TCM Underground: 50 Must-See Films from the World of Classic Cult and Late-Night Cinema

by Millie De Chirico, Quatoyiah Murry, Patton Oswalt (Foreword)

Based on the Turner Classic Movies series, TCM Underground is the movie-lover's guide to 50 of the most campy, kitschy, shocking, and weirdly wonderful cult films you need to see. In the pages of this book, you'll explore this unique order of films—primarily from the 1960s, '70s, and '80s—with insightful reviews, behind-the-scenes stories, subgenre sidebars, and full-color and black-and-white photography throughout. Go along for the ride with new takes on crime films, including The Honeymoon Killers  and The Harder They Come . Witness one-of-a-kind horror in Bill Gunn's landmark vampire film Ganja and Hess and Nobuhiko Obayashi’s infamous and indescribable Hausu . Absorb the boundary-pushing documentary-style trilogy The Decline of Western Civilization , which throws you into indelible moments in the punk and metal music scenes. And marvel at pure '80s oddities like Mac and Me and The Garbage Pail Kids . From Possession to Polyester and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls to Xanadu , no two films are alike in this compendium. Just sit back and prepare to be surprised, amused, and entertained by this celebration of the stars, filmmakers, and stories behind fifty of the most beguiling and unforgettable movies ever to hit the screen.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Media Tie In, Art, Pop Culture

240 pages, Paperback

Published October 25, 2022

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always thought that I was well-versed in cult/underground film but, obviously, I was mistaken. Of the 50 books included in this history, I have only seen six and 20 of them I had never heard of. So much for being a film maven!

The book concentrates more on "underground" films than those that we usually call "cult". And these are not the same thing. We could list many films which have become cult (Gun Crazy, Night of the Living Dead. Rocky Horror Picture Show) et al (none of which are listed) but most underground films are much less recognizable and often experimental. Nobody sets out to make a cult film; it is the audience that does it.

With each film, the author(s) give some actor/director background and story line (sometimes there is not much of a story) accompanied with two side bars.........."Spotlight on....." and "OMG moments" These add flavor to the narrative and can be humorous. This is a book that can be read at leisure and is quite interesting. One probably needs to be a film fan to attempt it but, being one, I recommend it.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rec. by: Browsing at MCL
Rec. for: Devoted cineastes, neophiles and film nerds

The word—at least at my local video store, Movie Madness—is "psychotronic."

I ran across Millie De Chirico and Quatoyiah Murry's TCM Underground: 50 Must-See Films from the World of Classic Cult and Late-Night Cinema pretty much at random—just scanning the shelves at my local branch of the sprawling Multnomah County Library system. I'm really glad I found this one, though. Despite its rather corporate outlook (De Cirico and Murry are both affiliated with Turner Classic Movies, and their book maintains that focus on Turner's offerings), these lively film analyses from a couple of young women of color were a real breath of fresh air. Film reviewers—at least the ones I've run across before—are all too often older white men, after all... and we already kinda know what they think about movies, don't we?

I mean, it's not as if I haven't read books about underground film before—take for example 1989's much longer The Phantom's Ultimate Video Guide, which I did read and enjoy... back in the 1990s—but De Cirico and Murry dive much more deeply into the smaller number of films they choose to consider.

Their prose is occasionally awkward—I'm not going to list chapter and verse, but this one example stood out for me:

{...}when the small-town community reacts with hostility to their long hair and their trendy vehicle of a hearse.
—p.105

There's got to have been a better way to have phrased that... maybe just "trendy hearse" would have been enough.

But the infelicities in these essays are few and far between, and easily overlooked in the rush of their enthusiasm.

TCM Underground's Foreword was written by Patton Oswalt, whose own book about film did indeed receive my attention—though I ignored his advice to skip around this book, and instead read it straight through. Which might not have been the best choice, all things considered. I got to page 48 before running across a film I'd already seen: 1982's Eating Raoul. In the ensuing pages, I did find a few more films I'd already seen, and at least one more to add to my own must-see list.

I suspect you'll do as well, or maybe even better—Murry and De Cirico's recommendations are well worth paying attention to.

[Daphne Zanni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important book.

There are so many books about best-cult-films you should watch before you die etc etc.
Usually written by male writers.
But this book’s film selection coming from Millie De Chirico and Quatoyiah Murry with love, has a fresh gaze upon overlooked cult films we desperately needed.

