She-Devils on Wheels

The theme tune of this classic was appropriated by the Cramps (who also did a version of Faster Pussycat Kill Kill) - although I like the originals better.

This film comes under the "so bad it's good" category - odd, half-mumbled dialogue (apparently they were trying to get a mainstream rating so the actors had to fumble the swearing) and only a minimum of nudity. The actresses were bikers first and actresses second - and I think it shows. They can all ride bikes at least. The two leads - Betty (Queenie) and Pat (Whitey) are great anyway. The concept of the "stud-line" is very amusing - and everyone at least seems to be enjoying themselves. Check out Queenie's leopard skin waistcoat and silver go-go boots. I got this film on DVD under the Something Weird label in the Virgin Mega Store New York (Times Square) - there were loads of copies in the cult section - This film is due for a massive revival. The DVD version has commentary from Herschell Gordon Lewis, as well as the groovy trailer, and a weird short film about biker gangs, where a straight-as-they-come narrator hilariously attempts to use hep dialogue "these cats are really cool.." etc and the biker member gives a long incoherently rambling narrative about what it means to be in the gang. Recommended!

Anyone who can't appreciate this CAMPY movie for what it is has no appreciation or knowledge of true 60's B-sleaze-movies. C'mon, folks - it was 1968.. the summer of Love was just barely over, and you still had massive restrictions on what you could, and couldn't show in a film of ANY genre. Enter Hershel G. Lewis. and the Man-Eaters. Part of what's so hilarious about this film is that the real-time, bikerChix of Southern FL (Filmed in a town called "Medley" around an abandoned airport) were bikers 1st, and actors second. Compared to latter-day hip-hop momma's of Brooklyn's PS103, these broads WOULD be a bunch of Daisy-pickin' mommas - but again, this was 1968. The styles, clothes, cars, HAIR!, and other peripherial shots are worth the watching, as is the clumsy acting. Those who lived through 1968 will catch some of the buzz-words of the day, ie: "Where's his PAD, Nick?" and "What's the Action?" And check out that theme song, repleat with the same twangin' guitar sound as (I) remembered being used on late-60's girl Scout commercials! It's hilarious! And the lounge-Music used for the orgies after the girls "Pick" - Not what I'd imagine Ruby Tuesday would have been into in 1968, with her LSD-inspired scraggly hair and shades - but hey, this is the mistique that is S.D.O.W. Even the "Sex" scenes are tame by today, when Janet Jackson can make a cereal commercial with her boob hangin' out - but remember, it was 1968 and the best that 200+ LB. "Whitey" could do sexually was ride some dork's back in a twitchin', twirlin' frenzy. Whoo! The swingin' female-sex kitten-dominatrix theme is nothing new, nor was it when HGL made this film. What WAS new was that he used real bikers, a real Florida town, and the REAL bad acting that made this cult film the classic it is. If you expect more than that - you're missing the point. I can't imagine what a current-day sequel could be. As for Karen - I think she should have left the gang with Rodney Beddell ( the Blond w/the Corvette ) - but that would have been my ulitmate ending: Kick Queenie's ass, send Whitey to jail, befriend HoneyPot before she gets herself knocked-up or raped again, and go back to being a good girl. Sigh* - I can dream.

If ANY of the actors involved with this movie are still breathing, CONTACT ME!

'She-Devils On Wheels' is quite a change of pace from Herschell Gordon Lewis , the gore pioneer best known for movies like 'Blood Feast' and '2000 Maniacs'. Apart from a guy getting dragged by chains behind a motorbike and later, a decapitation there is very little blood or violence in this campy and surprisingly lame look at a "wild" all female biker gang The Man Eaters. The girls spend most of their time racing each other to see who gets first pick in the "stud" line, with limerick reciting and stealing candy from children for a bit of variety. This movie of course is awful, but still worth a groan or two if not an actual chuckle. The best thing about it (apart from the fantastic title, which it cannot possibly live up to) is the catchy and ineptly performed theme tune, later covered by The Cramps.

She-Devils on Wheels was. to say the least, disappointing. The title leads you to believe that these female bikers called the Man-Eaters, are hard, fist swingin', booze drinkin' chicks! Nope. They really bland when you see them. Maybe for that time in the 60's, they were something crazy. But when you do a movie about biker women who are supposed to be really tough, why hold back and make it realistic? I think that Hershel Gordon Lewis really held back. There were some good gory moments, the fight scene between the Man-Eaters and the hot roders was pretty good. I just think that these chicks should have been more hard-core. There must have been a tougher gang of biker-chicks that Lewis could have made a movie about.

Master exploitation filmmaker Herschell Gordon Lewis tries his hand at the biker genre that really took off the following year with "Easy Rider". Here he gets fair results, with a screenplay credited to his then-wife, Allison Louise Downe. It functions more as a series of bits than a real story, and overall it's kind of mild. Those people expecting the fireworks produced by his renowned gore films will be disappointed.

The Man-Eaters, the all-female motorcycle gang depicted in this non-epic, are never terribly threatening or much of a danger to society. Mostly they love to recite poetry, help themselves to an assortment of studs, and race. One of their number is Karen (Christie Wagner), who joined a while back despite the objections of her boyfriend Ted (Rodney Bedell). Their "mascot" is a sweet faced, upbeat gal named Honey Pot (Nancy Lee Noble). And the official leader of the gang is the swaggering Queen (Betty Connell). They cause trouble for themselves when they rumble with a male gang led by Joe-Boy (John Weymer).

We do see the aftermath of some rather nasty violence, but the only hilarious bit of gruesomeness comes from a decapitation near the end. The movie offers some fun, but it never reaches the lunatic heights of HGLs' best known work. This viewer can see why some trash lovers - even those who are fans of HGL - might consider it boring.

The acting is pretty rough and amateurish, but the performers are entertaining enough to watch anyway. Connell does have some charisma, and corpulent Pat Poston some screen presence.

This is lesser HGL, but even lesser HGL is not completely without entertainment value.

Six out of 10.