MIDNIGHT MOVIES: From the Margin to the Mainstream (2005)

Director, Producer, Writer: STUART SAMUELS

In 1970, a Mexican Western opened at the Elgin Theater in New York City. Due to its uniqueness, theatre management decided that the film would only be shown at midnight. The film was Alexandro Jodorowsky's surreal classic El Topo. What started as a cautious experiment in alternative cinema soon became a cultural phenomenon.

Based on the book by film scholar and documentary filmmaker Stuart Samuels, Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream focuses on six low-budget films released between 1970 — 77 that defined the midnight movie phenomenon, transforming the way we make and watch movies:

Jodorowsky's El Topo, George Romero's landmark horror film Night of the Living Dead, John Waters' ode to bad taste, Pink Flamingos, Perry Henzell's outlaw reggae classic The Harder They Come, David Lynch's disturbing Eraserhead and the film that defined the genre, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Featuring startling clips (including the infamous ending of Pink Flamingos), rare archival footage and revealing reminiscences with directors, distributors, exhibitors and supporters, including John Waters, David Lynch, Roger Ebert, George Romero, Richard O'Brien, Alexandro Jodorowsky, Perry Henzell, and many more, Midnight Movies details the surprising stories behind the movies that defied mainstream America — by reinventing cinematic sensibilities. In this cinematic netherworld, nothing is sacred. Everything is shocking.

Midnight Movies explores the anything-goes era of 1970s cult films and their continuing influence on pop culture and modern society. It's an unforgettable trip down memory lane strewn with flesh-eating ghouls, transvestite extraterrestrials, reggae masters, alienated stepfathers with big hair and probably the most famous "eating" scene in motion picture history.

Festivals: Premiere at 2005 Cannes Film Festival, The Toronto International Film Festival, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, SilverDoc / AFI DISCOVERY (Washington D.C.), Atlantic International Film Festival.

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"An affectionate glimpse into those counter-cultural times." — The Hollywood Reporter

"A documentary that makes you regret the loss of the midnight movie culture." — Guardian

"This documentary explains how without these iconic, low-budget flicks we wouldn't have South Park, Kill Bill or even Jaws." — Giant Magazine

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UK-based DVD Review includes Midnight Movies in their list of the 501 DVDs You Must Own. Read their review here.

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