She-Devils on Wheels

She-Devils on Wheels (1968)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

A female motorcycle gang known as the Man Eaters cause destruction wherever they go. Their leader loves to party with men but the group is also known for destroying them. One member of the crew decides she wants out but doesn't know how to do it.

Herschell Gordon Lewis adds the motorcycle flick to his endless genres that he managed to work in during his career. After the success of THE WILD RIDE we got a whole slew of low-budget motorcycle pictures but there's no doubt that this here isn't one of the better ones.

As with a lot of Lewis' other films, their low-budget charm is on full display but it just doesn't add up to what you'd consider a good movie or a very entertaining one. It's really amazing that he started off in rougies before moving to nudies and then his infamous gore films. Later in his career he would make films like this, which were rather lame and tame. Sex is a big subject here yet we only see people kiss. There's no sex or nudity to be had.

The film offers up the type of performances that you'd expect. There are some bloody bodies on display, although they don't reach a BLOOD FEAST type of level. The group of women add a little fun to things but SHE-DEVILS ON WHEELS just doesn't have enough going for it.

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!

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.

The worst movie I've seen in a while...and the most entertaining!! While there is nothing really great about this film from the acting to the plot, it's insanely amusing! This is another film that falls into the 'It's so bad that it's good' category. You think the theme song is bad? Wait till you get a load of those 'Maneater' vests! They look like a gang of 9 year olds made them! The plot is almost too simple to even be called a plot. The sex and violence are so fake that it's embarrassing. As usual in these kind of youth-sploitation films, the bad ass teens are totally laughable. With all that said...I still found this movie extremely amusing to watch and I actually enjoyed every minute of it!! It's one of those movies that I'm sure I'll enjoy more each time I see it! So bottom line, when I say it's the worst I've seen in ages, what I really mean is that I loved it! Now go out and watch it!!!