Is B Movie a genre?
Is B Movie a genre of it's own? Are there requirements that get a movie thrown into that category or do the producers specifically set out to make it a B movie?
Netflex will list B horror as one of the genres and I know there is a cult following of B movies.
Best Answer
No, I would not classify B-Movie as a genre. The name came from the fact that it used to be the second movie of a double-bill, and was usually low budget and shorter than the other.
Nowadays we think of a B-Movie in a broader sense of being a low budget commercial movie, and has some overlap with Exploitation movies, but they can cover multiple genres including Horror as you mention. Science Fiction & Westerns are genres that have produced many B-Movies. The Italians were famous for producing 'Peplum' movies - also known as 'Swords and Sandals' movies.
It is true that there was a 'golden age' of B-Movies and that there are certain traits that might make you think 'this is a b-movie', but I do not think they would form a recognized genre in their own right.
Yes, director's would often know they were making a B-Movie - explicitly because it had a low budget and was destined to accompany a main feature. This might impart some of the characteristics that people love or hate about B-Movies, but it doesn't make it a genre IMHO.
Pictures about "Is B Movie a genre?"
What defines a B-movie?
: a cheaply produced motion picture.What is the difference between A and B-movies?
In downtown cinemas 'A-movies' were exhibited on their own; B-movies were released in double bills or as support to 'A movies'.What does B rated horror mean?
Most B-horror movies feature bad special effects, far-fetched storylines, and lackluster performances from their stars. But it's not all bad news \u2014 a lot of the time, these types of horror films are so bad, they're good.What is a modern B-movie?
Modern B-movies draw from the same melting pot of ideas so often that, at times, they can only be classified in a broad "genre" comprised of the most obvious '70s or '80s tropes. Examples include: The buddy-cop formula, ninjas, pulp horror, synthesizer music, and more.What is B-Movie?
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