(to use something to benefit from it)

(a situation in which someone treats another person unfairly, especially to make money from their work)

Pope Benedict and the gold reserves

Depending on its everyday usage or our cultural context, we can easily say that exploitation is a bad thing. Phrases such as child abuse, sexual abuse, and domestic abuse make this situation clear. Beyond these obvious examples, exploitation is actually much more ambiguous and widespread.

An insurance salesman trying to make a sale by reminding people of a possible accident or other negative possibility; a clergyman collecting donations by promising heaven; a person using sexuality or nudity to attract the attention of someone they are interested in; and the exploitation of individuals—by governments, companies, employers, supervisors, or other employees—who seek to obtain objects of desire in various ways by making them work for money are some of the different forms of exploitation. Viewed from this perspective, exploitation is one of the dynamics of life, just like many other actions, and is intricately intertwined with them. It cannot be completely separated or kept apart.

If we were to define it for the purposes of this article, exploitation is when those who facilitate or promise to establish or strengthen the connection between us and the desired, the curious, the feared, or the unknown derive benefit from that connection for their own purposes.

American Psycho (2000)

Exploitation plays a significant role in the act of storytelling. If the narrator wishes to convey or persuade the listener (or reader, viewer) of their viewpoint, they can present the subject rationally. They can incorporate sources, cause-and-effect relationships, scientific research on the topic, experiments, simulations, and real-life experiences into the narrative. However, if the subject being discussed is far from rational, if the narrator intends to distance it from rationality, or if presenting the subject rationally hinders the listener’s desire, attention, interest, or commitment, the speaker must evoke empathy—and perhaps sympathy—in the audience to engage them with the topic. For these or many other reasons, speakers may choose to depart from rationality in their presentations with the goal of helping the audience internalize the topics. For example, to describe love, rather than providing a scientific explanation of hormonal and instinctual triggers, the narrator reminds the audience of examples that allow them to recall their own experiences. Or, to describe death—since it is impossible to experience and convey it directly—the narrator speaks of life’s beauties, the perfection of existence, and the wonderful things one possesses, and then reminds the listener that all of these will be lost through death. In these narratives, meaning is established by fostering empathy in the listener.

From everyday storytelling to artistic disciplines, exploitation is one of the most effective methods of narration.

When it comes to cinema, exploitation takes on greater diversity compared to other artistic disciplines. In addition to the ability to visually and aurally present the elements of exploitation, cinema’s capacity to frame images and convey movement further expands the options for this narrative technique. Cinema thus becomes the art form in which exploitation is most effectively executed.

In exploitation cinema, the subject of exploitation can be the person, groups, situation, and/or action depicted in the film, a technical narrative method, or even the audience itself.

For example, in “Nazisploitation” (Nazi Exploitation) films, the subject of exploitation is the abuse that took place in Nazi Germany. The exploitation of prisoners—particularly female prisoners—by Nazi officers forms the backbone of these films. Real-life exploitation is stylized in these films. Depending on market demands and other motivations, while sexual content and nudity are maintained at a certain level in most films, the intensity of violence and the depth of the characters are reduced. Sexual content and nudity are aestheticized. As a result of these interventions, what emerges is something quite different from the actual abuse that took place in Nazi Germany. The abuse has been reimagined from the ground up according to the motivations of those making the films.

In some types of exploitation films, the narrative techniques of cinema themselves are exploited. For example:

Although the primary element of exploitation is the situation and/or action depicted in the film, the manipulation of the audience’s emotions is an indispensable aspect of exploitation films. While films in the exploitation genre are categorized based on the situations and/or actions they exploit, the exploitation of the audience finds no place in this categorization.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Exploitation films not only devote a great deal of screen time to exploitation but also present it to viewers in an exaggerated manner. As its intensity increases, exploitation becomes not only a narrative device but also a focal point of attraction. During the period in which they were made, these films became a vehicle for conveying violence, sexuality, and the revenge of marginalized characters or social groups to their audiences. Any viewer can find a subgenre within exploitation cinema that allows them to vent their frustrations at moments when they feel oppressed. This situation leads to these films achieving cult status among viewers. Film producers, in turn, begin to incorporate more exploitation elements to create more works with cult film qualities that align with audience behavior. This cycle, along with many other dynamics, opens the doors to exploitation cinema.

