According to The Guardian, the term 'B-movie' was coined in the early 1930s to distinguish the low-budget productions from their more expensive 'A-movies'. And according to The China Post, the 1980s was a golden age for the Indonesian B-movie industry, with many of which being horror films.
A lot of Indonesian horror film makers back then would borrow concepts from international movies and then layer it with local aesthetics and elements, such as replacing “Satan” with mythical creatures in the local culture to raise acceptance.
With its violent and exploitative ideas and filming technique, these B-movies often reflected societal angst and had easily found a lower middle-class audience.
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The China Post mentions, in the 90s, B-movies started to decline facing the competition from television shows and the influx of international films.
It wasn’t until recent years when a group of underground filmmakers started resurrecting the genre that B-movie started making a comeback to the audience.
The China Post says, an Indonesian director specializing in B-movies said that mainstream taste may often make B-movie directors feel excluded and that their work was undeserving of the entry of any festival because of its twisted and wild nature.
He hopes that with the effort of indie production companies and underground directors, a more diverse film industry can be built in Indonesia where low-budget films like B-movies can have a chance to be appreciated.
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