Werewolves on Wheels (1971)

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

An evil biker gang falls out with a bunch of devil-worshipping monks. This film really doesn't deserve a more detailed synopsis than that, and it's certainly not getting one from me.There is a lot of praise for this film on IMDb, so let's consider the good points. The cinematography in this biker/werewolf movie isn't bad (the night scenes, of which there are many, are well lit), there are some decent songs on the soundtrack, and a young lady prances around attractively topless for a couple of minutes. I was 19 in 1971, when this was made, and that last element would have been a major selling point at that moment in history. I still regard it as a plus, but it doesn't count for as much as it once did in a film, if I'm honest.On the negative side, we have a negligible and very familiar story, a poor script, bad acting, and an interminable (and very boring, notwithstanding the jiggling boobies) black magic ritual.So, sorry to be a dissenting voice, but this is actually a load of old rubbish, decently filmed.

A biker gang stumble across a satanic cult holed up in an EVIL CHURCH. Using drugged wine and bread shaped like giant biscuits, the cult send the gang to sleep and possess one of the female members, turning her into a werewolf.If I learned anything from Werewolves on Wheels (surely a contender for the best film title ever) is that being a biker in the early '70s was clearly HILARIOUS. When the gang aren't beating up rednecks, stealing gas, or shagging each other, laughing at absolutely everything everywhere definitely seems to be the best pastime. Look! A gas pump! HA HA HA!! Hey, a tree! HAAAAAA!!! Beer!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! SATANISTS IN ROBES!!! WOOOOO!! HAHAHAH! And so on and so forth.The laughter stops briefly when, after waking up, the gang walk into the EVIL CHURCH and beat up all the satanists. They're quickly giggling and guffawing like children again though, stopping only the next morning when they discover two of their friends have been savaged by something bitey. Soon enough, as expected, everyone's laughing again. Well, everyone with the exception of their hippiest member, Tarot. See, Tarot's figured out something's not quite right and in his best hippy language tries to warn their leader, Adam, about it - "that was no accident. It was heavy. Somebody's controlling the vibes". Adam's having none of it though and the laughter quickly turns to fisticuffs. Fisticuffs turn into a serious kicking, and then a serious kicking quickly escalates into a fireside werewolf battle before the remaining gang members decide to go back to the EVIL CHURCH and kill the cultists. ONLY THE CULTISTS ARE ACTUALLY THEMSELVES. Yeah, it was the '70s, people. Hallucinogenic drugs were in plentiful supply and endings to Bikersploitaiton films didn't have to make any sense.Not that you'd believe it by reading this, but Werewolves on Wheels actually has an awful lot going for it. It's fun, it moves along at a nice pace, and it's even pretty well acted in places. Not to mention the werewolves, tits, and sexy naked snake dancing. It also has quite possibly the funniest Satanic ritual ever filmed. After killing a cat (cue funny death screech) and doodling something in blood while saying a load of evil-sounding mumbo jumbo, cult leader "One" (Severn Darden from the final two original Planet of the Apes movies), ad-libs like a boss, mumbling something along the lines of "rabadabadabadadamabarambarambararararabbabadada" and hoping for the best. The thing is, being the early '70s, he probably got away with it.The soundtrack is excellent, some moody guitar based country for the title theme with a couple of other similar tracks along the way. And whether it's a recommendation or not, Rob Zombie clearly loves the film as he used a line of dialogue at the start of his song, Sick Bubblegum."Hey, we all know how we're gonna die, baby. We're gonna crash and burn".

