The Encyclopedia of Underground Movies: Films from the Fringes of Cinema

Unlike most independent films, undergrounds roll far from traditional filmmaking circles. With micro-budgets that couldn't cover a day's catering on typical Hollywood films, these productions challenge audiences with bold content and audacious visuals that make cineplex fare taste like stale popcorn.

Phil Hall helps film students and enthusiasts uncover the hidden cinema that Hollywood won't acknowledge. Each chapter focuses on a particular genre within the underground sub-culture, offering historic development and insight from underground film experts (filmmakers, distributors, programmers and critics) on the particular highs and lows of the genre. An original interview with a well-known figure of each sub-culture is also included, and each chapter ends with a Required Viewing section containing brief reviews of the essential classics (and anti-classics, in some cases) of the genre.