Midnight Movies

by J. Hoberman, Jonathan Rosenbaum

These are a few of the over 100 films discussed in Midnight Movies, a comprehensive and in-depth look at the subculture movies of the past three decades. Here is the complete history of cult films, their makers, and their audience; an examination of how films become "midnight movies," and what keeps audiences coming back to see them over and over; an exploration of the connections between subversive film and the subcultures from which it emerges. Supplemented with a new afterward detailing the accommodation of midnight movies into the mainstream and speculating on the future of the genre, Midnight Movies is essential reading for anyone interested in the history and future of American cinema.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Media Tie In, Horror, History, Reference, Pop Culture

360 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 1982

About the author

Author bio from Verso Press:

J. Hoberman served as the senior film critic at The Village Voice from 1988-2012. He has taught at Harvard, NYU, and Cooper Union, and is the author of ten books, including Bridge of Light, The Red Atlantis, and The Dream Life.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I was expecting some sort of compilation of culty/campy films, this book reads more like a New York-centered history of midnight screenings and cult successes from the 1960s to early 1980s. Key films discussed (some given their own chapters) include: "Rocky Horror Picture Show", "El Topo", "Night of the Living Dead", "Pink Flamingos", "Eraserhead", "The Harder They Come", "Performance", "Freaks", "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls", "Chelsea Girls", other films by Warhol, Paul Morrissey, Derek Jarman, Anger, Brakhage, etc.

While I'm into a lot of shit like this anyway (all though I never really cared much for Rocky Horror and have a hard time with a lot of John Waters...and I haven't seen "Pink Flamingos") I think the authors have created a really fascinating read not only about the timeline of events, but the religious ritualistic elements inherent in multiple viewings of a film (almost like a catholic mass), and how the counterculture, punk, homosexuality, drugs, gory comics, and even the election of Reagan all contributed to the legacy of these films. I liked every chapter even when the main subject was a film I didn't care for much, with the exception of the very last chapter which is a dialogue between the two authors and serves little purpose but to be redundant and seemingly pretentious.

[Mike Hunchback · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should try and review this as fairly as possible - it IS a landmark work. The writing on Jodorowsky, Lynch and Waters is rather excellent ... however the pretentious nature of the authors rears its ugly head too often, to a degree that actually dampens many otherwise sound pieces. In particular I've never forgotten the passage wherein H.G. Lewis' "Blood Feast" is panned, with an assumption from one author that this is the kind of film that was made by a sick person, HAHA ... ! Time has not been kind to this fear-based Village Voicey style of writing, where the author tries to cover his ass "just in case" the majority of his readers disagree with him.

We don't need to know "an artists intent". We can and should have our own individual opinions of films ... regardless of whether or not H.G. Lewis is a nice guy. If one is truly a film critic, the tenacity to make these calls should be paramount.

[Kenji · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book, but...I love you, Jonathan Rosenbaum, but Céline and Julie Go Boating as the ideal midnight movie, really?

[LordSlaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Midnight Movies is a fascinating and engaging study of underground movies. It explores topics such as surrealism and the nature of cults, and it takes an in-depth look at a number of films and filmmakers, such as John Waters, George Romero, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Perhaps overanalytical in a few places, noticeably the final pages of The Rocky Horror chapter, Midnight Movies is nonetheless an excellent book for any cinephile looking to explore the outer edges of movie fandom.

[Jeroen Kraan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful insight into a different era of movie-going.

[Jessrawk · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read, but it starts to wear on you after a fashion. Despite being a book about midnight (cult) films, they spend a lot of time trashing on horror, which makes little sense. Well, certain horror. They hold Eraserhead in high regard, but anything bloody is beneath them. Weird. The final chapter, a conversation, should be skipped—it’s like listening to two, insufferable film buffs who want to prove how cool they are & talk about the weird parties/screenings they went to. Not particularly useful or interesting to anyone but themselves, I wager. “I would like to see this cult film that was just a director in his living room playing with props that I saw one night.” Okay, that’s not a film. We get it: you hung out in the living room of this director. So what?

[Roland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great history on the midnight movie scene. My copy was published in 1991, so it doesn't have anything on newer cult films like The Room and Troll 2, but it does give an excellent overview of what was happening in the 60s and why directors like Kenneth Anger and Jack Smith were important to this "secret world" of film that was developing. Rocky Horror gets the most coverage here, and given that the first edition of this book came out in the early 80s it makes sense that a phenomenon like that would get the most attention, but at times it starts to drag and get tiring. It also has interesting information on the scant number of punk films that I'd never heard of until reading this book.

[bogna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Passion is contagious! An amazingly detailed and fascinating account of the midnight movies phenomena. Almost like we're there, rolling a joint, waiting for EL TOPO to come up on the screen as the clock announces midnight.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exhaustive and well researched, the authors clearly have not only an affinity but a respect for the subject matter. It is about far more than just the movies themselves. They delve into the before and after history of the films, profiling the people who make and the people who consume.

[Heika · Rating 5 out of 5]

My bible as a budding young high school cinephile. The pages of my copy are covered with dark burgundy and brown lipstick kisses, from when I used to use it as a blotter. Ahh, youth.

[Stop]

Read an essay by Jonathan Rosenbaum...http://www.stopsmilingonline.com/stor...

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rereading for my upcoming What Is a Cult Film? class at Vidiots in July and August.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Book starts off dry as hell, and slowly picks up steam once you get into the chapter on El Topo. It is a hell of a reference guide if you grin and bear the first 76 pages.

[Iana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and good choices of films.. this definitely introduced me to a new genre of films or should I say culture?

[Mike Everleth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is pretty much the book that led me into the underground film world, even though they only touch briefly on the actual avant-garde.