[Jim Dooley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit that I'm conflicted regarding TCM UNDERGROUND: 50 MUST-SEE FILMS FROM THE WORLD OF CLASSIC CULT AND LATE-NIGHT CINEMA. On the one hand, there were recommendations that brought me back to EATING RAOUL (which I hadn't seen in years) and introduced me to THE HONEYMOON KILLERS.

Then, there are listings such as MAC AND ME with a description that makes it seem like one of the most worthless pieces of garbage ever made ... not even qualifying for the "so bad it's good" category. How does that conceivably qualify as a "Must-See" film?

There were a number of films included that I have absolutely no desire to see, but that's mostly a matter of personal taste. It was enjoyable to have them brought to my attention because there's always the possibility of uncovering an undiscovered gem.

Where the book excels, though, is in its descriptions of films that I had seen before, but that presented me with a new perspective. Such was the case with the Japanese film, HOUSE (which fascinates me every time I see it), THE TRIP, HEAD and XANADU (which I come back to time after time because it's such a positive, emotional boost). I even learned some new things about these films that I thought I knew inside and out.

I would definitely say that it is worth a look for anyone seeking "something different" in their film viewing ... particularly folks who are MARVELed-out. It is always readable. Just be prepared for the occasional title that will have you scratching your head as to why it was included.

[Emmy]

A bit too "out there," even for me. Lots of graphic films whose descriptions left me feeling somewhat empty as I read about them. I got through the first two chapters or so, but I don't think I really care to continue.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing film history captured in one book!!! Must read for B-Movie fans!!! I will miss TCM Underground. My wife and I always got a kick from the movie selections. The movie we always reference when talking about B-Movies on TCM Underground is Silent Night Deadly Night.
Thank you for all the great laughs and WTF moments
Thanks again!!!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

TCM Underground has always been an interesting introduction into the world of cult movies. Some days I am able to stay awake for them, and then some days I'm not (my cruel adult energy fluxes). If this had been more prolific when I was a teen I would be an insomniac because of it. So many experimental, bizarre plotted, and society conscious films came out. For these cult films whether due to improper marketing, constant director or writer switch-ups, or just bad timing in their era these movies somehow fell under the radar and over time accumulated a fan base. I got to applaud the 2 main writers as they compiled a bunch of amazing work for this volume, and it feels like it could even go on further. Heck, if the Decline of Western Civilization can have 3 volumes currently why not continue on with these books too? I feel like in another volume they could dedicate a whole section to odd adult/lost animation (American Pop, Eveready Harton, Felidae, Fritz the Cat, etc.). For example, I mean a lot of people remember The Last Unicorn, but we don't really give any attention to Flight of Dragons that may have been part of the D&D craze that came out later. Reading it went by way too fast, and I hope that more is explored in the future!

[Domenica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little light and fluffy for my taste, but the films choices are killer. I want this same book but seriously expanded as far as getting deeper into the films. This is the kind of book that would have rocked my world as a young cinephile. Another reviewer mentioned it was egregiously missing classics like Pink Flamingos, but I am very glad it doesn't cover many obvious picks at all.

[Kaitlin Dempsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
We love a cult film

[Erick Mertz · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent guide, one to put on your coffee table and, if you're a nerd, to read front to back. Fun for the trivia, the images and the curiosity.

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely enjoyable.

Thank you for including "I'm Gonna Git You, Sucka."

I especially want to offer kudos for the inclusion of "Thank God It's Friday," a film that doesn't get much play on pay television these days. My father had a bootleg copy of TGIF on Betamax (anyone remember those big behemoth top-loading machines?) back in the pre-home-video 70's — along with such classics as Grease, Saturday Night Fever, Rocky — that I would watch religiously as a young boy, quoting some of the lines (such as Chuck Sassi as desperately-seeking-Shirley Gus's line, "...'ey, I don't give a shit. You wanna dance?"). One of my all-time favorite lines (and scenes) actually gets a nice sidebar in this book: Marv Gomez - The Leatherman's, "Dancing! Everything else is bullshit!!" (Wish I had a dime for every time I quoted that line.) A light, fun movie with great characters and music. ¡Viva Jeff Goldblum! RIP Donna Summer and the very talented Chick "Leatherman" Vennera.

I was surprised, though, that no mention was made in the TGIF chapter about the appearances of young Debra Winger as Jennifer or pre-Berlin ("Take My Breath Away") lead singer Terri Nunn as Jeannie.

It's a shame that TCM Underground was cancelled. I enjoyed it. It's gonna be tough trying to find the films mentioned in this book anywhere else.

