Alejandro Jodorowsky, David Lynch, George A. Romero

"Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream" focuses on six movies that re-invented the film medium while pushing the boundaries of bad taste and social taboos. They are: "El Topo" (1970), "Ni...( read more  read more... )ght of the Living Dead" (1968), "The Harder They Come" (1973), "Pink Flamingos" (1972), "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1975), and "Eraserhead" (1977). The documentary includes in-depth interviews with the directors, producers, writers and actors who were part of these low-budget, yet monumental productions, the exhibitors and distributors who played them, and the audiences who viewed them. These filmmakers shared a common desire to upset the traditional aspects of making films--taking filmmaking beyond the norm by making films for ritual viewing, not box office success."

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72% liked it

1,904 ratings

Critics

88% liked it

8 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 28 min.

Directed by: Egbert Van Hees, Stuart Samuels

Release Date: August 5, 2005

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DVD Release Date: November 13, 2007

Stats: 143 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (143)


  • October 2, 2009
    A well rounded documentary about the birth of cult movies in the 70's but to be honest, if you've got the movies on DVD, you'll have all this and more in the extras. Good for people who are totally new to midnight movies but not so much for existing fans, who already know all the...( read more) storeys etc.
  • November 24, 2008
    a fun doc about the birth of cult film in the 70's. focusing on 6 influential 'midnight' movies including 2 of my all time faves, night of the living dead and rocky horror, it shows how the phenomenon changed film and helped bring about our ironic post-modern culture. makes u w...( read more)ish you'd been there at the start *sniff* i've yet to see the infamous pink flamingos and jodorowsky's mystical 'eastern,' el topo, but i'm sure i will just to say i did lol
  • August 13, 2007
    I saw this many months back and remember liking it. It offered great insight into a period of moviemaking that we'll never see the likes of again. It made me happy and sad all at the same time.
  • February 8, 2009
    It's really informative, and you can tell there's a high appreciation for these films behind the camera. It's great to see some of the movies I think are among the all time greats getting some attention.
  • February 17, 2008
    Great!
  • September 24, 2009
    Stuart Samuels' documentary is a kind-of fascinating examination of a unique segment of cinema history, how it has affected pop culture, and the impact it has had on movies today. In 1970, Alexandro Jodorowsky ("Santa Sangre") made a bloody, violent, controversial, surrealistic, ...( read more)visually stunning Mexican Spaghetti Western called "El Topo." When it arrived in America, "El Topo" (we learn) first played in midnight shows only. Soon, it was a cult hit, drawing in lines around the block. John Lennon and Yoko Ono loved it. Then, a man named Allen Klein (the Beatles manager) bought it at Lennon's urging and attempted to release it in a mainstream theater at all times of day before giving up - it flopped outside the midnight circuit. This first watershed success of a "midnight movie" became the cornerstone of cult cinema and a tradition that lives on today. In his documentary, writer-director Samuels investigates this phenomenon, and how it has affected the successful longevity of once-deplored and/or confusion-ridden passion projects such as George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" (1968), John Waters' "Pink Flamingos" (1972), Perry Henzell's "The Harder They Come" (1972), Jim Sharman and Richard O'Brien's "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1975) and, ultimately, David Lynch's "Eraserhead" (1977). Through archival news footage, new interviews with the filmmakers, interviews with critics like Roger Ebert, J. Hoberman and Jonathan Rosenbaum, as well as the various figures who affected (both positively and negatively) the impact these films had in their initial inceptions, Samuels' documentary gives an alternatingly fascinating and previously unseen look at a worldwide cinematic phenomena.
  • July 28, 2009
    The film viewer´s guide to galaxy of weird, sleazy, original and funny cinema.. I loved it!
  • April 4, 2009
    (2005 Directors: Egbert Van Hees & Stuart Samuels) Stars David Lynch...DUNE, Nadia, Rabbits)) Hmmmm.. I have never seen the movie El Topo which is one of the films covered in this documentary.
  • March 5, 2009
    Fantastic Documentary, really interesting.
  • January 3, 2009
    A fun survey of some of the more popular "cult" films that made their reputations on the midnight movie circuit.

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