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Simply put, exploitation films seek to engage audiences “by means of its sensationalist or controversial content” (Oxford Languages.) It’s a genre of cheaply made “B” Movies that “exploits” divisive content. These films didn’t intend to do much more than sell tickets and keep audiences moderately entertained for the 90 minutes they sat in the theater, but these films were good at making money for studios. That said, they weren’t substantial. “Successful” exploitation films weren’t meant to stick with their viewers, they were meant to be profitable. But regardless of the intention of these films, oftentimes, they did stick with people. Despite the minimal effort that went into the making of an exploitation film, these movies managed to “set trends, attract critical attention, become historically important, and even gained a cult following” (Vanity Fair). This really isn’t a surprise. More than anything, exploitation films were meant to entice people by introducing them to topics that were previously deemed taboo. These movies provided audiences with explicit depictions of sex, violence, and drug abuse—“taboo” subjects that had never been explored in film previously. Predictably, while some positively received these films, the people who did enjoy this genre did not make up the majority.
While a few exploitation films managed to gain cult followings, they were widely deemed “ethnically dubious, industrially marginal, and aesthetically bankrupt” (Duke University Press) In other words, exploitation film was seen as immoral garbage by many. But that didn’t stop the genre from expanding in scope, evolving, and eventually forming its own subgenres. The exploitation genre started in the early 20th century with movies like Traffic in Souls in 1913 which discussed topics around prostitution, Reefer Madness (1936) which told the story of a principal teaching parents about the dangers of weed, and Mom and Dad (1945), a film about two teen parents. With our modern ideas of what is and isn’t moral, it’s difficult to imagine that any of these films would be considered controversial. Exploitation as a genre was quite popular with many audiences during so-called “pre-code Hollywood.” This was a period roughly between 1927 and 1934 when the American film industry was making their raciest films yet, by their standards.
In 1934, the Hays Code was enforced by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and stayed that way for the next 30 years. The Hays Code was a list of guidelines the industry wrote for themselves that prevented filmmakers from showing explicit depictions of profanity, suggestive nudity, graphic or realistic violence, sexual persuasions, and rape. The Hays Code also notoriously dissuaded filmmakers from discussing “perverse” subjects, which included depictions of homosexuality. While we no longer have a Hays Code, we do have a Parental Advisory Rating Board, which, rather than preventing filmmakers from showing certain things at all, allows audiences to decide what they’re comfortable watching based on a sort of “warning” by way of the film’s rating. All this is to say that we’re still living in a post-Code world. So even though as a society we’re more open to what is or isn’t moral, the film industry now is, in many ways, still more restrictive than it was before the 1930s. With this in mind, it’s difficult to imagine that exploitation films, a genre that relies on its ability to depict controversial topics in an explicit way, was able to survive. And yet, it did. Despite my best efforts, I haven’t been able to figure out exactly how these films were allowed to be released during the 30 years the Hays Code was in place, only that the restrictive nature of the code resulted in a “golden age” for the genre. If I had to guess, I’d assume that exploitation film was only being shown in “grindhouses,” movie theaters where the films that weren’t deemed “respectable” enough were shown. Exploitation film was the forbidden fruit, and everyone wanted a taste.
I mentioned briefly that exploitation films have a plethora of subgenres, many of which you may have heard of and never realized were exploitation. These include horror subgenres such as Giallo and splatter films, creature features, revenge, rape and revenge films, and of course, Blaxploitation.
Blaxploitation was one of the largest subgenres to come out of exploitation films. It is a combination of the words Black and exploitation that emerged in the 1970s; a genre of film made by black filmmakers, starred black actors, and were made for black audiences. Like the exploitation films that preceded them, Blaxploitation films depicted crime, sex, and drugs, but with a twist: racial tensions. While I wouldn’t say that these exploitation films were any less, well, exploitative than the films made for wider audiences, they were still largely built upon addressing controversial issues, Blaxploitation films allowed filmmakers to make movies that were able to depict what life was like as a Black person in America. What their interests, culture, and struggles were, in addition to being cash grabs. Because of this, Blaxploitation wasn’t seen as simple entertainment, but as a means of empowerment. At first glance, this may seem difficult to believe. If you were to google Blaxploitation films right now, you’d be greeted with the likes of Blacula, Blackenstein, and Super Fly, movies that you wouldn’t typically associate with being the pioneers of Black liberation. But you’d be surprised. Many people watched and enjoyed these films in the 70s, and many people watch and enjoy them today, so I don’t want to undermine the impact they had and are having on audiences. That said, the popularity of Blaxploitation was an essential stepping stone for black filmmakers to eventually move on to make other films. Once black filmmakers were given the opportunity to prove that they could make entertaining films, they were finally given the chance to make films that were both entertaining and meaningful. In doing so, these filmmakers proved to themselves, their community, and wider society that Black stories were ones worth telling. Blaxploitation film has inspired a plethora of revered filmmakers, namely Spike Lee and Quentin Tarantino. This age of cinema was vital for films like Do The Right Thing, Kill Bill, and otherwise to be what they are. If nothing else, I’d implore you to appreciate the creation of these films simply because of the ones we wouldn’t have now had they never existed.