Trash cinema is a derogatory term that film critics "officially" adopted when naming the B-movies of the '30s and '40s like there was "The Singing Outlaw" (Joseph H Lewis) and "I Walked with a Zombie" (Jacques Tourneur).

Previously, major film studios worked with a system whereby sets and equipment used for A film productions were being reused for low-budget productions, hens in a way creating the therm trash cinema. These were based on accelerated production & low budget process with limited personnel.


These films were shown at neighborhood theaters, part of the "double features" and, of course, entering the video (reel) market. With the invention and advent of  television it trash movies grew in the '50s, these films against the monopoly of the big movie studios causing some fierce competition , Like Video did in much later decades. Therefore, the film medium channeled into the "bigger than life" (blockbusters, movie theaters, drive-ins) & the B-movies.

The first sub-genre of trash cinema is 'the monster movies' from the 50s, it included some major filmmakers. For example Gordon Douglas, director of the giant ant movie "Them!" (1954). These films served as a bridge to the future exploitation films. This transition brought talents like Roger Corman and Jesús Franco, B-movie directors with horror films like "The Blood of Fu Manchu" (1968) and dream-erotic 'Vampyros Lesbos' (1971).

Another characteristic of theexploitation film is the nudity,  result out the collapse  'Hays Code' censorship this grew strongly in the 60s. Topics such as lesbianism once forbidden were now used in films as "The Killing of Sister George" by Robert Aldrich.

Another sub-genre consisting of blood, extreme physical violence and physiological effects (such as mutilated bodies) is the goremovie. First in this genre was "Blood Feast" (1963), made ​​by former nudie director Herschell Gordon Lewis.  Really setting the tome of this genre was that other Herschell Gordon Lewis film "Two Thousand Maniacs" (1964), a most successful cult film.

After all these years with the advent of films by George A. Romero, Tobe Hooper and Italian director Dario Argento is the genre penetrated into all areas, even the European art films. The influence of the trash film continues into present time, well after the golden age of cinema subgenres.