Nice work and thank you, Millie and Quatoyiah!

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first week of college (long before streaming existed), I joined the school’s B movie society and was dismayed when we had to go around the room and try to impress each other with our favorites. By that time I’d only barely skimmed the surface of what these weird films had to offer, and I was joining in hopes of having the world of cult movies blown open like an alien popping out of somebody’s chest aboard the Nostromo. I needed this book!

De Chirico and Murry pry open the vault and share their favorites of what’s inside. Everything is organized by theme (blaxploitation, creepy ladies, crime, Xanadu) and summarized in a way that’s not only informative and approachable but also really captures their love of the material. I know I’ll turn back to this when I need inspiration—I’m considering it a blueprint for future lazy weekend movie marathons.

[Cliff · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first book of 2023! I am a big fan of Millie de Chirico's podcast "I Saw What You Did" which she cohosts with Danielle Henderson and when I heard she had coauthored a book with Quatoyiah Murry highlighting 50 films from TCM's long-running series "TCM Underground" I knew I had to have it. The 50 films highlighted here represent some of the best cult and underground cinema of the last century. At the time I purchased the book I had only seen one of the films, "Ladies and Gentleman, the Fabulous Stains" (thanks to Millie's podcast). While reading it, I also watched "Haxan." Now that I've finished it, I can't wait to embark on watching these films and experiencing the weirdness and wonder that is cult cinema.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, but...

...not very well written; however it does present a slew of unusual, so-bad-they're-good and little known movies. I hadn't even heard of most of the films, much less seen them. I thought, though, that leaving out some of the classics...Pink Flamingos, Plan 9 From Outer Space....was unfortunate.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

De Chirico, chief programmer for TCM Underground, and film critic Murry have compiled a supremely knowledgeable, thoughtfully astute, and good-humored guide to 50 campy, bizarre and weird movies.

Celebrating movies that critics have often dismissed as “bad,” the authors cast a very wide net, from popular cult directors including John Waters (Polyester), William Castle (I Saw What You Did), David Cronenberg (The Brood), and Roger Corman (The Trip), to the more obscure auteurs like Andy Milligan (Fleshpot on 42nd Street), Lizzie Borden (Born in Flames), and Jamaa Fanaka (Emma Mae). Genres include Blaxploitation (Blacula), film noir (Shack Out on 101), dark comedies (Eating Raoul), teen sex comedies (Little Darlings), musicals (Xanadu), slasher films (Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker), foreign horror (Japan’s Hausu; Italy’s The House By the Cemetery), and documentaries (Penelope Spheeris’s Decline of Western Civilization trilogy).

These are films the authors are passionate about, and although they lampoon the camp aspects of some of the films (one of their best summations is “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is like an episode of The Monkees with boobs.”), they are never dismissive.

Adventurous film buffs will enjoy the keen-eyed observations and backstories about these obscure, odd, and underappreciated films.

[Rebecca Alcazaze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely this. Any collection of must-see cult films that includes 1981's 'Butch, Baker Nightmare Maker' is OK with me (I promise I'm not a creepy auntie).

This is a book full of surprises, colourful, interesting and not steeped in the problematic cuntiness that usually drives collections like this. I'll keep it by my DVD collection to prompt me to watch some titles that are not already on my 'To Watch List', although a few of these have already been in my consciousness for a while.

As a keen listener of Millie De Chirico's podcast 'I Saw What you Did', which she hosts with Danielle Henderson, I was confident that her approach to this would be pretty cool and classy and I think she and Quatoyiah Murray have created a little gem. I don't know how much of this may have been constricted by being a TCM vehicle but it seems a bit pointless to ponder that with the actual book being something I know I'll dip in and out of for inspiration for years to come.

[Carolyn Fitzpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A list of favorite cult movies and what makes them great. The authors point out what makes the movies worth watching - actors, directors, new approaches, indie content - but don't rank the movies, which I think was a good decision. Instead, they present the movies in categories: Crime, Domestic Disturbances, Horror, Rebellion and Youth Movements, and Visual Delights.

The vast majority of the movies are from the US, with a handful from Japan, France, Sweden, and Canada. That being said, I'd only seen two on the list and most of the others I had never heard of. The oldest film is Haxan from 1922 and the most recent was the third installment of The Decline of Western Civilization in 1998. Most are from the 70s and 80s though, which as an era associated with Blaxploitation. Most of the black-led films presented here don't fall into that category. A good 15-20 of the films from this book immediately went on my to-watch list, and about half seem to be available on streaming services.

