A Note on Blaxploitation Films

You may have found yourself wondering what a "blaxploitation" film is. It began back in the 30's when movies like Refeer Madness and Sex Madness began a genre called "exploitation films". They grew to full height by the early 1970's. Exploitation films recieved their name because they were known to exploit lurid subject matter such as graphic drug use, sex, or violence. They were often played in a double feature in a sleazy theater called a Grindhouse. Subgenres formed within the exploitation genre. Cannibal films used graphic violence in cannibalism to attract viewers. Nazisploitation films focused on Nazis torturing prisoners. Slasher films entailed a psychotic killer hunting down victims and brutally killing them. Blaxploitation films were films put out by the African-American community, that were designed for urban African-American viewers. The films usually took place in an urban setting, with pimps and drug dealers as a staple. The films usually glorified all the African-American characters, and featured despicable white characters such as a corrupt or racist cop and foolish white mafia members. The 1971 film Shaft is among the most famous of these movies. The films died in popularity as African-Americans became more widely accepted into the main stream film community, through the works of actors like Sidney Poitier. These films remain an important look at the attitudes, challenges, and societies of African-Americans in the 1970's.