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FILM COMMENT
September/October
TALES FROM THE CRYPT
By MAITLAND MCDONAGH
left: Possession
When it comes to the low-budget, independent exploitation movies of the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies - horror, spaghetti westerns, nudie-cuties and much much more - the situation is dire. Low print runs, slapdash record keeping, and a generally pragmatic attitude towards the merchandise imperil movies. Some movies, to be sure, are just unavailable, tied up in rights squabbles of languishing for lack of interest; others are certifiably missing, like prolific exploitation director Barry Mahon's The Dead One, a widescreen zombie movie shot in New Orleans in 1961. That so many off-the-beaten-track titles are available on video and DVD is thanks to the likes of Bill Lustig and Mike Vraney. Not only are they acquiring hard-to-find titles for commercial release, but they're doing the detective work it takes to find original elements, piecing together the best possible versions of films from disparate sources and tracking down cast and crew for commentaries and interviews.
You can read the complete version of this article in the September/October print edition of Film Comment.
