Double Features: A Guide

By Emmanuel Harish Menon // Posted on: May 06, 2020

  1. What is a double feature?
  2. History of the double feature
  3. The double feature in modern times
  4. How do I create a good double feature?
  5. HELP! I still can’t think of a double feature!

I’m in quarantine, with a wealth of time on my hands, so I thought I’d post something on my criminally underused (and recently redesigned) blog. Since I’m planning on doing a French New Wave double feature soon (it’s inspired by a “Now You See It” video essay I just watched), I decided: Why not learn about double features before screening one for myself?

A quick disclaimer, if I may. The title of this isn’t meant to indicate that I am an expert on double features. I enjoy trying to learn as much as I can about a specific thing and I find that it is the best way for me to learn new things. Writing this blog post is a way for me to consolidate as much of that knowledge as I can by rephrasing and framing it in new ways.

What is a double feature?

A double feature, or double bill, as it is sometimes referred to, is a back-to-back screening of two feature films. These films are standalone and have no relation in characters or in title. You wouldn’t, for example, watch Taken 2 after Taken 1 (if you were planning on doing that, you’re too far gone for anybody to save).

History of the double feature

The double-feature came about during The Great Depression as a product of higher unemployment rates and smaller incomes. Theatres, watching screening attendances decline, started selling two films for the price of one ticket. This had the intended effect. Sales went up. Audiences escaped into the cheerful fantasy depicted in The Wizard of Oz and were riveted by Gone with the Wind’s romanticisms.

Double features also brought about the creation of the B movie. I could write a whole other blog post about the B movie, so I’ll keep it short. Studios had noticed that double features were selling extremely well. However, they were running out of new films to include in their double features. Thus began the production of B movies. Usually, studios would get inexperienced crew members and new actors, as well as actors whose popularity had waned. They would then put them on a film that was usually made using whatever sets were available at the time.

If an independent theatre wanted to show a studio’s A movies, they were forced to rent all the studio’s films from that particular season (including the B movies). This is a practice known as block booking. Block booking is another one of the reasons that double features were so popular at the time. Theatres would not have been able to show these B movies by themselves, they simply would not have sold enough tickets. Therefore, they lumped them together with an A movie, often placing the B movie before the A movie.

In 1948, a historic case came along that completely changed Hollywood (for the better). United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. put an end to the practice of block booking (among other things), which they ruled was in violation of United States antitrust law. Although many drive-ins and independent theatres kept showing double features, the B movie’s slot would generally be occupied by a re-release of an older A movie.

The double feature in modern times

As a result of the combination of the rise of streaming and the collective lowering of our average attention span, double features are nowhere to be seen in cinemas. Often, however, some cinemas will choose to show two James Bond films or two horror films back to back. I know that one of the theatres near me did a Studio Ghibli double feature a while back, which was cool (but then they delayed a bunch of good movies just to show The Rise of Skywalker and I lost all respect for them).

Thankfully, however, due to physical media and various streaming services, the very same ones that killed the double feature, the double feature does live on in our homes.

How do I create a good double feature?

Again, I would like to reiterate that I am by no means an expert on creating a good double feature, this is just what I’ve learned over the course of a couple days of research. I’ve also added in some of my own ideas that seem to logically fit into what makes a good double feature.

First off, let's get the "musts" out of the way

Now, for what makes a good double feature. Although a double feature can be made up of two completely disjoint films (e.g. watching one of the Harry Potter films and then watching The Hateful Eight), the two films shown in a double feature should be linked, whether through directors, actors, genres or themes.

Each film in a double feature should complement the other, enhancing your understanding of the film and the techniques used within the film. In a New York Times article that I read while working on this post, Mr Hoberman says that “the double feature was a way of learning — and thinking — about movies”. Change that “was” to “is”, and you’ve got yourself an amazing guiding principle for putting together double feature.

HELP! I still can’t think of a double feature!

Tagged with: doublefeatures / film