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!

Look, I'm not saying that Herschell Gordon Lewis should have just "stuck to what he knew", and just do nothing but gore flicks, because Moonshine Mountain was awesome, and This Stuff'll Kill Ya was also quite good, and, well, come to think of it, that's pretty much all I have to say about Lewis's non-gore. However, it seems I have just committed myself to a review of She-Devils On Wheels...*sigh*... OK, fine.

This is what I'm talking about. She-Devils On Wheels is a prime example of the 60's gore flick without the gore. And then, what are we left with? That's right. Just boring a pile of blah blah blah. Yes, I realize that this film, and films like Just For The Hell Of It is apart of its own genre, separate from gore. Yet, exactly what that genre is, escapes me.

The first thing I hate about this movie is the man-eaters theme song from the beginning. Fingernails on a chalkboard. The second thing I hated was the fat, loud chick. There's nothing I hate more than someone who thinks they can push others around just because they're fat. As if somehow all that fat makes them super-strong. I don't know, maybe it's like that for chicks. After that, I really hated on that pointlessly-PG orgy, or whatever that was supposed to be. Enough rambling. I gotta tell you what it's about sooner or later.

The Man-Eaters (shouldn't they be called the She-Devls?), a motorcycle gang, are an ornery bunch of gals, just lookin' for trouble. When these chicks aren't terrorizing the locals, they're usually out somewhere holding motorcycle races, to determine who gets first dibs on any available men, although, none of them really think too highly of men. And yes, this is where these so-called orgies come in. But there ain't much huggin' and kissin' when a rival all-male gang starts some trouble. Good thing these gals got the fat one on their side... Wait, nevermind.

Herschell Gordon Lewis once said that he sees filmmaking as a business, and pitys anyone who sees it as an art-form. Now, I'm not exactly sure how that is relevant to this anti-She-Devil review, but those words do sorta sound like they came from a man who makes incredibly boring movies (from time to time). It seems like Herschell was kinda trying to go semi-mainstream. Unfortunately he wouldn't learn his lesson so easily, as for the next few years, the non-gore would greatly out-weigh the gore. It's OK, because The Wizard of Gore was amazing.

I would suggest pairing this up with something awesome like Werewolves On Wheels, but perhaps one movie would be enough, because this movie sucks, and there's Just no way around it. Sorry, H.G., it hurts to say such harsh things about a film that you are so obviously proud of. And you should be, sir, because She-Devil's On Wheels is more than most of us accomplish. So, as usual, my rating of a Lewis film will be more than fair, considering Lewis is the man and all. But I really hate this movie. I really, really do. 6/10

'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.

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.