American Hippie in Israel: ‘Horrendous’ Israeli ’70s film becomes a cult favorite
“Showing that shlock trumps taste, nearly 100 people crowded the Tel Aviv Cinematheque on Friday night for the midnight screening of the burgeoning cult film An American Hippie in Israel.
The 1972 film – surely one of the worst films ever made in Israel, or beyond – has been appearing at midnight on the first Friday night of the last four months, and has evolved into an Israeli cult event on par with the midnight screenings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show in the US, albeit one still in its infant phases.
[Warning: Video Trailer NSFW!]
As a result of its new-found popularity, the film is also set for a limited US release later this year, following its acquisition nearly a decade ago by US company Grindhouse Releasing, which specializes in cult and “exploitation films.”