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exploitation film

American  
[eks-ploi-tey-shuhn film] / ˌɛks plɔɪˈteɪ ʃən ˌfɪlm /

noun

  1. a low-budget movie characterized by extreme violence, excessive gore, gratuitous sex, or other content meant to shock, disgust, or titillate.


Etymology

Origin of exploitation film

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Rudy Ray Moore, later a raunchy comedian who starred in the 1975 exploitation film “Dolemite,” was Mr. Smith’s driver.

From Washington Post • Feb. 22, 2023

This one’s a don’t-miss movie only for folks with a strong constitution and a morbid curiosity about a game-changing but troubling exploitation film.

From New York Times • Jun. 17, 2022

Bob understood that the exploitation film was influencing all the new young directors and that people outside of the intended audience were celebrating them.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2019

“Bayou,” a 1957 ultra-low-budget and independently produced drama filmed on location, in waterfront Cajun country, in Louisiana, was reissued in 1961, with some added footage, as a sensational exploitation film called “Poor White Trash.”

From The New Yorker • Mar. 1, 2019

There is also a work called Shoulda, which references the 1949 exploitation film She Shoulda Said No! where he updates the cast to include Princess Diana, Whitney Houston and Amy Winehouse.

From The Guardian • Oct. 8, 2018

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