Vansploitation
Vansploitation is a term used for a genre of American independent films from the 1970s in which vans were a "key element to the plot", and that often feature comedic stories about college-age people.[1] The "short-lived"[2][3] genre emerged in the United States in the early 1970s, exploiting the popularity of vans with young people, was very popular in the mid to late 1970s, and disappeared in the early 1980s. Vansploitation films were originally made mostly for young audiences. Blue Summer (1973) is credited as the first film of the genre which continued with films like The Van (1977)[4] and Van Nuys Blvd. (1979), the latter having been called "the most technically competent Vansploitation film".[5]
Defining qualities of the genre
Coffman argues that the mere apearence of a van in a film does not make it a vansploitation film. The van has to serve a special purpose in the story, which is summed up in the trailer of Van Nuys Blvd.: "Freedom, fun and fine transportation".[4] Often, vans were highly customized, up to the extend of having an entirely custom body in Supervan.[6] Besides the van itself, van culture (wardrobe, magazines, meetings of van drivers) is also often featured prominently.[7]
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The van (or vans) must provide the engine that drives the plot forward and/or provide the stage in which the action of the plot actually takes place. (...) The characters in Vansploitation films generally have goals oriented toward spending as much time in their van as possible, or in putting money into improving their van's performance and/or appearance via customization. (...) In short, most van movies are about getting laid (in a van) and winning road games or other competitions (also in a van).
— Jason Coffman, article about the Vansploitation genre.[4]
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Most vansploitation movies were about harmlessly rebellious young people outwitting the stodgy authority figures bent on stopping them from having a good time.
— Scott Ashlin, review of the film Twister's Revenge.
Important examples
Coffman names six films as "essential texts" for the vansploitation genre:[4]
1973: Blue Summer (aka Love Truck), directed by Chuck Vincent
1976: C.B. Hustlers, directed by Stu Segall
1977: The Van, directed by Sam Grossman
1977: Supervan, directed by Lamar Card
1978: Mag Wheels (aka Summer School), directed by Bethel Buckalew
1979: Van Nuys Blvd., directed by William Sachs
References
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