The Kiss (1986)

Exploitation cinema is as old as the history of cinema itself. The earliest films—particularly those within the “Cinema of Attractions” movement—were crafted solely to capture the audience’s attention as quickly as possible. Films classified within the “Cinema of Attractions” movement were short works—sometimes consisting of a single scene or shot—tailored to the capabilities of cinema, which was still in its infancy. These films were able to carve out a niche in the entertainment market only by exploiting the audience’s desires, curiosity, and fears regarding sexuality, violence, and illusion. When examining films from this movement, one can find abundant nudity, voyeurism, kissing—an act that was quite difficult to depict at the time—as well as violence and illusions.

A phenomenon similar to the rise of formulaic exploitation films following the “Cinema of Attractions” in the early days of cinema occurred during the pre-Hays Code era. Pre-Hays Code Hollywood cinema was filled with nudity, sexuality, the depiction of criminal methods and legal loopholes, as well as elements of violence and horror. These films attracted audiences by showing them things they did not see in everyday life, thereby building a loyal following. Although the Hays Code put a stop to this, the film industry quickly managed to develop new formulas.

The Hays Code and the laws that emerged in many countries afterward generally evolved over time toward a system of film rating. Films began to be screened by committees and classified based on content deemed objectionable, and screenings were permitted only in venues appropriate for their respective classifications. This directly meant a reduction in the screening venues for exploitation cinema. Just as there was no room for B and Z movies in the mainstream, there would be no room for exploitation cinema either.

American Rating Symbols

The biggest obstacle to the development and spread of exploitation cinema was the lack of screening venues, but within a short time, exploitation films found a place for themselves under the “B-movie” umbrella and secured screening opportunities.

B-movies emerged during Hollywood’s Golden Age to meet a specific need. These films were secondary features shown in theaters after the so-called “blockbusters”—films classified as “A-list.” The inclusion of B-movies in the film market;

were the main reasons.

Grindhouse theaters

Over time, as mentioned above, B-movies moved beyond their original purpose of supporting A-movies and evolved into a broader subgenre. Consequently, their screening venues diversified. Alongside B-movies, exploitation films also found a home in theaters known as “Grindhouse.”

Grindhouse theaters

Grindhouses were movie theaters that screened Z and B movies, as well as exploitation films. They were typically theaters with spacious seating areas and were operated by film studios. Studios were able to reach large audiences with low-cost, attention-grabbing films in their own theaters.

Although they weren’t called “Grindhouse” at the time, the origins of Grindhouse theaters date back to the 1920s. The fundamental motivations behind the films shown in Grindhouse theaters and those of the “Cinema of Attractions,” as well as their methods of screening and establishing a foothold in the market, are quite similar.

Especially in the second half of the 20th century, the world was being reshaped. The collapse of old states and the establishment of new ones, the rise of the concept of “nation,” communism, the overwhelming spread of capitalism, World War II, the Great Depression, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, a never-ending series of coups, genocides, ethnic cleansings, civil wars, oppressive regimes, collapsing economies, a social order completely transformed from top to bottom, and profound shifts in the roles associated with ethnicity and gender—all of these transformed “humanity” into something entirely different. Liberalism, which rose rapidly in the second half of the 20th century, had a significant impact on the artistic disciplines.

American war bond posters

Artists striving to reach the public—which was being tossed about by these profound changes—were themselves undergoing major transformations (both as part of the public and through their artistic practice). The arts achieved a level of diversity during this period that they had never experienced since their inception. Cinema, despite still being in its early stages, increased its diversity just like other disciplines. Films clearly categorized as exploitation films began to be produced during this period.

Taxi Driver (1976)

Exploitation films became the ultimate outlet for certain personality types, segments of society, and film producers.

The rise of exploitation films and the public’s growing interest in them brought the concept of “exploitation cinema” into sharp focus starting in the 1960s.

New venues were added alongside the “grindhouse” movie theaters that had been around since the 1920s.

On 42nd "bump and grind" dance (a dance involving rubbing and bouncing on the genital area in a way that evokes foreplay or intercourse) shows and stripteases, exploitation films found a place for themselves. 42nd Street became the home of exploitation cinema.

Drive-in Theaters

After the 1970s, as television began to enter homes and, over time, gained access to quality content, drive-ins (open-air movie theaters for cars) also fell into financial crisis. Like all other players in the cinema industry facing financial crisis, drive-ins also opened their doors to exploitation.

Although exploitation cinema found itself wide-open screening spaces, it still could not penetrate sterilized areas—such as homes, “family” homes.

VHS Store

By the late 1970s, the best thing that could have happened to cinema had arrived. JVC (Victor Company of Japan) produced the magnetic tape that was the most accessible and user-friendly for end-users among those manufactured up to that point: VHS (Video Home System).

