15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

As with most challenges, the goal is to reach 100 movies. Your own goal might be higher or lower. Challenge begins April 1, 2024, 12:00 am EDT (or Dusk March 31) and ends May 1 at dawn.



Sex, violence, torn-from-today's-headlines shockers, fast cars, faster pussycats, psycho killers and kids run wild — throw a few (or all) of these ingredients into a pot, let the whole thing boil over, and you have the recipe for some tasty exploitation cinema.

What kinds of films are we talking about? Well, there is no hard and fast rule. This one is largely up to you.

<table width="713" border="1" align="center">
<tr>
<td width="700">
<h3><a href="http://www.flickchart.com/Charts.aspx?genre=Exploitation+Film">
What is an exploitation movie?
</a></h3>
<p>Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex, violence, romance, etc. An exploitation film, however, relies heavily on sensationalist advertising and broad and lurid overstatement of the issues depicted, regardless of the intrinsic quality of the film. Very often, exploitation films are of low quality in every sense. However, this has not always been the case. Exploitation films sometimes attract critical attention and cult followings.</p></td>
</tr>
</table>

Rules

The Goal is 100 films. These type of films tend to be short, but they also might be a challenge to get through. Your personal goal might be higher or lower, depending on your tolerance for this type of cinema.

A film can only be counted once per list with the exception of riffed/commentaried films (see below).

This challenge is for Movies. Although we are not allowing TV shows, Made for TV Movies are allowed as are Direct to Video features.

We are allowing documentaries on Exploitation and Drive-ins and those involved with the production thereof. These should be features over 40 minutes.. We are also allowing trailer compilations, such as 42nd Street Forever and Something Weird compilations. Compilations should be at least an hour.
Throw a viewing party and show trailers between movies.

Mystery Science Theater 3000, Riff Trax, Cinematic Titanic, etc. are allowed. If there is a second riffed version (for example, MST3K did one, then Cinematic Titanic did the same movie) you may watch the second and any additional riffed versions for a full credit each, but I encourage you to just watch another movie, instead.

Commentaries. All commentaries count as views.

B-Movies are still included, but you are on your own with those. If you understand the actual concept of B-Movies and don't need individual confirmations on titles then you are welcome to have this be your challenge.

Films that have been nominated for Oscars are discouraged but not banned. I had originally wanted this to be the only hard rule, but I came across too many exceptions.

Drive-In exception rule: Any film seen in an actual Drive-In during the challenge 2024, regardless of other qualification, counts toward your list.. Please note that it was a Drive-In Movie.

Mini-series and Serials: We will go with the Sci-Fi rule on TV Mini-series (one "night" equals an entry), on Serials (we'll go with an hour's worth per entry), provided they actually were theatrical serials. A serial episode is about 15-20 minutes, so an hour's worth counts as an entry. Four-15 minute ones or Three-20 minute episodes. You can round up. This goes for other shorts and compilations as well.

There are 3 Wild Cards for non-conforming films. These are ones that are close but may have some doubts about.

For fun, keep a running tally of "before they were famous" appearances in your list.

Please number your lists. Also, it is helpful to put a link to your list in your signature. This makes it easier for others to check out your list.

Please tally your totals including "new views" at the end of the challenge.

"I still don't understand what kinds of movies you are talking about."

This list is not exclusive nor definitive, but these are the most representative movies for the challenge:
Italian (or European) films of the following Genres:
* Giallo/Krimi
* Sword & Sandal
* Spaghetti Western
* Cannibal Film
Martial Arts film:
* Bruce Lee-sploitation (Starring any variation on Bruce Li, Le, etc.)
* Hong Kong (or other Asian) film
* American film
* Any "Ninja" film
* Bonus* Actual Bruce Lee film
Asian Action Film
Biker Film
Stoner Film
Carsploitation Film
FADsploitation
Blaxploitation
Sexploitation:
* Any type
* Nudie Cutie
* Roughie
* 70s Porn (film)
* Emmanuelle Film
* Teen Sex Comedy
Nunsploitation
Shocksploitation
Rape/Revenge Film
Vigilante Film
Women in Prison
Nazisploitation
Eschploitation (religious end times, or general religious exploitation)
Hixploitation/Moonshiners
Roadshow Exploitation/30s-40s "Cautionary" films
Juvenile Delinquent Film
60s Beach Movie
Film starring Musical Group or Music Star (that did not become a legit actor)
* *Bonus* Elvis film
Ozploitation
(NEW) Canuxploitation
Mexican Wrestling Film
Foreign "Ripoff" film (such as Turkish cinema)
Eco-Terror Film
Pre-90s Post-Apocalyptic film
Plague-sploitation
Mockbuster
"Mondo" Film
Documentary ABOUT Exploitation/Drive-ins or those involved in their production
Video Nasty
Critical Bomb (Less than 20% Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic or IMDB Bottom 100 {Bottom 100 archive})
Financial Bomb
Razzie Winner or Nominee
MST3K/RiffTrax (or Cinematic Titanic) version of a film
Trailer Compilation (feature length)
LGBTQ film

Great resource for movies: Letterboxd user Andrew Liverod has curated Genre: Exploitation (100 Years: 1896-1995). The nice thing about Letterboxd is that you can filter to see what's available to stream on your services. For instance, there are presently 205 titles from that comprehensive list presently streaming on Paramount+. In the notes for that list are links to sub-genre lists, including (I think) all the ones in the checklist and several more. Now that Spring has begun, for instance, beach movies come to mind. Selecting the Genre: Exploitation - Beach Party Movies (100 Years: 1896-1995) list shows eleven Beach Party movies streaming on Paramount+.



