Vansploitation - exploitation but with vans!

[gbm82]

Let's talk about everyone's favorite exploitation sub-genre!



DVD only (multiple releases for most of these, I just chose one):




Exploitation that happens to have a van or RV as an important element (BD):

DVD:


Big list:
https://www.imcdb.org/vehicles.php?r...madefor=&role=

[Show spoiler]

[Leslie Dame]

I think you named them all except for The Van (1977)

[TrentW1982]

Excellent!

[gbm82]

A couple articles I found on this short lived fad:
http://dailygrindhouse.com/thewire/g...efining-genre/

https://www.automobilemag.com/news/v...s-films-1970s/

[gimmeshelter]

If you include BEST FRIENDS that's really RV-sploitation, and then you'd open it up to stuff like RACE WITH THE DEVIL and HILLS HAVE EYES.

[TrentW1982]

That Daily Grindhouse article is great!

[gbm82]

Originally Posted by gimmeshelter

If you include BEST FRIENDS that's really RV-sploitation, and then you'd open it up to stuff like RACE WITH THE DEVIL and HILLS HAVE EYES.

The existential dread you just created

[Savage_Blu]

Ha! Apparently there is a wiki for this very thing:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vansploitation


While not central to the plot, the main character in Laserblast drives / owns a van and its in the movie quite a bit. He even 'races' a local tuff with it lol. Also, the main character is picked up hitchhiking by a hippie in a VW van....he blows away the hippie with a 'Laserblast' and steals said van lol

[TrentW1982]

Originally Posted by gimmeshelter

If you include BEST FRIENDS that's really RV-sploitation, and then you'd open it up to stuff like RACE WITH THE DEVIL and HILLS HAVE EYES.

That's very true. Also Hitch-Hike. The themes though, particularly in Best Friends, are still pretty much the same - the "fun, freedom and fine transportation" mentioned in that article - as Best Friends even starts with them buying the RV and is about the journey, but it's just the wrong type of vehicle!

[AFFanAttic]

This 'sploitation category is new to me and I'm intrigued as heck to learn more.

Maybe it should be decided quick if RVs count, otherwise this thread could just turn to complete chaos. If they do apply, then Hitch-Hike is the one that comes to my mind.

And it's been forever since I've seen Candy Snatchers, but that's the van one that I'm thinking of, and my memory may be exaggerating the role of The Van in that one.

[Boggle]

Annie Potts character in Corvette Summer has a pretty sweet van.

Hitchhike to Hell has a lot of van scenes, so does Malibu High. Neither one really qualify as vansploitation though.

I'd say Supervan and The Van are the only true examples of vansploitation. Both films are strongly focused on vans, vanners and van culture. Otherwise we'd just be listing 70's movies with vans in them, of which there are probably hundreds.

I do appreciate the thread though and I hope some more films about vans will come to light. It's a vantastic sub-genre! Sorry, I'm leaving now.

[pixote]

Multiple scenes with the van pictured in the background of this poster as it’s the main character’s vehicle

And of course;



5 minute YouTube clip of just van shots from this one;

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f9k2qD...ature=youtu.be

[deltatauhobbit]

Does this count

[Show spoiler]

[Leslie Dame]

Originally Posted by gimmeshelter

If you include BEST FRIENDS that's really RV-sploitation, and then you'd open it up to stuff like RACE WITH THE DEVIL and HILLS HAVE EYES.

Not to derail this thread but I believe they used the same RV in at least three movies





Hitcher in the Dark (1989)
Welcome to Spring Break (1989)
Troll 2 (1990)

with Hitcher in the Dark being the obvioius RV-sploitation movie, and prominently featured in Troll 2. It had more of a cameo in Welcome to Spring Break. All three movies were Italian productions (two by production company Filmirage) filmed in America. I wonder if this very same RV was featured in other Italian movies.

[TrentW1982]

Originally Posted by Leslie Dame

Not to derail this thread but I believe they used the same RV in at least three movies



Hitcher in the Dark (1989)
Welcome to Spring Break (1989)
Troll 2 (1990)

with Hitcher in the Dark being the obvioius RV-sploitation movie, and prominently featured in Troll 2. It had more of a cameo in Welcome to Spring Break. All three movies were Italian productions (two by production company Filmirage) filmed in America. I wonder if this very same RV was featured in other Italian movies.

That's very observant!

I like the updated original post now too, looks good! It's almost inspiring me to create a vansploitation section in my shelves and get onto some purchases.

[Leslie Dame]

Possible Vansploitation?



The killer in Killer's Delight (1978) drives a van. He picks up and kills some of his victims in the van, and uses it to dump the dead bodies.

[gbm82]

Texas Detour is more fish out of water hicksploitation than anything. The van is stolen in the very beginning and really just there to explain why the siblings are in the middle of nowhere.

Cameron Mitchell has a small part in this rather forgettable drama. It tries to be sleazy and Anthony James plays a rather despicable character but it feels more like a Lifetime tv special from the 70s. For what it is, it's rather breezy and watchable, with some fun sequences. Just don't expect much in the way of vans or sleaze. (There is gratuitous nudity near the end, that feels thrown in, especially after the nudity-free rape and sex scenes that preceded it).

Plus there is a van jump and exploding cars at the end... so ...

[Savage_Blu]

Originally Posted by gbm82

Texas Detour is more fish out of water hicksploitation than anything. The van is stolen in the very beginning and really just there to explain why the siblings are in the middle of nowhere.

Cameron Mitchell has a small part in this rather forgettable drama. It tries to be sleazy and Anthony James plays a rather despicable character but it feels more like a Lifetime tv special from the 70s. For what it is, it's rather breezy and watchable, with some fun sequences. Just don't expect much in the way of vans or sleaze. (There is gratuitous nudity near the end, that feels thrown in, especially after the nudity-free rape and sex scenes that preceded it).

Plus there is a van jump and exploding cars at the end... so ...

Just don't expect much in the way of vans or sleaze
Awww...man!

Plus there is a van jump and exploding cars at the end... so ...
Sweeeeet!

[slybone]

Another one is “Sunset Cove” from the Al Adamson box set. There are 2 major characters that are vanners in that movie.

[Network23]

Originally Posted by slybone

Another one is “Sunset Cove” from the Al Adamson box set. There are 2 major characters that are vanners in that movie.

are they "Van-narians" or Van-ites"! I think this whole Vansploitation intrigues me somehow! I think i own The Van on one of these 5 or 6 disc Crown international boxsets.