THE GIRLS FROM THUNDER STRIP is a cheap and trashy biker movie and one of the less well known examples of the genre. The plot is basically about a murderous gang of male bikers who go up against an all-female gang of bootleggers. The plot then features various murder sequences, sexual threat, kidnappings, some shoot-outs, and hostage scenarios. It's filmed in the great outdoors with an unknown cast and isn't quite as exploitative as you might expect from that title, but it does have a slightly grim and rugged feel that goes well with the genre. A shame, then, that the poor writing means the characters are interchangeable and you don't care a jot whether they live or die.

One of the lesser biker movies from the golden age. Fairly rough sledding. Big problems with tone here. One minute Casey Kasem is "blown up" by a stick of dynamite ala Wile E. Coyote, to cartoonish effect with tattered outfit and blackened face, the next minute the bikers (really just serial killers, nothing more) are just killing civilians at random with a gunshot to the middle of the forehead, hardcore. Focus, people! I really doubt the supposed release date of this film: clearly this trash epic could have been neither made nor released in 1966. The fashions, hairstyles and attitudes are just wrong. 1969 might be more like it, but I could also imagine 1970 or 1968. The sideburns are too long, the bell-bottoms are too wide, the hair is too big and unsettled, and the hippies too smelly to be 1966. Having said that, enjoy one of the more mindlessly violent motorcycle dramas out there.Casey Kasem has a couple of scenes in the film, sporting sharp suits and big sideburns. Old Casey got a lot of acting work in the late 60's and early 70's. Be sure to check him out in THE INCREDIBLE TWO HEADED TRANSPLANT. And check out some of David L. Hewitt's other epics, including the bizarrely indescribable MIGHTY GORGA, available on DVD.Also enjoy Bruce Kimball aka Kemp, in one of his earlier outings as Deputy Orville. A dependable presence on the drive-in film circuit during this time frame, he usually appeared as doltish deputies or sheriffs. He also appears in such other Hewitt films as THE MIGHTY GORGA, and several Al Adamson shlock fests like Dracula VS. FRANKENSTEIN, as well as Lee Frost's LOVE CAMP 7 and CHAIN GANG WOMEN, and one of my favorite mistakes, THE TORMENTORS.

Director David Hewitt is best-known for his sci-fi work such as WIZARD OF MARS and JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF TIME, as well as the unclassifiable THE MIGHTY GORGA, which I've seen about ten times! This little-known biker/rural-revenge flick (shot in Texas?) was written by the great comic artist Pat Boyette, photographed beautifully in widescreen techniscope by the reliable Gary Graver (who also edited and has a brief cameo), and acted by an impressive troupe including Gary Kent (you want to see his character killed after spending ten minutes with him!), Jack Starrett as the sheriff (perfect for the role, and he has some nice comic scenes with Casey Kasem), the lovely Megan Timothy, and in one of his last films, Jody McCrea. With a hippie-bluegrass score, fine rural locations, a grim unwashed look to the characters and the production, a nice widescreen transfer on the VHS tape, and the above-mentioned acting/directing/photography, GIRLS FROM THUNDER STRIP is a lost classic that will surely attract more attention in future years.Now, if only I can find a copy of the Hewitt's OTHER biker film, the patchwork HELL'S CHOSEN FEW (the bikers in this film wear Hell's Chosen Few jackets, by the way!). This is a film worth finding. 1960s independent films such as this take a lot of chances and are able to do so much on so little money. Too many of today's "independent films" are either pretentious film-school swill or shot-on-video predictable garbage or self-consciously "camp" or "decadent" bore-fests. Hewitt/Graver/Kent and crew were in the right place at the right time with the right talents and with the desire to CREATE. Thankfully, the drive-ins of the day provided an outlet for their work...work which we can enjoy today through the magic of video. By the way, this film would look GREAT on the big screen,although I can't imagine ever having a chance to see that happen in my lifetime...