RE/Search: Incredibly Strange Films

RE/Search: Incredibly Strange Films examines obscure, low-budget, and unconventional films from the 1950s-1980s through interviews and essays. The book features conversations with directors, actors, and film archivists who worked in exploitation cinema, B-movies, and underground film genres. The volume includes profiles of filmmakers like Herschell Gordon Lewis, Russ Meyer, and Ted V. Mikels, along with detailed discussions of their production methods and artistic philosophies. Technical aspects of guerrilla filmmaking are covered through firsthand accounts, while promotional strategies and distribution challenges for independent films are documented. Critical essays analyze various subgenres including sexploitation, horror, educational shorts, and mondo films. The book contains rare photographs, movie posters, and behind-the-scenes images from many hard-to-find films. The work stands as both a historical document of fringe cinema and an exploration of DIY creativity in film production outside the mainstream studio system. Through its examination of outsider art and alternative media, the book raises questions about artistic freedom, censorship, and the relationship between commerce and creativity.

Readers view this book as a reference guide that introduced many obscure exploitation films and B-movies to new audiences in the 1980s. What readers liked: - In-depth interviews with directors like Russ Meyer and Herschell Gordon Lewis - Behind-the-scenes details about low-budget filmmaking - Introduction to films they hadn't heard of before - Quality black and white photos and movie stills Common criticisms: - Some readers found the interview format repetitive - Coverage focused mainly on American films - Limited information about where to find the featured movies - Print quality issues in later editions Ratings: Goodreads: 4.13/5 (177 ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (12 reviews) "This book opened up a whole new world of cinema for me" - Goodreads reviewer "The interviews get tedious but the film descriptions make great viewing recommendations" - Amazon reviewer Many readers noted they still reference their worn copies decades after publication.

Midnight Movies by J. Hoberman, Jonathan Rosenbaum This exploration of underground cinema examines six landmark cult films and their creators through historical context and cultural impact.

Shock Value by Jason Zinoman The book chronicles the outsider filmmakers who transformed horror cinema in the 1970s through innovative techniques and guerrilla production methods.

Sleazoid Express by Bill Landis, Michelle Clifford A documentation of New York's grindhouse theater scene captures the films, venues, and culture of exploitation cinema's golden age.

Asian Trash Cinema by Thomas Weisser This catalog of Asian exploitation films presents detailed reviews and behind-the-scenes information about obscure genre movies from Japan, Hong Kong, and other Asian markets.

Killing for Culture by David Kerekes The book examines the history and evolution of death on film through analysis of mondo movies, shockumentaries, and underground cinema.

🎬 The book helped popularize the term "psychotronic films" - originally coined by Michael Weldon - to describe B-movies, exploitation films, and other obscure cinema genres. 🎥 Many of the directors interviewed in the book, including Russ Meyer and Herschell Gordon Lewis, were originally considered "trash filmmakers" but later gained recognition as important figures in independent cinema. 📽️ Released in 1986, this book became one of the first serious scholarly works to examine exploitation films as legitimate cultural artifacts worthy of academic study. 🎞️ The RE/Search publication series, which published this book, grew out of the punk rock zine "Search & Destroy" and helped establish San Francisco's alternative press scene. 🌟 Several filmmakers featured in the book, like David Lynch and John Waters, went from being considered fringe directors to becoming celebrated auteurs who influenced mainstream cinema.