It is well known that today's blockbuster cinema shares many characteristics with the cheap exploitation films of the past. At the same time, low budget, culturally disreputable genre films have continued to thrive in today's age of niche audiences and narrowcasting. This panel intends to interrogate the role of exploitation cinema in the contemporary marketplace -- for instance, can it still act as a bold affront to conventional taste, or has it simply been absorbed into the major studios' mode of production? Potential topics include: Teen or tween pics; low budget horror and science fiction; action films from mid-majors like Summit, Lionsgate, and Relativity; contemporary ethnic cinema, like the work of Tyler Perry; new cult films like THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE, DEAD SNOW, or THE ROOM; made-for-TV genre films such as Syfy Original Movies; "mockbusters" from The Asylum; cult movie audiences; and independent genre film festivals. Please email a 250-word abstract and a brief bio to Bradley Schauer ([log in to unmask]) by noon EST on Friday August 19.

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