Exploitation films have been around since the dawn of filmmaking, but they became popular in the ‘60s thanks in part to the increasingly risqué subjects depicted on the big screen after the restrictive Production Code in the 1950s. The films were sensational, gratuitous, and often taboo, featuring sex and violence in spades. Our own film editor Jason Bailey has an appreciation for this sleazy, blood-soaked time period in cinema and has co-directed a new film called Lost and Found: The True Hollywood Story of Silver Screen Cinema Pictures International . It’s available now for rent or download via VOD.
The film centers on movie studio Silver Screen Cinema Pictures International, a not-so-loved distributor from the grindhouse era. A fire destroyed the movie studio’s archives in 1984, but the recent discovery of 11 lost film trailers sheds some light on the forgotten B-movie house. Lost and Found presents the restored trailers, alongside archival photos, promo materials, behind-the-scenes footage, and new interviews with experts and historians (including real-life film critics like Glenn Kenny and Chris Nashawatay).
The trailer offers a mini visual history of exploitation cinema, teasing popular subgenres from the era, like blaxploitation, sexploitation, and more. Even the title of the film recalls the famous studio that boasted the colorful titles of B-movie king Roger Corman.
Sneak a peek at Lost and Found, watch a clip at Indiewire, and rent the movie over here to recreate the grindhouse experience from the comfort of your own home — you know, without the sticky floors and dingy decor.
