The question of what mexploitation is pops up a lot. It’s not exactly a genre. The most simple definition would be Mexican exploitation films, but that’s also a bit simplistic, and ignores the unique characteristics of mexploitation. So, it’s not blaxploitation with mexicans instead of black people, although that seems to be what Robert Rodriguez wants to make it into with his “Machete” project.

However, mexploitation does generally fit the common definition of exploitation film as

“Films made with little or no attention to quality or artistic merit but with an eye to a quick profit, usually via high-pressure sales and promotion techniques emphasizing some sensational aspect of the product.”
-Ephraim Katz

So there’s a certain b-movie, sensationalistic aspect to it. But what makes it mexploitation instead of just exploitation is the subject matter.

In the 50s and 60s, mexploitation started out with wrestler movies, quick low-budget affairs designed to capitalize on the popularity of Mexican free wrestlers, the most famous being Santo, who starred in 54 movies. In the movies, he fought mostly supernatural menaces to the order of Mexican society, such as vampires, wolf-men, mummies, etc. Several other luchadores, most notably Blue Demon, also had prolific movie careers.

The wrestler films, as well as their contemporary ape-man and other monster movies, were never good movies, but got progressively more horrible approaching and entering the seventies, a decade of total ruin in the Mexican movie industry, largely due to government policies and rampant corruption.

In this same decade, there was an upsurge in mexploitation films more similar to US exploitation films, most notably the uniquely Mexican sub-genre of “cine de ficheras”, movies where the main characters were “ficheras”, women working in clubs where they danced with men for money (and prostitution was often common), as well as strippers, prostitutes, and so on.

Lyn May and Sasha Montenegro were two of the principal actresses of this period, when the movie titles also became more similar to US exploitation titles, for instance the Montenegro vehicles “La vida dificil de una mujer facil” (The difficult life of an easy woman) and “Muñecas de media noche” (Midnight dolls).

During the 80s and into the 90s, mexploitation was mainly represented by two subgenres. The fichera films had their direct descendants in “sexicomedias”, sexual innuendo laden crude comedies reminiscent of the British “Carry On” films, of which 3 lancheros muy picudos is probably the best (as in, least horrid) example.

Also somewhat apparent in 3 lancheros, but much more so in many other films of the period, was a tendency to try to imitate American mainstream movies, principally action movies, but also to an extent horror. Hugo Stiglitz was a big star in the horror movies, as well as appearing in 3 lancheros, and in 80s mexploitation in general. On the action side, the Ahumada brothers appeared in countless movies, and Comando zorras (Slut commando), and Bolas chinas (Chinese balls). I blogged here about my experiences in the second one, which you can read starting in November 2005.

I’ve also reviewed a few, such as the “horror” movie Vacaciones del terror and its wonderful sequel. On top of that, you might enjoy some mexploitation posters, such as this gem, featuring US immigration agents and scantily clad women, and this incredible thing, which has “50 authentic hippies!”