Exploitation films

Macon County Line

One of the most profitable independents ever made. Nastier than its reputation.

Rituals

The Canadian Deliverance, and grimmer than the nickname promises.

Spider Baby

Jack Hill's first, Lon Chaney Jr's last good role. Very odd and very fond.

White Line Fever

Trucker versus the cartel. Earnest, blue-collar, better than expected.

White Lightning

Burt Reynolds, moonshine, and the blueprint for a decade of Southern comedy.

Two Thousand Maniacs!

H.G. Lewis, a Southern town, and gore effects that predate everyone.

Walking Tall

One sheriff, one hickory club, and the blueprint for every Southern vigilante picture after it.

The Hills Have Eyes

Craven's meanest. The suburban family turn out to be the better killers.

Deliverance

The respectable ancestor of the whole backwoods cycle, and still the best of it.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Almost bloodless, and still the most upsetting film here. The heat is the horror.