Where Have All The Midnight Movies Gone?
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Midnight Movies aren't just a late night visit to the cinema to see a movie. They are a wholly encompassing cinematic experience, shared by and created by everyone involved. The guys who seek out the best in weird and wonderful cult cinema to share with a devoted audience appreciative of those guys stepping outside of the mainstream to bring them something special. Of course it all starts with the choice of movie, but that's only part of the picture. The audience themselves make-up a massive part of the over-riding experience, as they engaged with and often participated with action on screen. The late night clandestine nature of a midnight showing in an old dilapidated cinema, or quirky off-beat venue. Often advertised through word-of-mouth and the odd flyer posted in trendy cafes and bars. Get any of these elements wrong and the whole thing could be a bust. Especially these days, with easy access to cult films through the Internet and specialist distribution companies, meaning anyone can sit in the comfort of their own home witha HDTV and watch movies that once only could be accessed via those midnight showings.
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However not just any old cult film will do, there is something that a midnight movie has that makes watching into the early hours of the morning a special experience. There has to be something more than the movie being simply offbeat or quirky, a good midnight movie has to suited to the time it is being viewed. There is often a surreal, almost dream (or nightmare) quality to them. A movie that's out of time, and out of step with the status quo. Which is why El Topo (1970) became the movie that caused the explosion of the midnight movie scene in New York during the early 70s. Jodorowsky's surrealist spaghetti western packed with mystical imagery and buckets of gore was perfect late night viewing. Many of the movies that became popular on the midnight circuit had something that touched on the culture of the times, brought an otherworldliness to viewers, had a camp element due to them being out of time or were significant milestones of the era. The phenomena of the midnight movie showing was all but killed off by the advent of VHS video players, and by the mid-80s was pretty much at an end. Some movies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) carried on being shown in cinemas regularly to packed houses of die-hard fans. It is only recently that there has been an resurgence of the midnight movie experience, as the ageing geeks, freaks and hipsters of Generation X look to revive the cinematic coming together. No longer confined to cinemas, as most of the old arthouse cinemas are long gone, replaced by soul-less multiplexes. Now cult film aficionados are organising showings in clubs, cafes, bars and any suitable venue they can set-up and projector and screen. But the question is... What constitutes a midnight movie?
Personally I have issue with what some people describe as a cult film, never mind which of them have that special quality to be considered suitable for a midnight showing. So I'm putting my neck on the line and have listed what I consider would make good midnight movies. I've also listed 12 of the original midnight movies for comparison.
Personally I have issue with what some people describe as a cult film, never mind which of them have that special quality to be considered suitable for a midnight showing. So I'm putting my neck on the line and have listed what I consider would make good midnight movies. I've also listed 12 of the original midnight movies for comparison.
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Top Ten: Horror Of Movie Musicals - A bizarre countdown of some of the worst and the best of weird and way-out movie musicals based on the themes of horror and sci-fi.
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Top Ten: Freaky Frankenstein Movies - Bad art-house, B-movie cash-ins, comedies, blaxpolitation, horror and as much marvellously monstrous madness to satisfy everyone's Frankenstein needs.
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12 Of The Originals
12 From the 80's & 90's |
12 From the 2000's |
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Blade Runner (1982)
The Goonies (1985) Brazil (1985) Demons (1985) Straight To Hell (1987) Lost Boys (1987) Society (1987) Troll 2 (1988) Trainspotting (1996) Dazed & Confused (1997) Six String Samurai (1998) Fight Club (1999) |
Donnie Darko (2001)
Reefer Madness - The Musical (2005) V For Vendetta (2005) The Fountain (2006) The Fall (2006) Rubber (2010) Beyond The Black Rainbow (2010) Enter The Void (2010) Love (2011) God Bless America (2011) The Lords Of Salem (2012) Snowpiercer (2013) |
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Top Ten: Exploitation Cinema Documentaries - Weird Retro presents its Top Ten of the best documentaries about exploitation and Grindhouse cinema.
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Top Ten: Really Undervalued Robots - Side-lined by the more famous movie robots, we present a top ten of some of the most underrated robots in movie history. In my opinion anyway!
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Top Ten: Christmas Slasher Movies - A festive season sub-genre of the slasher movie genre. And one that in many ways started it all with 1974's Black Christmas.
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