[Tracy Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of cult-classics. The only movie I'd seen, before checking the book out, was one of my all-time favorites (since its release, before it became a cult-classic): Xanadu. I realize now, attempting to look back on the movie objectively, that it was kind of a mess. Too many things going on, a pretty flimsy plot. But the music! The clothes! The rollerskating!
Speaking of rollerskating, there was another rollerskating movie profiled in this book (Rollerboogie, starring Linda Blair), and there were three or four others mentioned in a sidebar. I added them all to my to-watch list!
In fact, there were a number of movies profiled here that I added to that list. I often enjoy those movies that weren't necessarily big box-office hits, and there are many discussed in this fabulous, colorful, informative book. I *almost* wanted a tub of buttery popcorn to enjoy while reading it!

[Vanessa (V.C.) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love and miss TCM Underground, but this book was...not it. How is it possible that a book on cult classic late-night cinema could be so boring? The issue is that the writing just isn't very good. It's both dry and yet fluffy at the same time which doesn't jive with the tone of its topic. Nothing about this book feels inspiring, nothing about the way it's written has you itching to check out any of these films. Even when reading over the sections of the movies I've seen many times, I was uninterested. Such a missed opportunity here. Instead of making this fun and informative, what we're given are essays that merely summarize the plot of each film but nothing much in way of retrospection as to why these films are worth seeing in the first place. If any of us wanted that, we could just rely on wikipedia/google.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a cinophile, don't bother because this wasn't for your hoity toity self. This is a love letter to some great films that, for some reason or another, didn't gain the traction they should have had when they came out. No matter, of all the films they could have chosen, the ones in here are all great and yes, this list is definitely missing some others but honestly, this was a fun little venture into the minds of some fairly cool programmers. I enjoyed this and found myself watching some films I hadn't caught before and thoroughly enjoying them.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've added a few of these to my film list! :) Fun stuff.

And honestly, any film guide that adds Ladies and Gentleman, The Fabulous Stains deserves a shout-out. :)

I don't like horror/gore, and that takes up quite a bit of the book. But if that's you're thing, you'll like it even better than I do. It's probably a must-read for you.

[Nik Havert · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a fun read and it covers a good number of films that were unknown to me until I read it, so that's always a win when it comes to "list" books like this. "Xanadu" is probably the best-known film in the book. The horror section seems light, but that's okay since the book tries to focus on multiple genres.

[John Schorg · Rating 3 out of 5]

The value of this book comes later on, when you're looking for something weird to watch, and need a push in the right direction. Some of the usuals are here, but there are entries that caught my attention...thinking of Mary Jane's Not A Virgin Anymore and Remember My Name, to mention a couple. A perfect candidate for added volumes in the future.

[Jennifer Pusey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good movie, but you know what? I love a bad movie too. I love to analyze what makes it bad and make jokes and sometimes, I just enjoy how awful or crazy it is. I also love discovering new movies so I enjoyed perusing this book. I don't know if all 50 movies are films I want to see, but I have several on my list.

[Kris Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm pretty knowledgeable about movies, but the writers of the (now defunt) TCM Underground found movies that I had never heard of!

It was very well researched and written - I only wish it was longer.

The series was canceled soon after the book was published in 2022, so this is a nice memento of that era. RIP TCM Underground

[Shant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, good pick of movies (Obviously, it could have been longer or different books picked but yeah). There was a good balance of talking about the movies in a humorous context versus a historical context.

I read the first three quarters in September and October so I need a refresher for more but yeah.

Rest in peace TCM Undergound.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to the Cult/Underground film for current film fans, though if they really wanted some depth, they'd dig for the Danny Peary books and others; as such, this is better than you would think coming from TCM.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love TCM Books & am so glad that they do things like this. However, I was bored by this book. (Sorry, TCM!) Also, none of the books in here seemed like a good idea. Ugh! I was hoping for some movie inspiration.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Works better as a list than an exploration of the films. It's great to see a more diverse list of titles than what one expects from a book on cult movies. That was a welcome surprise. But the individual essays are on the bland side-- each one is little more than a generic summary of the plot.

[Bob Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love cult cinema and I found this book both entertaining and informative. However, with all due respect to the authors, my feeling is that several better-made cult films were left out in order to include junk films like the Garbage Pail Kids Movie and Mac and Me. Really?!