It seems hard to believe, given their recent output, but there was a time when the major studios considered themselves to be above exploiting lurid subject matter. Studio movies had big budgets, big stars and, in an attempt to lure viewers away from their TV sets, widescreen colour cinematography. In keeping with the Hays Production Code, they did not depict sex and nudity, bloody gore or violence. What changed their minds were independent filmmakers like Herschell Gordon Lewis and Roger Corman, whose low budget exploitation pictures made millions while Hollywood continued turning out costly flops such as Cleopatra and Paint Your Wagon. The times, as well as audiences, were changing, and Hollywood had to change with them. Much has been made about the audience for pictures like The Sound Of Music turning its back on Hollywood, but you could also say that Tinseltown forgot those viewers and instead began making glorified exploitation films. Slicker, better-paced films with name actors that were only distinguishable from Roger Cormans output in terms of scale. They were also toned down for mass consumption and lacked the raw power of a movie made on a tight budget and schedule by talented amateurs with no guaranteed distribution. Old isnt always better, but sometimes it is.
Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'
