Thrill Killers (1966)

The Thrill Killers
directed by Ray Dennis Steckler

Man, sometimes I wish I was born in a different era, sporting flip flops, a cuban cigar and hawaiian t-shirt, I'd think I was in paradise. You see, the sixties and seventies had a vibe going on, a culture clash and change that I like, movies like Night of the Living Dead, Pink Flamingos, Eraserhead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre were burning up the world of cinema in a new depraved light...thank you, but before them, there were others, people like Mario Bava, Orson Welles and Howard Hawks who too were burning everything about conventional cinema, making and shaping it is today, many are still copying them....

on the outside, Thrill Killers would be a perfect addition to Something Weird Video's collection, this film directed by Ray Dennis Steckler, who is most notably known for 'Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed Up Zombies' is a fun wild ride of pandemonium. Homicidal Maniacs? You got it!

Like Texs Chainsaw after it, this one starts off saying what your about to see happened... I don't know, I wasn't born then, so i can't vouch for it. The jist of the story is, three lunatics from a mental asylum escape and go on a killing spree in California. We're introduced to several intersecting characters, including Cash Flagg (aka Ray Dennis Steckler) a serial killer (unrelated to the three escapees) who doesn't discriminate who he kills and how, and we also meet b-movie socialites trying to work for a buck. there are decapitations, great camera moves, an excellent soundtrack featuring lounge and rockabilly and plenty of surprises. It all ends with a long chase involving a horse and a motorcycle cop.

the violence is often shocking, especially when a well too do character is flagged down to pull over and point blank shot, also when a character we've gotten to know for ten to fifteen minutes has his head cut off, you know you're in for something different indeed. I wouldn't doubt this was inspired by 'Psycho' given the hitchcockian twists with offing characters. But this film has creative energy all around, like i said the camera work is a marvel with some really great framing and steadicam shots. The story, not so much, but for fans of genre fair, or those of you who want to know the genesis of projects like 'Rob Zombies The Devil's Rejects' or even fans of cult cinema, this is must. Definitely a precursor to the seventies more underground, independent scene.

Unfortunate timing for me though, I hadn't realized Ray Dennis Steckler had passed away this year. Sad, but his films do live on. The Dvd is available from Shriek Show, and also features interviews and commentary by R.D.Steckler. Seek it out!