Savages from Hell

Savages from Hell (1968)

* (out of 4)

If you're looking for high art then this here certainly isn't that. A small town in Florida comes under attack when a vicious motorcycle gang moves in. The leader of the gang catches his woman flirting with another man and this here sets off a chain of events full of violence and mayhem.

SAVAGES FROM HELL comes from director Joseph P. Mawra who made a number of exploitation pictures including the OLGA series. This film here is beyond awful and it really deserves a BOMB rating but what makes the picture somewhat entertaining is how bad it actually is. This is a film that's thankfully "so bad it's good" or at least entertaining. The film appears to have had a budget less than a thousand bucks as the technical quality of this picture is ultra cheap even for a biker flick from the drive-in era.

As I said, there's really nothing good to be found here. The editing and direction are pretty darn awful but I guess the director was just trying to get anything on the screen. The "savages from hell" are far from that. This here is basically a cross between THE WILD ONE and a number of other exploitation pictures of the era but it doesn't do anything right. Even worse is the fact that the "savages from hell" are rather tame and nothing too shocking happens here.

Biker pictures from the drive-in era have a small cult following today and those fans will certainly want to check this out just to see how cheap and how bad it actually is.

I guess biker flicks were all the rage back in the 1960s and the sub-genre was so popular that it spawned regional variations; this extremely low budget offering hails from Florida, no less. The story is about some innocent country folk going about their lives when a biker gang shows up causing trouble. The main emphasis is on their leader, a troublesome James Dean type who has designs on a local girl which causes more conflict. There's also something of a love triangle given that he already has a girlfriend and she becomes jealous of the attention he's giving this new girl. A few fight scenes here and there but this is mostly cheap and very, very dull.

This movie begins with a young man named "Marco" (Diwaldo Myers) driving a large vehicle in a parade with his younger sister "Teresa" (Viola Lloyd) riding beside him. Although they live with their parents both of them dream of the day they cease being migrant laborers and settle down once and for all. So when Marco is offered a steady job at a gas station making more money than his father both Teresa and her mother are excited about it. Marco's father, on the other hand, is more pessimistic but eventually comes around to their point of view. The problem, unfortunately, is that Teresa has caught the eye of a motorcyclists named "High Test" (William P. Kelley) who wants her in the worst possible way and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. This displeases his girlfriend "Lucy" (Bobbie Byers) who is equally intent at keeping what she regards as hers. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was clearly a low-budget production which is quite evident by the film quality and the less-than-stellar acting. Fortunately, the plot contained enough suspense to keep things interesting for the most part. Additionally, I really liked the way the plight of migrant workers was depicted as well. In any case, while this certainly wasn't a great movie by any means it wasn't too bad and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

A migrant worker chick named Teresa, with an IQ of around 11, falls for the leader of the pack, who is named High Test. High already has a chick named Lucy, who is not thrilled with this new development. Teresa's brother Marco (no relation to Rubio) drives some kind of monster vehicle I've never seen before. We also get treated to a five-minute boring segment featuring swamp buggy racing. The other 75 minutes are equally boring, as High Test decides to snatch Teresa and have his way with her. Will Marco get there in time?

The flick features a catfight between Lucy and some other chick, and a few fistfights here and there which showcase punches being thrown and not landing. There are also a few gunshots with no smoke.

The "actress" playing Teresa is cute and has nice buns (upon which the camera lingers), but there is no light on in the house, if you get my drift. The only performers who show a modicum of talent are Bill Read, as a biker named "Bingo," and Bobbie Byers, as Lucy. I have to admit I did start to appreciate Byers acting a bit more when her shirt started coming off in various scenes.

If you are still awake for the climax, it features Lucy, High Test, Marco's monster vehicle, and a sheriff who appears out of nowhere saying "I understand. Listen, I know what happened." Apparently he is the only one who did.

Making his film debut is Cyril Poitier, older brother of Sidney. Cyril plays a gas station attendant, so obviously his brother didn't pull any strings.

this movie is terrible, but i have to say that it's also one of the best unintentional comedies that i have ever seen. the over the top acting, the rubbish dialogue, the concept!!!! the only decent actor in this one is a certain bobbie byers, who in spite of the fact the film is horrible manages to make you believe that she's actually got talent as an actress. anyway, the story goes like this.......well, you really must actually seek out the film for yourself, because you really wouldn't believe me if i told you!