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MIDNIGHT MOVIES: FROM THE MARGIN TO THE MAINSTREAM (kind of)

A good documentary that essentially documents the birth of the midnight movie phenomenon and cult films in general, specifically focusing on EL TOPO, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, THE HARDER THEY COME, PINK FLAMINGOS, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, and ERASERHEAD. It’s a slick affair with interesting interviews with the likes of John Waters, Alejandro Jodorowsky, David Lynch, George A. Romero, Richard O’Brien, and many more. My only real issue with it is that the title says “from margin to mainstream” and the film’s thesis implies that it’s going to comment on how cult movies from this era were co-opted by Hollywood with the birth of the blockbuster, but the movie barely touches on it, merely stating that it happened without going into any detail, which is a shame, because it would’ve been an interesting topic to explore, and given the short running time, it’s something they could’ve tacked on an extra 10 minutes or so for. Seek this out, especially if there’s a movie on the list that you haven’t seen.