Very well executed

Please don't spend money on this.

It's one of the most original films you'll likely see all year, which, depending on your threshold for certifiably crazy storylines, could be a rewarding experience or one that frustrates you.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

This documentary centers on six transgressive movies that defied the mainstream and achieved enduring cult status through midnight screenings at special revival theaters: "El Topo," "Night of the Living Dead," "Pink Flamingos," "The Harder They Fall," "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," and "Eraserhead." George Romero admits that "Night of the Living Dead" was made as an angry response to the failure of the revolution attempted by people in the 1960's, John Waters happily discusses making movies with his friends and the shooting of the poodle poop eating scene in "Pink Flamingos," Richard O'Brien points out that "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" was a box office flop when it was first released in theaters, and David Lynch reveals that "Eraserhead" was inspired by industrial Philadelphia. Moreover, producer Lou Adler notes that it's the audience instead of the director who make a movie a cult film. In addition, this documentary covers how the social upheavals of the 1960's and early 1970's influenced indie filmmakers to go against the grain and critique and/or satirize the status quo, the popularity of marijuana smoking with midnight movie audiences, and how the invention of the VCR killed the midnight movie phenomenon. Essential viewing for cult cinema fans.

Although "Midnight Movies" still exist today they are very scarce since the early 80's when video tape became popular and changed everything. Midnight movies are cult movies that cater to a certain kind of audience. This documentary deals with a few of the most successful Midnight Movies ever made, back when certain audiences were hungry for something different in their movie going. Movies featured are El Topo, Night of the living dead, Pink Flamingos, The Harder they come, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Eraserhead. Back when they came out they were considered different than anything that came before and even hold up today. The documentary explains how these movies became popular in the midnight time slot even though some of them were tried at regular time showings. John Waters' Pink Flamingo's had a ten year straight run while The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the reigning champ with midnight screenings today where people dress as the characters and sing along to the catchy tunes in the film. There are people who have seen the film over 1000 times, not on DVD, but in an actual theater. Eraserhead by David Lynch was only a success after a year of midnight showings. It would be impossible for this to happen today as movies need to be an immediate hit. Interesting movie for those interested in a different kind of cinema. Good Stuff!

While I have not watched EL TOPO (and probably never will due to its extreme violence), I have seen the five other films discussed in this documentary about so-called "midnight movies". While I have reviewed nearly 5000 movies and have an appreciation for all kinds of films, the ones shown in this documentary aren't ones I particularly like and that isn't super surprising, as the films definitely are counter-culture--films that appeal to a very select group. In spite of this, I still enjoyed this documentary and found it well worth seeing because of all the fascinating background information it gave. And, because I was not a fan of the films but the documentary made me appreciate them more, you know it must be a pretty good film. Think about it--creating excitement about a topic I normally would not care about--that's the sign of a good film.By the way, the films discussed were EL TOPO, PINK FLAMINGOS, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, ERASERHEAD and THE HARDER THEY COME. I am a bit surprised they also didn't mention MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL, as it, too, made a killing at midnight showings and was a cheap independent film as well.

The collection of films gathered in this documentary is centered around the cult of the midnight movies, a series of films in the 70s which were not only experimental in form and shocking in content, but also presented a different type of viewing experience in the decade between the flower power 60s and the electronic explosion of the 80s. All these films became cult objects and enjoyed success which was not necessarily, or not only commercial, but also focused on a type of non-mainstream audience. The films themselves were very unequal judged on the art scale, with three of the six being important films, to be remembered in any history of the moving pictures art, and the other three closer to the trash pan. It is however interesting to see the authors of the movies looking back to the time of the making and the critics trying to put them in perspective. At the end it is not so much the documentary material that stays with the viewer but the reflection process that makes us think about the relationship between art, viewing conditions, experiment and success.