in the way of all the fights, rotoscoping magic effects, and oh yeah tons of nudity.  This is a Conan ripoff done right.  Deathstalker does indeed battle a pig headed monster like in the poster. Oddly enough, this came out the same year as Return of the Jedi, and the monster in the film looks a bit like one of Jabba’s Gamorrean Guards. 
 

Lana Clarkson plays Deathstalker’s woman. A Valeria to his Conan, she holds her own with a sword, and fights topless, but with a cloak bearing it all, as though she stepped right from the pages of Heavy Metal.  Come to find out, the actress as sadly murdered by Phil Spector in 2003 at age 40.  
 

This is the first of four in the series. I understand part 2 is the best regarded. 
 

This was a solid 8/10 for stupid sword and sorcery entertainment.  I laughed. 

[Nick1Ø66 4,722]

@Andy, have you seen Hawk the Slayer? If not, given you’ve already worked your way through Sword & the Sorcerer & Deathstalker, it needs to be next on your list.

 

Dwarfs! Giants! Magic swords! And yes, that’s Jack Palance as Darth Vader.

 

 

 

 

[Sweeping Strings 2,364]

Hawk is more of a PG-rated experience than the likes of Deathstalker, if memory serves. John Terry's arguable career highlight was as Felix Leiter in The Living Daylights. 

[Andy 4,144]

@Nick1Ø66 Hawk is definitely on my list!  Thanks for the clips, it looks craptacular!  Jack Palance looks like he’s having a jolly good time hamming it up.  Conansploitation movies looked like they could be made for very little money, a little rotoscoping, convincing poster art, and boom you’ve got a movie. 

[Sweeping Strings 2,364]

That genre's posters are definitely ... of a sort, shall we say. 

You're not wrong about the money, Andy ... Hawk's budget was £600,000, which even back then would've been low. 

[Nick1Ø66 4,722]

On 23/4/2024 at 12:28 AM, Sweeping Strings said:

Hawk is more of a PG-rated experience than the likes of Deathstalker, if memory serves.

 

Definitely. Lots of violence, no blood.

 

The movie almost has a surreal quality about it, and best watched late night I think. It's bad, of course, but still weirdly entertaining, with some genuinely funny moments between the Dwarf & Giant, and both actors play their outrageous roles with aplomb. 

[Andy 4,144]

You had me at Dwarf and Giant.

[Brónach 1,302]

Trash?

 

Can we talk about Star Wars here?

[GerateWohl 4,373]

Nice try.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,554]

17 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

Nice try.

 

... Lao Che

[Andy 4,144]

9 hours ago, Brónach said:

Trash?

 

Can we talk about Star Crash  here?

 

Absolutely.  It's one of my favorite ripoffs.  Just an absolute delight watching Caroline Munro pretend to be Barbarella.  It also has some of the prettiest, most colorful star fields, and a fun score by John Barry.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,554]

It's a "absolute delight" watching Caroline Munro in anything! 

Along with Valerie Leon, that was my teenage years sorted 

[JWScores 28]

21 hours ago, Brónach said:

Trash?

 

Can we talk about Star Wars here?

 

No, but on that topic, I'm surprised that no one has mentioned "The Humanoid" (1979) so far. It's not just trash, it actually redefines the concept of trash itself. Score by Morricone, of course!

 

Judge by yourself (I only managed to watch the first 10 minutes or so, then I found it impossible to watch further):