In the WIKI is a list of filmmakers and actors that by their very presence make a film "safe". While some of these people (actors especially) might have some exceptions in their credits (like Star Trek for William Shatner), generally films with the listed creative talent are safe for the challenge. Questions? Ask in the thread.

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

Coming up on that time again. Old business? New business? Hard to believe we are at 15 years. My heart is a bit low this year, as I lost my best friend I used to share this hobby with. He usually had a list but didn't really talk much in the threads, Chet Desmond. I want to continue to do these in his honor.

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

Caligula, so sorry to hear about your friend. I lost my best friend almost 10 years ago. We had been buddies since were were kids and I'm over 70 now. I still miss him especially around San Diego Comic Con time and Christmas which is usually when we got together as adults. It still hurts but with that now comes a wistful, nostalgic smile as I think about the times we had.

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

So sorry to hear about your friend CtG. What were their favorite films?

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

Thanks. Dawn of the Dead was his favorite, but a few months ago his work friends organized a screening of Rock 'n' Roll High School at a local theater. We were both huge Ramones fans and that was a particular favorite.
His lists (under the name Chet Desmond) are pretty detailed. I scored a Andy Milligan poster (Man with Two Heads) and he would have been the only one I know that gets the significance of it. We both bought the box set and had some friends join us for a binge watch of about 12 hours of Milligan. Met him in college over 35 years ago and bonded over John Waters, George Romero, and David Lynch. It helped that he worked in a video store at the time in the small town we lived in and we became roommates moving to the big city for a few years til he got married. Twin Peaks was a shared obsession. We went to several 24 hour Horror marathons and Exploitation/Drive-in marathons where we would drop LSD and enjoy the movies. Our first viewing of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls was at a 12 hour schlock-a-thon on acid. As was the first viewing of what ultimately became my all time favorite film, Spider Baby. For the record, I haven't indulged in that or anything else for over 20-something years. Eventually, we started doing our own. I would compile trailers and shorts to watch between movies and we would do two or three a year. Over time, as age and adulting caught up, the amount of movies would reduce from 8 or nine to 3 or 4, but each with 20-40 minutes of trailers and shorts between. His presence lessened over time for now what I understand was health reasons. It is kind of what inspired this challenge. I had come up with the idea of a Sci-Fi challenge after participating in Chad's Horror challenge but kind of sat on it and someone else serendipitously came up with the idea. My primary love, though, is these type of movies, Drive-in and Exploitation, so I jumped at that and it worked out better. Safe lists came from Cinemageddon, but the rest was my take on how a challenge should run.

He was being treated for rheumatoid arthritis and during treatment they discovered a rare and aggressive "Acute undifferentiated leukemia". In the United States between 2000 and 2016, there were 1,888 cases of AUL. He decided to just let it take its course, which turned out to be weeks. He didn't tell anyone. I got the news from his brother, who also didn't know until after he was gone. This was in July and he would have been 59 that December. This year would have been 60. I'm about to hit 55 this May, so it hit hard. Thanks for the kind words.

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

So tough when someone is just gone unexpectedly. I’ll watch in his honor this month.

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

I’m so sorry for your loss CtG. I’m sure that he is looking down on you with happiness that you are keeping this going in his honor.

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

My condolences CtG. I lost a good friend to colon cancer earlier this year, and it's a painful, humbling experience.

I'm very glad that you started this challenge. Before participating, the closest I got to watching exploitation movies were sci-fi b-movies or Tarantino and similar modern homages/parodies. Honestly, I didn't care for Tarantino's movies before participating in this challenge and understanding the types of films from which he was drawing inspiration. Due to my desire to mark things off the check list, I found so many weirdo movies and genres that I absolutely love. This challenge in particular has changed my viewing habits, the types of movies that I watch, and the amount of violence I can stomach. I've become a devotee of the cheapy post-apocalypse flick and the marital arts movie. I've found that I like nunsploitation and "roughies" - two genres that I would have never considered watching when I was younger. I really appreciate all the work you and others put into the challenge, lists, and discussion.

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

Thanks. Tarantino often gets accused of ripping these types of films off, but what he's doing is essentially being a DJ and sampling genres. His book on Cinema Speculation really goes into depth on certain films, which expands into the genres themselves, and explores his influences in general. I got a lot of films out of it and want to do more. I love Horror, but my taste is more silents up to the 80s with a handful of 90s. So, during the challenges I find I've seen most of what interest me and rewatch favorites. This challenge is bottomless. There are always undiscovered films, but there also so many films I've heard of but never got around to seeing. For instance, last year, I was intrigued by Tarantino's chapter on "Joe", with Peter Boyle. I had heard of it because it was mentioned on the poster for Last House on the Left but never really thought about it til he raved it. Great movie.

