What is a "Z movie"?

A "Z movie" (or grade-Z movie) is a film created with a low budget and has qualities lower than a "B movie" (a B movie was characterized as a lower quality film used as a second film in a double feature during the Golden Age of Hollywood). While B movies may have mediocre scripts and actors who are relatively unknown or past their prime, they are for the most part competently lit (proper scene lighting for filming), shot, and edited. Characteristics of a so-called Z movie includes scripts that are often poorly written, continuity errors tend to arise during shooting, and nonprofessional actors are frequently cast. Many Z movies suffer from poor scene lighting and editing.

One early use of the term (as "grade-Z movie") is found in a January 1965 newspaper review by film critic Kevin Thomas of "The Tomb of Ligeia" (1964). The earliest clear use of "Z movie" is found in the introduction to the 1975 book entitled "Kings of the Bs" by Todd McCarthy.

Director Ed Wood has often been described as the quintessential creator of Z movies. His "Plan 9 from Outer Space" (1959) labeled as the "worst film ever made" has many characteristics of a Z movie, featuring an incoherent plot, odd dialogue, poor acting, cheap special effects and scene inconsistencies.

Examples of more recent Z movies include such pictures as "Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfold" (1995) and "Bikini Cavegirl" (2004), both directed by Fred Olen Ray.