Disturbing, exploitative and cynical documentaries with snide or sarcastic remarks on shocking or strange subjects, usually real-life gore, death, violence or bizarre customs, societies, rituals and cultures. Although this genre originally started as real documentaries with a point to make, the genre spawned dozens of imitators, followers and enthusiasts who sometimes resorted to taking or reconstructing scenes of death and violent rituals, filming bizarre sexual scenes, or simply compiling real gruesome footage, and it all rapidly deteriorated into sensationalism, vulgarity and exploitation of the worst kind over the decades. Also arguably responsible for the Cannibal movie craze in the 70s, and other similar sensationalist genres that exploited people's fear of and fascination with violent or taboo cultures and death. Also arguably a cinematic offshoot of carnival freak shows.
