The phenomenon of midnight movies started in the 1970s, with late-night screenings of alternative movies. These movies were usually chosen for their experimental tone, the counter-cultural or audacious topics they showed, and their capacity to attract more audiences at every screening. Going to a midnight movie allowed the spectators to explore the underground side of cinema and meet fellow cinephiles interested in non-commercial movies.
This list presents a potpourri of midnight movies that made history for one reason or another. Some, like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, did extremely well at the box office, while others were so controversial that they suffered many bans worldwide. This was the case for Cannibal Holocaust and Pink Flamingos. Others, like The Harder They Come and Night Of The Living Dead, contained more than bizarre entertainment and tackled social problems. In any case, they are best enjoyed at midnight sharp.
10 Cannibal Holocaust
Cannibal Holocaust was directed by Ruggero Deodato and is mostly remembered for being the first horror to use the found footage technique and for the real killing of animals on the set. Highly controversial and still polarizing, Cannibal Holocaust is considered a cult of the 80s and an example of the endless evolution of cinema. A rescue mission is sent to the Amazon forest to bring home a film crew who previously disappeared. The mission finds the reels they shot.
The movie is characterized by gory and violent scenes and an attempt to provide a critical and social angle to the story. At the same time, it has to be mentioned the beautiful soundtrack by Riz Ortolani, especially the poetic main theme that clashes with the arguments portrayed. Cannibal Holocaust is not for everybody, and its pioneering use of the found footage movie is unfortunately overshadowed by the behind-the-scene atrocities.
9 Shaft
Shaft has gained legendary status over the years and has become a forever-loved cult. Directed by Gordon Parks and based on the homonymous novel by Ernest Tidyman, Shaft stars Richard Roundtree as the private detective John Shaft, hired by a Harlem boss to rescue his daughter, kidnaped by the Italian mafia. This movie spurred a franchise that crystallized one of cinema's best private detective characters.
Shaft is 1970s cinema like none other. The costumes are stylish and, at the same time, fitting for the thriller atmosphere that the movie entails; meanwhile, the action sequences are fabulous and punchy, while the astronomical soundtrack by Isaac Hayes is the cherry on top. This movie has fundamental cultural importance, and it is a great midnight movie for fans of private detectives and 70s action movies. Don't miss it.
8 Altered States
Altered States was directed by Ken Russell and features William Hurt as Eddie Jessup, a psycho-antropologist who believes that the altered states of consciousness are as real as the life humans experience in their waking hours. Hearing about the Hinchi tribe and its members' experiments with altered states, Jessup decides to travel to Mexico to participate in the HInchi's ceremonies.
Altered States is memorable for its audacious and evocative hallucination scenes, which show the trademark flamboyant style of the English director. Aside from the fantastic visuals, the movie features an amazing performance by William Hurt, who is amazing in conveying the internal struggle of Jessup. A philosophical movie with hallucinogens, trippy visuals, and a good amount of violent scenes couldn't go unnoticed in the midnight movies circuit. A must-see for those looking for the meaning of life.
7 The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Horror musical sui generis, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is an eclectic and over-the-top spectacle directed by Jim Sharman and featuring Tim Curry as the cross-dresser and mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon) get married and decide to visit their high school science teacher, in which class they first met. During the journey, they get a flat tire and ask for a phone at Frank-N-Furter's castle. Their life won't be the same anymore.
The best way to describe this movie is by comparing it to a bomb. The colors of the movie are simultaneously gothic and vibrant, with a great emphasis on the red variants; moreover, the plot is engaging and entertaining from start to finish, mixing classical horror references with brilliant comedy. Tim Curry is phenomenal, the music even more. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a one-in-a-lifetime experience that deserves to be enjoyed by everyone.
6 Pink Flamingos
Written, produced, photographed, edited, and directed by John Waters, Pink Flamingos is a staple for midnight audiences and a transgressive masterpiece. Featuring many shocking sequences, including the famous one involving a dog and the protagonist Divine, this movie pushed the boundaries of cinema to the extremes, impressing an unforgettable mark in cinema's history.
