The heyday of the drive in began with low budget horror
flicks and eventually morphed into low budget T&A movies. The films almost
always took on some form of profession from student nurses to cheerleaders to
teachers. Surprisingly while the titles may have made it seem that those in
these chosen professions had the loosest of morals the films themselves
actually were a bit more twisted. Yes, the characters were placed in definite
misogynistic settings but they were also the most independent women on the
planet. In the end while bad things happened they came out stronger, more
self-aware and better off than their male counterparts.
All of that can be seen in TRIP WITH THE TEACHER. The name
itself sounds like a low grade porn flick but it is far from it. The movie
features a teacher on a field trip with a group of female students. Their
destination is the desert area of the southwest. Side by side with their
adventure is a motorcyclist who teams up with two other young bikers, brothers,
one of which has a flat. What he doesn’t realize is that one of them tends to
lean towards anti-social psychopathic tendencies.
Their paths cross as they pass the bus and the girls flirt
with them. When both end up at the next gas station they chat, the girls flirt
some more and then head out on their way. Al (Zalman King), the psycho brother,
kills the station attendant who was giving them a hard time without telling the
other two, and their on their way.
The girl’s bus breaks down and the cyclists offer to help
them. At least they claim to. Instead they kill the driver, assault the girls
and eventually rape the teacher who offers herself up if they’ll leave the
girls alone. The third biker isn’t part of this and is attacked by the brothers
and left for dead. Now if only the girls can find a way to escape.
The movie features everything that those drive in movies
looked for. We have sexy young girls, none of which looks under 25 even though
they’re playing teens. We have psycho bikers because hey, all bikers must be
psychos right? Well with the exception of the one riding the old style
motorcycle. We have a secluded location which works out great since the budget
is miniscule at best. And the end result involves a form of revenge which was a
classic plot device in these films.
The movie looks much like it would have on the large
whitewashed screens of the drive in with little attention paid to focus or a
decent film stock that would have provided a better picture. But these movies
weren’t made as art. They were quickly written, quickly shot no budget films
that made back more than their investment playing from one end of the country
to another. This one is a bit less than most which makes me think it was the
second half of a double bill along the way.
The acting is high school level at best. Like I said, no one
seems to fit the age that they are portraying. King always seemed to play
characters like this one so his showing up here allows the audience to know
right off the start he’s the bad guy. His is the only character that really
stands out here seeming like a method actor looking for some method to play the
part.
With all that being said this is another of the films saved
by Vinegar Syndrome. No, this isn’t CITIZEN KANE in that it deserves major
restoration and placed in a locked vault. But the movie itself depicts the type
of film being made when it was released, a style of film made specifically for
drive ins. The film company behind it, Crown International Pictures, was a
company that made tons of movies for drive ins. They may not have been the best
of the best but their history deserves to be preserved.
Vinegar Syndrome is presenting the film in the best way
possible with plenty of extras on hand. To begin with the film is a 2k
restoration from a 16mm original camera negative. There is a commentary track
with director Earl Barton, actress Cathy Worthington and actress Dina Ousley,
TAKING THE TRIP a video with actress Brenda Fogarty who plays the teacher,
multiple TV spots, a still gallery and reversible cover artwork.
If you’re a fan of drive in or grindhouse films then this is
yet another film to add to your collection.
Click here to order.
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