Page 31 - Alternative Europe Eurotrash and Exploitation Cinema Since 1945

at the Cult Film Archive at University College Northampton which will be published through the
Alterimage book series. Since its inception in 2000, the Cult Film Archive has rapidly grown to become
an established research centre, as well as a venue with an international reputation. From the outset,
the Archive has sought to develop a critical understanding of cult, trash and underground film and its
audiences for both academic and commercial projects. This is central to the Archive's belief that trash
can be taken seriously, but that cult and trash cinema requires a multiplicity of interpretations that
combine 'traditional' academic thought alongside an appreciation of production practices.
This philosophy of integrating academic with critical and fan-based approaches to cult and
'marginal' film forms has proven a key feature in the rapid and successful growth of the Archive, to the
extent that it now enjoys important links with key academic and commercial film organisations (both
nationally and internationally). In terms of its commercial links, the Archive enjoys longstanding
relationships with the leading national television production companies and regularly contributes to
broadcast projects in this field. The growing reputation of the Cult Film Archive has also meant that
its staff have been able to draw upon exclusive interviews with key cult filmmakers from across the
world and transcriptions of these works will be available in future volumes of the Alterimage series.
Given its emphasis on analysing the links between cult film theory and production practices, the Cult
Film Archive's move into documentary filmmaking is the next logical step of its rapid development.
Working with noted television producers such as Howard Martin (creator of television series such as
OutTHERE and Shock Movie Massacre), the Archive is currently developing a number of documentary
projects around cult film and its wider social and cultural ramifications, for both broadcast and film
festival purposes. The first project to be completed as part of this new venture is entitled Cabin Fever:
Fear Today, Horror Tomorrow. The documentary analyses the success of Eli Roth's recent film against
a backdrop of wider American social fears. The project was completed in December 2003 and details
of its release schedule are available from the editors of this volume.
From the outset, the Cult Film Archive's mission has been to promote its research via a credible
academic publisher, and this is facilitated through the long-term association we have with Wallflower
Press and the Alterlmage series. The book series reiterates the Archive's objective of integrating
theoretical with critical and production accounts of cult film and its audiences. Each edition of
Alterimage' will be themed and contain 12-15 key academic articles alongside shorter critical accounts
and interviews with cult filmmakers and exhibitors. Further details on future editions of the book
series are available from both the editors and the publishers.
The Cult Film Archive's philosophy of'taking trash seriously' is undoubtedly shared by a number
of other academic research units, with whom we work in tandem. These include the research and
conference seminar staged on an annual basis at De Montfort University by I. Q. Hunter. The Cult
and Exploitation Film Research Network was set up at De Montfort University in 2003 to encourage
academic research into this new field of study. Coordinated by I. Q. Hunter and colleagues at
Northampton and Aberystwyth, the Network runs annual Day Schools at De Montfort University,
Leicester, and will organise an international conference on Exploitation in 2007.
Another major research project concerned with the study of cult, trash and alternative cinema is
the Centre for Research into Extreme and Alternative Media ( C R E A M ) , located in the Department
of Theatre, Film and Television Studies at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. C R E A M functions

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