Motorpsycho!

1965 · United States · 74 min

Director: Russ Meyer
Screenplay: Russ Meyer, Hal Hopper, James Griffith
Producer: Russ Meyer, Eve Meyer
Music: Paul Sawtell
Cinematography: Russ Meyer

Cast

Haji

Stephen Oliver

What it is about

A veterinarian and his wife find themselves caught up in a conflict with a motorcycle gang led by a sadistic Vietnam War veteran. The story follows the couple as they decide to confront the group. The premise blends motorcycle action with the violence and eroticism common in much exploitation cinema of the period.

How it was made

Russ Meyer, whose earlier films had faced stiff resistance from censors, wanted to make a more action-driven picture. The working title was Rio Vengeance. Haji was a nightclub dancer when she auditioned; Meyer cast her in a smaller role but soon promoted her to a lead. She later recalled a lean five-person crew, a harsh desert shoot, and a makeshift shower made from a barrel. During a motorbike scene, two actors were injured and hospitalized. The film shares its themes of sex and violence with Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, though its biker gang is male.

Reception and legacy

According to Meyer, the film did strong business at the box office, encouraging him to make Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! with female bikers. The Los Angeles Times wrote that both films packed so much sex and violence that they could be read as parodies of exploitation cinema. The film is now usually classed as vetsploitation, and it is also considered one of the early screen portrayals of a disturbed Vietnam veteran.