Benny’s Video (1992)

As a technical advancement, VHS would likely trigger the greatest transformation ever experienced by an art discipline up to that point. Cinema is an art form—similar to literature—in which works (films) are produced that are not live performances (such as music, theater, or dance) or original works (such as paintings, sculptures, or architecture). Whenever a film is played back, regardless of time or setting, an exact replica of the original work is created. For cinema to achieve this capability, it had to wait for a revolution similar to the one in literature (the printing press). The advent of VHS made it possible for the original work to be presented to the audience wherever the cassette was inserted—whether in a room at home or in large auditoriums.

VHS Tape

Following the advent of VHS, for some viewers:

the events that took place between the time a film was shot and the time it reached the audience—chain movie theaters, screenings, popcorn, Coca-Cola, exorbitant prices, and major film distributors—had, in fact, no connection whatsoever to the film itself. VHS became a significant point of divergence for viewers who refused to accept the products and services marketed to them—which were taken over from theaters as the market standard and promoted on the premise that we are social beings.

Troma Entertainment

The rapid spread of VHS was driven by the quick emergence of video stores, rental systems, and, subsequently, the start of VHS duplication by end users. For the first time in cinema history, the end user became a part of the local distribution process (similar to the widespread adoption of cassettes in the music industry). This new opportunity in the distribution channel—made possible by technological advancements that reduced production costs (or at least introduced low-cost production alternatives)—also paved the way for films that would otherwise have been held back by distribution costs.

Full Moon Productions

This situation turned into a rare opportunity for independent film producers seeking to make a name for themselves in the 1970s and 1980s. Many producers—such as Hammer Productions, Troma Entertainment, and Full Moon—who turned to sensational methods at low cost to gain attention, produced films in the exploitation genre.

Hammer Productions

VHS Was Just the Beginning

Following the widespread adoption of VHS, the emergence of distribution channels that allowed for at least partial operation outside the established system led to greater freedom in cinema. Technological advancements would further expand and deepen the impact VHS had on the film industry. The widespread adoption of DVDs was one such development. However, the most significant change emerged with the proliferation of the internet. Like everything related to data, the spread of the internet represents one of the critical turning points in art history. In the 1990s, the widespread adoption of the internet by end users led to the emergence of P2P (peer-to-peer) sharing. With the large-scale proliferation of P2P, films were transformed into formats that could be fully replicated and distributed by end users. These developments had a significant impact on subcultures. Not only cinema, but also music and all works in media formats that could be digitized found opportunities to gain global recognition in a short period of time. During this period, when there was virtually no regulation on the internet, all barriers—such as censorship, distribution bans, country and age restrictions, and costs—that had previously hindered access to niche content vanished overnight. As a result, films produced after this period were no longer confined to local audiences. The option to reach a wide audience created a chance for recognition even for films that were furthest from the mainstream. All these changes further amplified the production, distribution, audience reach, and deviation from the mainstream in exploitation films. The widespread adoption of VHS and, later, the internet turned the 1980s and 1990s into a period when the harshest genres and the most extreme films in exploitation cinema emerged.

"Great Directors": Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, Akira Kurosawa, Sergio Leone, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Lars von Trier

Although exploitation cinema is often attempted to be positioned as distinct from mainstream cinema, directors at the very heart of cinema have also directed exploitation films. These directors, whom we might describe as “Great Directors,” incorporated exploitation films into their work—sometimes in the early stages of their careers and sometimes throughout their entire careers. Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, Akira Kurosawa, Sergio Leone, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Lars von Trier, Ingmar Bergman, and many others have taken their place in film history as directors who shaped and nourished exploitation cinema—and who, in turn, drew inspiration from it.

Bart Simpson at the VHS store

More than a century has passed since the emergence of cinema. No matter how much technology, sociological, economic, and political structures have changed, the method of addressing commercial concerns through film in new media has, in its broad outlines, remained unchanged. The films of the “Cinema of Attractions” movement—which marks the point where exploitation films first began to be categorized—resemble, in terms of content, the films uploaded today to platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.

Films published on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram are not included in the category of exploitation cinema. However, these films are technically short exploitation films shot by amateurs. At the same time, the variety of exploitation is even greater when it comes to copyrights. End users who create the content transfer all rights to the content (excluding partial commercial profits) to the platform.

Exploitation cinema encompasses a wide range of genres and subgenres. Genres are categorized based on their themes and forms of exploitation. However, over time, many hybrid genres have emerged. Furthermore, approaches to genres vary significantly across national cinemas. The list below includes all prominent Exploitation Film genres.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploitation_film

https://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/7846

https://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/Main_Page

https://www.bbfc.co.uk/