"Werewolves on Wheels" is a decent if unspectacular werewolf entry.**SPOILERS**Traveling through the country, Adam, (Steve Oliver) Helen, (D.J. Anderson) Scarf, (Barry McGuire) Pill, (Billy Grey) Tarot, (Gene Shane) Shirley, (Anna Lynn Brown) and Mouse, (Owen Orr) members of a biker gang, stop off at a small town to take a break from the road. Told of a nearby church, they decide to investigate and find a small cult of hooded monks who reside at the church engaged in a secret ceremony. Initially respectful, they soon realize that by stepping foot on the church's grounds invokes an ancient Satanic spell that turns them all into ravenous werewolves. When they realize the trick and their numbers start dwindling, they set about to right the wrongs before they take a turn for the worse and turn on each other.The Good News: This one here doesn't have a whole lot right, but there is a couple good moments. One of the good parts is that there's some really good parts to come from the ceremonial ritual that occurs in here. There's some really nice creepy moments in here from the fact that the whole ceremony takes place under a darkened room, with some great setting done in the underground cavern and with the different rituals that go on, from the nude snake-dancing to the hooded monks and everything that occurs during it, there's a lot to like about that scene. The fist-fight that breaks it up afterward is a little fun and provides some action to it. A later attack on the group out in the countryside is pretty good, as it's got more nudity, some drunken fun to be had before it happens, and there's a really nice gore effect where the creature rips the victim's throat out to a healthy blood gush. The last thing that works here is the fire-packed finale, since there's also a full-on fight against a werewolf, torching and more going on to make it entertaining and end on a high note. These here are the film's good parts.The Bad News: This here did have a few flaws to it that keep it down. One of them is that there's a lot of time in here where nothing much happens. This one has a couple long stretches where nothing at all happens other than the antics of the gang, and these are really dull and uninteresting to sit through. The beginning is fine, since it's to build up to the main point, but then there's the interminably long period after the attack at the church where they're lounging around talking about whatever or are riding through the desert. That severely reduces the amount of action possible in the film and makes the film's later half seem a little dull. That also has the effect of having the film use very little action for the majority of it's time, and it really doesn't feel like a horror film at times. That has a very damaging effect on the film, as it makes it hard to feel scared or terrified of what's going on, and that reduces the effectiveness of it quite badly. The short run time doesn't help matters, as it's so unevenly paced it feels much longer due to all the boredom that occurs, and it really needed more to make it feel more entertaining. These here are the film's flaws.The Final Verdict: A cheesy, but still somewhat enjoyable film with some good parts to it and a couple flaws, this one here is really hard to recommend to. Fans of the genre, those who find it interesting or enjoy these kinds of 70s fare will find something to like, but those who prefer otherwise should heed caution.Today's Rating-R: Full Nudity, Graphic Violence and Language

Like it or not, Werewolves On Wheels is the undisputed best of the biker/werewolf sub-genre. A chillin' little B-movie, that is well aware that it is a B-movie, hence the title. You can really tell these guys had fun making this. We begin with a biker gang riding across country. These aren't just any bikers, they're The Devil's Advocates, so we already know they're mean mothers. In reality, The Devil's Advocates are a bunch of crude, obnoxious drug-addicts on motorcycles, who like to think they're in cahoots with the Devil, but lately, there is some kind of evil hovering over them. As luck would have it, there is a psychic in the group, so, you know that he'll shed some light on the situation so they can locate this evil, and kick its ass. They decide that a nearby satanic church is the root of their alleged problems, once they arrive, they're distracted by all the free wine from the satanic monks, which gives them the chance to place a curse on The Devil's Advocates. A curse that would leave, at least one of them a werewolf. Now, with all of this going on, the guys decide to take it to the desert, so they can clear their heads, and say their ooblah-dooblah's, but, not before kicking all the monk's asses. Now, among the wide-open freedom of the desert, The Devil's Advocates can get as drunk, high, and rowdy as they please. The only problem is, every time everyone passes out, someone gets torn to shreds. Who knows? Maybe the psychic can help matters. Probably not, though.Werewolves on Wheels, above all, is a good old-fashion fun B-movie, without a lot of thought put into continuity, or script, for that matter. They just went out there and entertained the drive-in crowd that it was clearly intended for. True, they could have explained things a little better, and the killings could have been better/gorier, but the atmosphere, score, and of course, the cheesy entertainment value more than make up for the flaws. For a much better example of a werewolf movie, check out Ginger Snaps, and for a much better example of life in the desert, check out The Chooper. Werewolves On Wheels certainly isn't one of the all time greats in werewolf horror, but as far as the biker/werewolf sub genre goes, look no further, because Werewolves On Wheels is the measuring stick. 7/10