George Kuchar (August 31, 1942 – September 6, 2011) and his twin brother Mike began making films as teenagers in the 1950s, with 8mm film being their weapon of choice. After shocking their local amateur filmmaking club with their over-the-top stories of lust and angst, they became stars of the NYC underground scene in the 1960s, befriending the likes of Jonas Mekas and Jack Smith. Always working with the constraints of minuscule budgets and nonprofessional actors, the Kuchar’s inspiration comes from classic Hollywood melodrama. Their cheaply made pictures, rather than being held back by lack of funds, blossomed in the shackles of poverty; the garish colors of the cheap makeup and sets were perfectly complemented by the bold color range afforded by Kodachrome reversal stock. The wild (and sometimes the inverse of wild) acting, use of stock music, lack of synch sound, hyperbolic narration, and primitive special effects all combined to make tiny gems unlike anything seen before or since. The Kuchars are cited as major influences by such filmmakers as John Waters, Todd Solondz, and David Lynch.
Movie | East by Southwest | 2025 | |
Movie | Oh Hi Anne | Himself | 2017-01-01 |
Movie | Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton | Self | 2013-03-09 |
Movie | Eat My Makeup! | 2010-04-10 | |
Movie | The Hairy Horror | Himself | 2009-01-01 |
Movie | It Came from Kuchar | Self | 2009-09-22 |
Movie | Maggots and Men | 2009-06-21 | |
Movie | Coven of the Heathenites | Self | 2008-01-01 |
Movie | 3 Stories About Evil | 2008-03-26 | |
Movie | Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis | Self | 2007-04-11 |
Movie | Hitchcocked! | Self | 2006-08-11 |
Movie | Meet The Kuchar Brothers | 2006-01-01 | |
Movie | Burnout | Himself | 2003-01-01 |
Movie | Metropolitan Monologues | Himself | 2000-01-01 |
Movie | Divine Trash | Self | 2000-03-31 |
Movie | Secrets of the Shadow World | Himself | 1999-08-31 |
Movie | Bongwater | Homeless Man | 1998-04-18 |
Movie | Brakhage | Himself (archive footage) | 1998-09-17 |
Movie | The Inmate | Himself | 1997-01-01 |
Movie | Sunset After Dark | George Kilman | 1996-01-01 |
Movie | Urchins of Ungawa | 1994-01-01 | |
Movie | Award | Himself | 1992-01-01 |
Movie | Indian Summer | 1991-01-01 | |
Movie | A Passage to Wetness | 1990-01-01 | |
Movie | The Warming of the Hell House | Self | 1990-01-01 |
Movie | Migration of the Blubberoids | 1989-01-01 | |
Movie | Pictures at an Exhibitionist’s | 1989-01-01 | |
Movie | Fill Thy Crack with Whiteness | 1989-01-01 | |
Movie | Return to the House of Pain | Self | 1988-01-01 |
Movie | Cult of the Cubicles | Himself | 1987-01-01 |
Movie | The Creeping Crimson | 1987-10-31 | |
Movie | Rainy Season | 1987-11-19 | |
Movie | Video Album 5: The Thursday People | 1987-01-01 | |
Movie | Xmas 1986 | Himself | 1986-12-25 |
Movie | He Stands in a Desert Counting the Seconds of His Life | Self (archive footage) | 1986-02-22 |
Movie | Christmas 85 | Self | 1985-12-25 |
Movie | Sparkle's Tavern | Mr. Pupik | 1985-06-01 |
Movie | Screamplay | Martin | 1985-11-01 |
Movie | George Kuchar: The Comedy of the Underground | Himself | 1983-04-01 |
Movie | Taboo: The Single and the LP | 1980-01-01 | |
Movie | The Mongreloid | Himself | 1978-09-21 |
Movie | Thundercrack! | Bing / Medusa | 1975-12-29 |
Movie | Nudes: A Sketchbook | 1974-01-01 | |
Movie | True Blue and Dreamy | 1974-01-01 | |
Movie | Beaver Fever | Hunk | 1974-01-01 |
Movie | Boggy Depot | Damon | 1973-01-01 |
Movie | Peed Into the Wind | 1972-01-01 | |
Movie | Confessions | 1972-03-15 | |
Movie | Wieners and Buns Musical | Forrest | 1972-05-12 |
Movie | Portrait of Ramona | 1971-01-01 | |
Movie | Chronicles | 1969-01-01 | |
Movie | Encyclopedia of the Blessed | 1968-01-01 | |
Movie | Underground New York | Self | 1968-01-01 |
Movie | Bill's Hat | 1967-01-01 | |
Movie | The Craven Sluck | Morton | 1967-12-21 |
Movie | Hold Me While I'm Naked | 1966-04-23 | |
Movie | The Secret of Wendel Samson | 1966-07-01 | |
Movie | Galaxie | Himself | 1966-09-03 |
Movie | Sins of the Fleshapoids | Prince Gianbeno | 1965-01-04 |
Movie | Born of the Wind | 1964-03-04 | |
Movie | Anita Needs Me | 1964-03-11 | |
Movie | Lust for Ecstasy | Father Nelson | 1964-03-04 |
Movie | Tootsies in Autumn | 1963-09-23 | |
Movie | Confessions of Babette | 1963-01-01 | |
Movie | Night of the Bomb | 1962-01-01 | |
Movie | The Slasher | 1958-01-01 |