42nd Street Forever

I Dismember Mama.

Werewolves on Wheels.

They Call Her One Eye.

The Bullet Machine.

These may sound like silly made up names, but as 42nd Street Forever proves, these are the titles for actual films that played the seedy movie theaters – the true grindhouses -- of New York City back in the day.

42nd Street Forever is not a documentary; instead it’s a compilation of trailers from the best (or the worst) movies offered to the audiences who patronized these theaters. Watching them, you may find yourself amazed that there are people sick and twisted enough to come up with ideas like this, let alone the fact that they were given the money to make movies out of them.

The idea that there was an audience chomping at the bit to see them seems downright insane.

Or at least that’s one reaction. Personally, I watched 42nd Street Forever with paper and pen to make notes so I could check to see if I could Netflix some of the more provocative titles. Perhaps even go to Amazon and buy them.

Granted, not everybody wants to see Matango, but watching the trailer for it I was suddenly struck with the nostalgic feeling of a child watching the movie – renamed Attack of the Mushroom People – on a Saturday afternoon’s Creature Double Feature. I have to see it again.

Anyone looking for a glimpse into the true ‘art’ of grindhouse cinema will want to explore what 42nd Street Forever has to offer.