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B-Movies at the Mansfield Library

Looking for some monster films, horror films, vintage sci-fi flicks, or related films to get you through the summer? Check out the Mansfield Library's holdings here!

B-Movies@ML!

So, what is a b-movie anyway? The phrase may elicit visions of monsters, mad scientists, vampires, or other campy elements. Brief and general dictionary definitions often state that such films are low-budget and low-quality productions. However, the nuanced history of these films suggests a deeper definition. Wikipedia actually has a great introductory article on B-Movies-- complete with helpful authoritative references-- which discusses the history of these films in great detail. The first few sentences of this article give a more detailed description of a b-movie:

A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature. Although the U.S. production of movies intended as second features largely ceased by the end of the 1950s, the term B movie continued to be used in the broader sense it maintains today ("B Movie," Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_movie, accessed 8 June 2011)

Below, please check out some staff and librarian favorite b-movies at the Mansfield Library. Enjoy!

Find B-Movies at the Mansfield Library

The links below will allow you to browse B-Movies in our collection.  You can also search for individual titles in our catalog.

More B-Movie Information

Below are some links to sites that may provide free access to documentary films on the web or provide more information on documentary filmmakers.