There’s a really insightful quote from Brian Eno where the English musician muses about how the off-putting limitations of any given medium are exactly what we’ll miss about it when it’s gone. While he’s mostly referring to crackling vinyl and noisy cassette tapes here, the same sentiment applies to other art forms as well – especially film.
And if there’s one specific kind of moviemaking that fans now hold up on a pedestal despite the genre once being considered a wasteland inhabited by low-brow trash, it has to be grindhouse cinema.
However, thanks to Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse double-feature back in 2007, the schlocky productions of the 1970s would see a much-needed comeback in the form of neo-exploitation films meant to harken back to the days of grainy photography and over-the-top violence.
In honor of Rod Blackhurst’s Dolly, now streaming on Shudder, proving that this movement is alive and well decades after the release of Planet Terror and Death Proof, today I’d like to highlight six other faux grindhouse thrillers that are definitely worth your time!
For the purposes of this list, I’ll be defining “faux grindhouse” as any modern-day movie that intentionally attempts to emulate the gritty style of low-budget cinema from the late ’60s to the early ’80s. This means no genuine grindhouse films or modern-day productions that only tangentially resemble retro filmmaking. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own neo-exploitation favorites if you think I missed a particularly memorable example.
With that out of the way, onto the list:
6. Father’s Day (2011)
Troma has been producing lovably low-budget schlock since the late ‘60s, so it’s no surprise that one of their more recent films would make it onto this list. What is surprising, however, is that the Astron 6–directed Father’s Day is actually a legitimately fun movie that does a lot more than coast on its retro aesthetics.
An over-the-top action/horror-comedy with plenty of gore and even more style, this bizarre film follows a pair of vengeful siblings as they attempt to track down a maniacal rapist/serial killer years after he targeted their own father.
If you like this edgy masterpiece, don’t forget to check out the team’s equally strange neo-giallo flick, The Editor.
5. The Love Witch (2016)
An authentic cinematic experiment shot on 35mm film and produced using period-accurate effects, Anna Biller’s modern cult classic may take more inspiration from the Technicolor classics of the 1960s than the gory B-movies of the ’70s, but The Love Witch’s sleazy charms still place it firmly in the realm of neo-grindhouse cinema.
In fact, the movie is so convincing in its retro setup that plenty of jaded cinephiles fail to realize that this artsy horror-comedy isn’t actually a long-lost cult film. Of course, it’s Samantha Robinson’s career-making performance as the lovesick spellcaster Elaine Parks that makes this one worth watching.
4. The Barn (2016)
I’ve always been a sucker for retro slasher flicks, but it takes a really talented filmmaker to make these familiar movies stand out from the classics that inspired them. That’s why I admire writer-director Justin M. Seaman for giving us not one but three fully-fledged killers to run from in his underrated The Barn franchise.
Featuring fan-favorite talent like Linnea Quigley and Ari Lehman (with the sequel even boasting Joe Bob Briggs, Diana Prince, and Pinhead himself, Doug Bradley), The Barn boasts a surprising amount of genre pedigree despite its low budget. However, it’s the flick’s charming sense of dark humor that really earns it a spot on this list.
3. The House of the Devil (2009)
From the opening crawl claiming that the film is based on true events to the grainy 16mm cinematography that looks equally beautiful and terrifying, Ti West’s 2009 opus is both my favorite film by the prolific director as well as one of the most authentic-feeling retro experiences on this list.
While the slow-burning tension and Satanic-Panic-inspired story remain divisive among horror fans, I’d argue that this deeply atmospheric thriller is worth experiencing at least once as a form of cinematic time travel back to a simpler (but no less scary) time in genre history.
2. Hobo With a Shotgun (2011)
The absolute best production to come out of the immediate aftermath of 2007’s Grindhouse (and I say this as a fan of Rodriguez’s Machete), Jason Eisener’s Hobo With a Shotgun is one hell of an entertaining revenge thriller that also serves as a theatrical playground for the late, great Rutger Hauer to flex his underappreciated skills as a leading man.
While I’ve written about this daring recreation of exploitation cinema in the past, there’s no way we can discuss faux grindhouse productions without bringing up the film where a disgruntled homeless man engages in practical-effects-driven ultraviolence against the criminal underworld of Hope Town, Canada!
1. Antrum (2018)
By far the scariest movie on this list, David Amito and Michael Laicini’s Antrum is proof that retro filmmaking doesn’t always have to be tongue-in-cheek. Presented as a “real” cursed film from the 1970s, this eerie little nightmare uses its nostalgic aesthetic to tell a surprisingly effective meta-story about the consequences of digging too deep into the occult.
Of course, it’s the grainy visuals that make this such a memorable experience, with the film masterfully recreating the lo-fi cinematography of yesteryear despite not actually being shot on film. And here’s a fun fact: the filmmakers claim that the flick’s sinister vibes were actually inspired by David B. Earle’s infamous short film There Is Nothing – a film that you may remember as a supposedly “cursed” viral video from the early days of YouTube.