grindhouse

Etymology

From grind + house. * Perhaps from the grinding or cranking motion employed by early projectionists. * Perhaps from bump and grind (dubious). The term may originally have been used for burlesque houses in the 1940s.

Why this word is great

GRINDHOUSE — [Noun] A low-budget film theater that primarily shows exploitation films, often featuring sensational violence, nudity, or lurid subject matter. The term likely stems from grind (the mechanical whir of early projectors, or the 'grind policy' of nonstop screenings) + house (the dim, sticky-floored venue itself). Unlike 'arthouse' (which prizes aesthetic ambition) or 'drive-in' (which trades urban grit for suburban nostalgia), the grindhouse is a temple of disrepute, where the air smells of stale popcorn, spilled soda, and the faint metallic tang of old blood on celluloid. It is the flicker of a scratched print, the creak of a broken seat spring, and the collective gasp of an audience thrilled by something they know they shouldn’t be watching—a reminder that art, at its rawest, is just another kind of vice.

noun

A low-budget film theater that shows primarily exploitation films“For Mr. Bava[…], the road from the grindhouse to the art house — or at least, the virtual art house of the DVD player — has turned out to be surprisingly, encouragingly short.”