Mike Kuchar (born August 31, 1942, New York City) defined the low-budget, high-camp/pop aesthetic for subsequent auteurs such as Andy Warhol, John Waters, and David Lynch. Raised in the Bronx, he made his first films as a teenager in the 1950s with his twin brother George Kuchar and participated in New York’s underground film scene in the 1960s. In addition to making his own films, Mike has collaborated with a number of important artists including Rosa von Praunheim, Marc Arthur and Kembra Pfahler. Mike divided his time between New York City and his brother's San Francisco apartment until 2007 when he moved to San Francisco permanently.
His most famous film is the campy 1965 sci-fi classic Sins of the Fleshapoids, available on DVD from Other Cinema.
It Came From Kuchar, a documentary film of the life of George and Mike Kuchar by Jennifer Kroot, premiered at the South by Southwest film festival on 14 March 2009.
The Kuchar brothers collaborated on a book, Reflections from a Cinematic Cesspool. It is a humorous memoir discussing four decades of filmmaking and includes an introduction by filmmaker John Waters.