Werewolves on Wheels

Werewolves on Wheels (1971) ** (out of 4) Mildly entertaining Drive-In film is a cross between The Wolf Man and Easy Rider. A biker gang pisses off some monks who in return put a curse on the bikers. At night the beer and * flow but so does the blood when they start turning into werewolves. This film kept me mildly entertained throughout but thankfully it ran just over 75 minutes. The biggest problem is that not too much happens and I wish the director would have gone for a few more laughs. The opening sequence rips off the ending to ER. Makes a good double feature with Werewolf of Woodstock.

I first saw this movie on VHS when I spent a year in Sydney, Australia. There was a Civic Video just off the red light district of Kings Cross that had a stash of low budget horror movies and other obscure titles. This was manna from heaven for me as I rented them all. One of them was Werewolves on Wheels, a film I had first read about in the essential tome Incredibly Strange Films by the Re:Search publishing house. A biker gang break bread with the members of a local Satanist church and then start to change. Let's check off what this movie has all present and correct- Great movie title- check Great movie poster- check Great soundtrack- check Great plot- no, nope, NOPE! It's such a shame when a movie has so much going for it but forgets about a plot or any kind of narrative for an audience who isn't stoned. Werewolves on Wheels is too much wheels and not enough werewolves.

This was yet another of the obscure werewolf movies I recently discovered and unlike some of those others, this one deserves that obscurity! I mean, it's just pointless blather among friends whether at a diner, the desert, or a former church where satanic rituals are performed. While there are some killings where a werewolf seems to be the one responsible some of the time, that creature is not really seen until nearly the end. I did like some of the songs playing on the soundtrack but that's it. So on that note, Werewolves on Wheels is not recommended.

I have wanted to see this movie for YEARS, considering it has one of the greatest titles ever. What I was hoping for was bikers riding along in full wolfman makeup, like the poster suggests. What I got was hippies galavanting across a desert and two(I think its two, it might be just one) members of the crew change into wolf form within the last 2-3 minutes of the movie. I can't say that I think it's art, unless you can watch 'Manos, the Hands of Fate" and think that's art...attempted art, I suppose. To be clear, this movie is NOT as bad as Manos, as very few movies ever made are awful to that degree. Still, the title made me think I would enjoy this movie enthusiastically as it implies the kind of shlocky camp I find amusing and I came away incredibly disappointed...and bored.

A wild & crazed biker gang gets changed into werewolves by black hooded monks in a creepy castle! Where's Boris Karloff when you need him? Cheesy,campy, dumb and dumber, yet this early 70s flick is a "masterpiece" of howling fun. Child-star Billy Gray looks and acts like a "real" biker. "Cult" legend Severn Darden steals the show by giving a frightening performance as a warlock named "One"! YIKES! The opening scene as the motorcycle gangs cruises down a lonely desert highway almost equals the impressive opening scene of the 1967 classic, Hell's Angels On Wheels. If you like bikes, chicks, werewolves, and monks all rolled up in one, you will love this movie, it's a howling delight!

This is pretty cool film. In some ways the film is just what you would expect it to be from the title and the poster "Werewolves on Wheels" (Motorcycles). In other ways, this film is different than what you would expect it to be. Yes there are burly bikers who become werewolves - but the unexpected is you don't see them as werewolves very much... nor are they in wolf-man form riding their bikes. You will also see Satanic Monks, a witch, a tarot card reader, an eerie church, nice desert scenery and a neat little story. The soundtrack is good too! This is one of those films I really don't want to say too much about - just watch it if you like werewolves, Easy Rider (motorcycle films) and older horror films in general you might enjoy it as I did. 7.5/10