Hitch-Hike (1977)

Directed by Pasquale Festa Campanile.

Starring Franco Nero, David Hess and Corrine Clery.

IMDB

Classic Italian sleaze but with a touch of class from the great Franco Nero and Corrine Clery.

This one has a similar feel to Mario Bava's "Rabid Dogs" (released in America as "Kidnapped") although Campanile's film is far less claustrophobic and doesn't solely take place in a car like Bava's film.

Plus, David Hess is somehow scarier than Bava's villians, who were more dangerous out of sheer stupidity and excess. Hess isn't dialed up the whole time and even shows some very human qualities at moments, despite his obvious derangement.

Nero is hilarious as a drunken journalist who gets into savage arguments with his wife (Clery) and anyone else who's around. Apart from his memorable role in Enzo G. Castellari's "Street Law", this has got to be the most unhinged performance of his long career.

This is still in print on DVD from Blue Underground. Highly recommended and a vital piece for all Italian exploitation freaks.

Also features a great score by Ennio Morricone.

Basket Case (1982)

Directed by Frank Henenlotter.

Starring Kevin Van Hentenryck, Terri Susan Smith and Beverly Bonner.

IMDB

Way before Slimer loved hot dogs in Ghostbusters, there was Belial!!

And just like America, he also loved burgers (see one post below), tinfoil and all.

Basket Case is an absolute classic and a great starting point for anyone getting into grindhouse or exploitation cinema. Henenlotter grew up on 42nd street in New York and got his education in the famously run-down theatres and it shows in his first film, Basket Case. It is, at times, hilarious, disturbingly gross and, above all, eternally memorable.

Has to be seen to be believed.

While the Burger King commercial below projects a fantasized America, Basket Case is its true spiritual opposite. The American Dream is not possible in Henenlotter's film where call-girls, drunks and freaks find themselves sandwiched together in a seedy hotel with nothing to do but get through the night without getting killed.

Welcome To The Apocalypse - More Vintage Burger King

Vintage Burger King

Skatetown, U.S.A. (1979)

Directed by William A. Levy.

Starring Scott Baio, Patrick Swayze, Flip Wilson and Billy Barty.

IMDB

"Famous" mostly for being Patrick Swayze's film debut, Skatetown U.S.A. fits the term "exploitation" perfectly, as it was created solely as a way to cash in on the roller disco craze with a paint-by-the-numbers script to make it widely accessible. Another film that did the same thing was Roller Boogie starring the one and only queen of exploitation, Linda Blair.

It's the Saturday Night Fever formula. Take a popular culture trend and insert a young man (or woman) defying all the odds to conquer the form and get the girl at the end.

That's what "exploitation" is all about.

Van Nuys Blvd. (1979)

Directed by William Sachs.

Starring Bill Adler and Cynthia Wood.

IMDB

Another great Crown International drive-in teen flick. Watch alongside other 70's fare like The Van, Pinball Summer and The Cheerleaders.

Detroit 9000 (1973)

Directed by Arthur Marks.

Starring Hari Rhodes and Alex Rocco.

IMDB

Arthur Marks was the director behind one of my favourite blaxploitation movies, "Bucktown" with Fred Williamson and Pam Grier. He also helmed the late entry Grier vehicle and relatively tame "Friday Foster" but was also responsible for the oddity called "J.D.'s Revenge" which combined horror elements with blaxploitation, making it one of the few films to do so outside of "Abby" and "Sugar Hill".

This is great stuff. Filmed on location in Motown.