Pink Flamingos features John Waters's signature style, which resulted from the low budget at disposition. Waters gives the grainy look of pictures like Texas Chainsaw Massacre his own campy twist and delivers a well-fitting cinematography. Divine is the star of this surreal and extreme show, and the rest of the cast perfectly matches Waters's intense vision. Pink Flamingos cannot be met with moderate comments, and whether you love it or hate it, the importance of a movie like this can't be questioned. John Waters is punk before punk.
5 The Warriors
The Warriors revolves around a New York street gang called Warriors, commanded by Cleon (Dorsey Wright); during a meeting with all the gangs of the city, the situation degenerates, and the leader of the Riffs, the most powerful group, is killed after suggesting an alliance among all of them. Being falsely accused of the act, Cleon is killed by the Riffs, and the remaining Warriors embark on a survival journey toward home through the gangs' respective territories.
Co-written and directed by Walter Hill, who based the movie on the homonymous novel by Sol Yurick, The Warriors remains a cult to this day. Hill is a master in crafting his slick and violent urban tale, blending together solid and stylish directing with a strong screenplay full of unforgettable lines. At the same time, the soundtrack makes you jump in the past to the late 70s and fully immerse yourself in the characters' reality.
4 The Harder They Come
The Harder They Come was co-written, produced, and directed by Perry Henzel, and it starred reggae superstar Jimmy Cliff as Ivanhoe Martin, a poor man living in a rural area in Jamaica. He decides to move to the capital Kingston and dreams of a career as a reggae singer. The struggle that comes with living in the city will push Martin to the crime life. The Harder They Come is famous for its superb soundtrack, popularizing reggae worldwide, and the immense homonymous single by Cliff.
This movie has become a cult over the years and is appreciated for its realistic portrayal of poverty and redemption on the Caribbean Island. At the same time, The Harder They Come offers exquisite cinematography and strong acting by Jimmy Cliff, perfect for the role. The movie was also a case at the time in Jamaica: the strong political thread that ran through the movie was greatly supported by the population but surely not appreciated by the authorities. Impressive.
3 Night of the Living Dead
Co-written, edited, photographed, and directed by George A. Romero, Night of the Living Dead is a horror masterpiece and one of the greatest debut movies ever. It follows a group of seven persons trapped in a house, among which we find Ben (Duane Jones) during a zombie assault.
Night of the Living Dead is the movie that launched not only Romero's career but also a long-lasting franchise that still stands as one of the best of the horror genre. At the same time, this 1968 movie is salient for many other reasons. One of the first movies to feature an African American as a leading star, Night of the Living Dead has socio-political aspects in the plot that sets it apart from solely entertaining horrors. This movie is a milestone that cannot be missed by anybody. And that final scene, breathless.
2 El Topo
Alejandro Jodorowsky is a champion of midnight movies and one of cinema's great visionaries. El Topo was written and directed by the Chilean-French filmmaker, who also starred as the main protagonist, a gunfighter dressed in black wandering in a Western-like environment. Full of mysticism drawn from multiple religions and its acid-infused surrealism, El Topo was shown every night at the Elgin Theater in New York and immediately gained its cult status.
Jodorowsky's trademark style was fully developed since his career began. The hippie counter-cultural mindset here mixes with visions of violence, amplified by the unconventional aesthetic of the director. Moreover, Jodorowsky's creativity seems uncontainable, and the filmmaker continues, scene after scene, to shock and attract the audience simultaneously. El Topo is your gateway to the strange side of cinema, a bizarre and anti-conformist gem that gathers more and more fans each year.
1 2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey doesn't need any introduction nor the director behind it, the master Stanley Kubrick. After discovering a mysterious monolith under the moon's surface, a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to investigate the cryptic object. A worldwide success, today the movie is considered a monument of cinema and a sci-fi treasure.
2001: A Space Odyssey is remarkable in every aspect. The opening scene is an epic apotheosis, the directing of Kubrick is top-notch, and the special effects designed by Douglas Trumbull are mesmerizing in their pioneering nature. The famous Star Gate sequence, full of colors and flashes of light, is still impressive and so good that it's hard to believe it was made in the 60s. 2001: A Space Odyssey requires multiple visions to be fully internalized, and this is precisely its umpteenth strength: it gets better every time.