Exploitation films are a type of film that relies heavily on marketing that exploits or takes advantage of topics that are taboo, forbidden or sensational and will attract a lot of popular and word of mouth attention without traditional marketing.

Exploitation movies have been around since the early days of Hollywood. For example, two movies that can be viewed on my site are exploitation films from the 1930s.

“Reefer Madness (1938). Considered THE archetypal anti-drug tabloid movie, it is actually an exploitation movie made to capitalize on the hot taboo subject of marijuana use. Like many exploitation movies of the time, “Reefer Madness” tried to make a quick buck off of a prohibited subject while breaking the Motion Picture Production Code of 1930. The Code prohibited the depiction of immoral acts such as drug use, use, or trafficking in such drugs, nor will scenes depicting the use of illegal drugs, or their effects, in detail.)

“The film toured the country for many years, often being reissued and retitled (“Tell Your Kids”, “Dope Addict”, “Doped Youth”, “Love Madness”, “The Burning Question”). rediscovered in the early 1970s by NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) and projected again as an example of the government’s demonization of marijuana Esper, tried before the Arizona Supreme Court that “Reefer Madness” was not a trashy exploitation movie, but was actually sponsored by the US government, a convincing lie, but a lie nonetheless.”

And “Sex Madness” (1938). This is another typical sexual exploitation movie from the 1930s, with wild parties, sex outside of marriage, lesbianism, etc. A showgirl’s exposure to the “casting couch” also exposes her to syphilis. he hoped to capitalize on the taboo subjects of venereal disease, premarital sex, lesbianism, etc., while circumventing the 1930 Motion Picture Production Code, which prohibited a film containing such content from being shown in theaters dilapidated and marginal. re-edited and retitled (“Human Wreckage”, “They Must Be Told”, “Trial Marriage”, “About Trial Marriage”) many times to attract the same audience to the film, to take advantage of a taboo subject that may have recently received press or to appease local censors who disapproved of the film’s content.”

Exploitation films generally rely heavily on sensational promotion, regardless of the quality of the film. Very often, exploitation films are low budget and low quality. But this, however, is not always true. Exploitation films sometimes attract the attention of critics and even cult followings.

Exploitation films often exploit events occurring in the news and in the public consciousness in the short term that major film studios may not take on due to the production time of a major film.

Sometimes anti-government movies will also exploit a growing minority sentiment. For example, many war movies were made about the Korean and Vietnam wars before the major studios became interested in those subjects.

Some exploitation films also exploit major studio projects. Lower-budget films often use a faster production schedule and can take advantage of major studio publicity on a particular subject or film. For example, Edward L. Alperson produced William Cameron Menzies’s “Invaders from Mars” to beat Paramount Pictures’ prestigious George Pal version of “War of the Worlds” in theaters. Pal’s “The Time Machine” was also overtaken in theaters by Robert Clarke’s Edgar G. Ulmer film “Beyond the Time Barrier” (1960). As a result, many major studios, producers, and stars keep their projects under wraps.

If you’re interested in the rich and unique American history of exploitation films, there are two excellent books on the subject:

“Forbidden Fruit: The Golden Age of the Exploitation Film”, Felicia Feaster and Bret Wood, Midnight Marquee Press, 1999.

“Bold! Bold! Shocking! True! A History of the Exploitation Movies, 1919 – 1959” Eric Schaefer, Duke University Press, 1999.