 Although seemingly at odds with each other , art and exploitation films are frequently treated as equal and interchangeable in cult fandom , listed alongside each other and described in similar terms : their ability to provoke a response . The most exploitative aspects of art films are thus played up and their academic recognition ignored . This flattening of culture follows the popularity of post @-@ structuralism , which rejects a hierarchy of artistic merit and equates exploitation and art . Mathijs and Sexton state that although cult films are not synonymous with exploitation , as is occasionally assumed , this is a key component ; they write that exploitation , which exists on the fringes of the mainstream and deals with taboo subjects , is well @-@ suited for cult followings . Academic David Andrews writes that cult softcore films are " the most masculinized , youth @-@ oriented , populist , and openly pornographic softcore area . " The sexploitation films of Russ Meyer were among the first to abandon all hypocritical pretenses of morality and were technically proficient enough to gain a cult following . His persistent vision saw him received as an auteur worthy of academic study ; director John Waters attributes this to Meyer 's ability to create complicated , sexually charged films without resorting to explicit sex . Myrna Oliver described Doris Wishman 's exploitation films as " crass , coarse , and camp ... perfect fodder for a cult following . " " Sick films " , the most disturbing and graphically transgressive films , have their own distinct cult following ; these films transcend their roots in exploitation , horror , and art films . In 1960s and 1970s America , exploitation and art films shared audiences and marketing , especially in New York City 's grindhouse cinemas . 