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

Thanks for telling us about him. So many of you all here I feel like I should know, because I see your list posts year after year, but only some of us really open up and get to know each other a bit.

I’ll open up my Milligan boxset in Chet’s honor this April.

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

I'm in.
May this challenge live up to Chet's memory.
I watched a horrible crappy b-movie yesterday (Courtney Gets Possessed, blah) and it made me think of this event.

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

I have to strongly agree with this. I had a little more exposure to these kinds of movies than mrcellophane seemed to have had due to seeing serials, AIP and Universal monster movies, and Godzilla films on TV when I was a kid and being introduced to some classic Hong Kong films later in life which were shown at the San Diego Comic Con by Ric Meyers. All the information provided in the introduction to this challenge and the safe lists really expanded my horizons though. I'm now a fan of almost every kind of movie that's in the list in the first post except maybe Emmanuelle movies. For some reason, I just can't get into Emmanuelle movies. Also this challenge was the reason I joined DVD Talk. I had been aware of the Horror Challenge and even started to watch a bunch of horror in October but when I read about this challenge I just had to jump in. So let me add my thanks to everyone. I can hardly wait!

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

Glad we are all still enjoying this challenge. It means a lot to get feedback like that. For me, it's all about the appreciation of these types of movies more than any competition or prizes.

I'll bring up a great source for films. Arrow-Player.com Free 14 day trial and $6.99 for a month. Excellent selection and you can kill the whole challenge with just that site.

https://www.arrow-player.com/videos/...-arrow-trailer

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

The Emmanuelle checkmark has always alluded me, so I just purchased the first three movies, unseen, from Kino Lorber's OOP sale. I'll see if I enjoy them or if they will just be padding to my KL collection. I'm gay so the usual sexploitation film don't have the intended effect on me, but I'm always curious to see what older filmmakers and audience found titillating and boundary-pushing.

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

Last night I happened to find my copy of Revenge Of The Ninja without even looking for it. I was just sitting at my computer and leaned over the arm of my chair to plug one of my consoles in. The door to my tv cabinet was open and I keep some of my DVDs in the compartment. RoTN was sitting off to the side in plain sight. This makes the entire trilogy since I have a digital copy of Enter The Ninja and I have Ninja III on Blu Ray.

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

Ditto. It'a shame there aren't many exploitation films showing naked men. 10 to Midnight and Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker are two that come to mind, and of course the entire filmography of David DeCouteau.

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

I agree. After enjoying some nunsploitation films, I lamented to my friends that homophobia robbed us of a bevy of 70s films about hunky, naked monks cavorting and whipping each other behind monastery walls. I'd be so on board for that. The closest we get is the film adaptation of The Name of the Rose.

I've seen and enjoyed Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker, but I've not watched 10 to Midnight. I'll check it out.

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

List thread is up. I'll add in the safe lists and check lists when I get a chance.

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

I bought a Sniper six-pack for like 10 bucks and I was about to start it for the action challenge then figured the DTV angle would work for this instead.

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

Last night I was scrolling through the live tv section of my Roku TV. I found both HI-YAH! and the El Rey Network among the channels. Since the Action/Adventure challenge was still going on anyway, I settled in and watched War Of The Arrows ​​​​​. I enjoyed it very much, and thought of it as also a nice teaser for next week.

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

For those with the Criterion Channel, they've got a collection of Razzie Winners on right now that would qualify.

Also, looks like a great time to dig deeper into Tubi.

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

I recently finished the audiobook of True Indie by Don Coscarelli, creator of Phantasm and have been wanting to watch his catalog. First couple are a bit hard to get, but I found them.He made them both at 19 years of age.

• Jim the World's Greatest (1976)
• Kenny & Company (1976)

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

Thanks for the reminder that I have this in my Audible library. Queuing it up for drive time during the Challenge.

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

OK, checklist and safe lists are up. No changes from last year.

Re: 15th Annual Drive-in/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge April 1-30, 2024
 

I was on a torrent sight and saw screenshots for some creepy looking old lady killer movie. For some reason, creepy old ladies really work for me, and creep me out. Anyway, it was a 1313 film, but I had no clue what it was. I downloaded and watched and was wondering why there were no women outside the creepy old lady in the mansion... then the shower scene happened... and it was just your average soft core soapy scene, except the young sorority sister was replaced by a chiseled, fraternety jock. I paused the movie and looked it up, and thats when I learned about1313 films. I finished the film, more so cause it still had a creepy element, and not to mention how many times ive seen the reverse, and my gay friends never complained to me. Doing my research, I did see that that film which was 1313: night of the widow, isn't as obvious as others... just seeing a trailer of guys walking around in tighty whities for other films would probably of had me realize sooner.