The term "grindhouse" has a unique spelling that may confuse some. The first part of the word, "grind," is pronounced as /ɡraɪnd/, with a long "I" sound. The second part, "house," is pronounced as /haʊs/, with a diphthong "OU" sound. The word comes from the United States theater culture of the 1960s and 1970s, where "grindhouse" referred to cheap theaters that played exploitation films. The spelling "grindhouse" is a blend of the words "grind" and "movie house" and has become popularized in pop culture.
Grindhouse refers to a type of movie theater that primarily featured low-budget films, particularly exploitation and B-movies, predominantly during the 1960s to the 1980s. The term "grindhouse" originally emerged from the fact that these theaters were often rundown, located in run-down urban areas, and known for continuously cycling through various movies or double features to attract audiences looking for cheap entertainment.
The movies shown in grindhouse theaters were typically characterized by their explicit content, violence, gore, sexploitation, and shocking subject matter. These films were created to cater to niche audiences seeking unconventional cinematic experiences. They included genres such as horror, action, martial arts, spaghetti westerns, sexploitation, blaxploitation, and other forms of exploitation cinema. Due to the limited budgets and rushed production, these movies often had low production values, crude special effects, and unpolished acting.
Grindhouse cinema experienced a revival in popularity during the early 2000s, influenced by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's double-feature film, "Grindhouse" (2007), which paid homage to the original grindhouse style. The term "grindhouse" also expanded beyond movies to include related forms of entertainment, such as music, literature, and video games, that emulate the gritty, exploitative aesthetic and themes associated with the original theaters.
Overall, grindhouse can be defined as a particular type of movie theater that showcased cheaply produced, explicit, and exploitative films known for their shocking content and appeal to niche audiences.
The term "grindhouse" originated from the mid-20th century, mainly in the United States, and its etymology can be traced back to the movie theater industry. In the 1920s and 1930s, various small, rundown, and low-ticket theaters were known as "grindhouses". These theaters would continuously screen a collection of films, often low-budget, b-movies, cult classics, exploitation films, and other genres that were considered less mainstream or of lower quality.
The name "grindhouse" itself suggests the idea that these theaters were "grinding" out movies non-stop for a steady flow of customers. Such theaters were typically situated on urban areas' outskirts or in run-down neighborhoods. The objective was to attract audiences seeking cheap and continuous entertainment, who were looking for an escape from reality or had specific interests in the movies being shown.