The Foundations of Filth
Paving a pathway for mavericks and bad-taste mavens from David Lynch to Todd Solondz, the Farrelly Brothers, Harmony Korine and beyond to follow, Waters developed his appetite for disruption at an early age. As a kid, he would put on outrageous puppet shows at children's parties. In his teens, he went on to make short films inspired by filmmakers from Federico Fellini to arch gimmick-monger William Castle. Films including The Wizard Of Oz, The Blob and Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls lit the way.
Famously, Waters proclaimed his subversive instincts took root between his Catholic upbringing and local sex cinemas, between “nudist camp movies” and Bergman. Either way, he learnt to use what he knew. Locations for early 8mm films included his home in Baltimore, where he looked beyond the suburban facades for tales of transgression. For actors, he turned to his friends,
