If you love low-budget, controversial movies that aren’t afraid to tackle taboos and be super weird, then you might be a fan of midnight movies and not even know it.
In this article, we’re covering the best midnight movies that are sure to become your guilty pleasure. But first…
What Are Midnight Movies?
The midnight movie culture peaked in the early 1970s, when mainstream content was censored and followed specific narrative structures. To go around the limitations, urban art house theatres, especially the ones in New York, began screening low-budget movies—not as jazzy as the mainstream films but odd and unorthodox, exploring themes too bold for established studios and channels.
Midnight movies began back in the 1950s, when local U.S. TV stations aired low-budget genre films late at night, backed with ironic commentary, to fill up the witching hour slots. Within two decades, these films opened a parallel stream of cinema for cinephiles who wanted more than just predictable, glamorous commercial content.
Soon enough, the midnight movie screenings became a venue to explore topics and issues that the mainstream movies didn’t want to talk about, and that’s how the night became a silent partner in cinematic revolution.
Best Midnight Movies of All Time
1. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Directed by Jim Sharman, The Rocky Horror Picture Show was one of the most popular midnight movies back in the ‘70s. The narrative follows a couple who take refuge from the rain in the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a cross-dressing mad scientist, on a very special night—the unveiling of his bizarre scientific creation, the ultimate man-made Adonis, Rocky, designed to bring the ultimate sexual pleasure. Now, everything depends on whether the couple can dodge Frank’s relentless sexual pursuit of them. What makes the narrative even more unique is that the movie is a rock opera, often considered to be a B-horror, but widely considered to be the best musicals of all time.
2. El Topo (1970)
Alejandro Jodorowsky’s El Topo follows the titular character, El Topo, a violent gunfighter in his quest for enlightenment. As he wanders around the mystical desert, meeting bizarre characters and vanquishing his adversaries, El Topo evolves from being a violent, egotistical man with a God complex into a spiritually awakened one through self-reflection. In addition to the enigmatic spiritual symbolism and critical portrayal of religious and societal institutions, El Topo’s surrealistic and transgressive approach to storytelling also attracted a lot of controversy.
El Topo is widely considered to be a pioneering film in the ‘acid Western’ genre, a psychedelic take on Western genre conventions, that continues to inspire radical artists.
3. Eraserhead (1977)
David Lynch’s directorial debut, Eraserhead, explores complex themes including the anxieties of fatherhood and the pressure of navigating a degenerated post-industrial world, through Henry Spencer as he tries to keep his life on track, while tackling his angry girlfriend and his newborn mutant child. Eraserhead opened to only a handful of theaters when it was released, but became a major hit in midnight screenings. With a narrative like Eraserhead, Lynch proved his love for experimental filmmaking right from his first film.
4. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
A George A. Romero classic, Night of the Living Dead is a milestone in zombie movies. But not many know that it was a star at the midnight movie screenings, too. A story of survival against the undead, Night of the Dead is proof that even the most offbeat narratives can resonate with the audience to become a cult-classic—it all depends on how you present it.
5. The Wicker Man (1973)
Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man is a classic whodunnit horror, presented as a folk ballad by the meticulous use of tunes. Following a puritan police sergeant who newly arrives in a Scottish island village and gets entangled in the search for a missing girl, The Wicker Man will keep you guessing until the end, making you switch sides until you realize that you might have been rooting for the wrong person the whole time.
6. The Telephone Book (1971)
Imagine being so obsessed with the dirty talk of a man you’ve only ever talked to on the phone that you set out to track him down! Nelson Lyon’s The Telephone Book attracted adequate controversy upon its release owing to its visually inventive exploration of delicate subject matters, such as sexuality and women’s sexuality, to be even more specific. Naturally, this was no movie to be undertaken by a mainstream studio, at least back in the ‘70s, and so, it found its due love and respect from the midnight moviegoers. Today, it is a cult-classic: one of a kind indeed.
7. Black Devil Doll From Hell (1984)
Black Devil Doll From Hell (1984)
Unlike Annabelle, this doll is not set to kill you—rather, this one psychologically torments you by manipulating your sexual life. After Chester Novell Turner’s Black Devil Doll From Hell, it didn’t really hit the mark at the mainstream box office, but it turned out to be quite a hit at midnight movie screenings. The surreal storyline and bizarre puppet effects distinguish this extremely low-budget movie from its peers. At the same time, the movie is also notable for featuring an all-black cast, at a time when representation was a rarity, especially in a post-blaxploitation era.
8. The Warriors (1979)
An action crime thriller, Walter Hill’s The Warriors centers on a street gang called the Warriors, falsely accused of assassinating a respected gang leader. The Warriors now must survive the wrath of the rival gang and police to cross the rivals’ territory and get back to their own hood. The narrative is notable for depicting 1970s New York and its mayhem in the face of gang war. The Warriors’ comic-style visuals, relying on extreme stylization that became iconic images and motifs, are frequently referenced in pop culture even today.
9. The Evil Dead (1981)
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Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead became a cult-classic owing to its unconventional visual language, dark humor, and extreme gore, making it perfect for midnight screenings. The narrative follows a group of friends who stumble upon the “book of the dead” and unknowingly release demonic spirits that begin to hunt them down. While it had a controversial beginning, it was a banger in the midnight movie community, paving the way for an entire franchise of five films so far.
Midnight movies often featured cult-favorite content, helping connect movies with their niche audience by fostering a communal atmosphere even within a countercultural setting.
Which of the above movies have you watched?
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