Although I don’t claim to be a particular fan of the microbudget horror, fantasy, and science fiction films of this era – as I am most certainly reminded regularly from my reviews on Herschell Gordon Lewis’ films here on the site, but part of me was excited to dig into this latest box set dedicated to the strange works of director William Grefe. All of these films were new to me and each disc of the set will be covered in a series of articles here on the site – which reviews the films on each disc. So, hop in your swamp boat with me, buckle in, and let’s take a dive into the works of Grefe in this gorgeous new release from Arrow Video, He Came from the Swamp: The William Grefe Collection!
Here is disc two: The Hooked Generation and The Psychedelic Priest.
THE HOOKED GENERATION (1968)
Director: William Grefe
After sitting through a double dose of microbudget horror
films, complete with dance parties and other teen-focused moments, it was a relative
surprise to slide into The Hooked Generation. Instead of pure teen
fodder, this little dark, crime caper combines the talents of Grefe in adhering
to the tropes of the late 60s drive-in exploitation material but taking it in a
more mature direction. While it still suffers a bit from its obvious budgetary
constraints, there is a sense that Grefe is stretching his wings on this one
and the results make for a bit more of a fine-tuned and interesting film.
The Hooked Generation retains a lot of the style that
made the last two films entertaining watches – mainly the colorful visuals and
grand use of its Florida setting, particularly when our three anti-protagonists
go to various drug dealers to unload their stash in colorful places, and it’s
focus off-beat characters. The main difference is the darker tones, in
particular having the main characters as dope smugglers who very much are the
villains of the film. The film is fairly violent, kicking off with a shoot out
between boats in the first act, and insinuating a rape sequence that quickly
makes the audience hate the three leads. Although I am not one to outright hate
on films with villainous protagonists or dark material as the focus, this can
make The Hooked Generation a relatively rough watch for those looking
for a fun and goofy time like the previous two films in the set. It does
certainly make you hate the main characters and wish for their eventual demise,
hooking the audience into seeing them garner their comeuppance.
If there is one thing that the film truly struggles with
it’s balancing its tones. There are moments where the film is attempting humor
to levy the heaviness of its plot and narrative, but it’s not disturbing enough
to parallel the tonality nor effectively placed to counter the darker elements.
These odd moments are littered throughout, including the color wipe transitions
that seem out of place even when the film leans towards the psychedelic. However,
with its stronger performances, a more mature directorial style, and an
intriguing crime plot – The Hooked Generation does mark a stark contrast
for Grefe and a welcome deviation, even if the full experience is mixed in how
it’s executed.
THE PSYCHEDELIC PRIEST (1971)
Director: Terry Merrill, William Grefe (uncredited)
Also known as: Electric Shades of Grey
When I initially saw that The Psychedelic Priest had
a 2001 release date, it seemed perplexing. William Grefe doesn’t have a wholly
lucrative career and most of his output was in the 1970s. It was easy to find
out that it was filmed in 1971 and not released until much later, which, sure
gives one pause. Now that I’ve had a chance to partake, it makes a bit of sense
that the timing was so off.
For the time period, perhaps a drama about a priest that
accidentally takes acid, has a crisis of faith, and then goes on a road
excursion to find himself works. It’s a film that heavily leans on the ideas of
those who grew up reading Kerouac and the manner that it taps on a lot of
social themes of the time period makes one see exactly why this film was made. It
fringes on a ton of hot button topics, including but not limited to racism,
abortion, theology, and the social stress between the generations at the time –
the latter which results in one of the most boring bar fights I have ever witnessed
on film. For this reason, The Psychedelic Priest is interesting to a
limited regard, especially since it does dabble in some heavier thematic
material.
While the above is intriguing, the film struggles to execute
any of it in a way that carries impact. This is due to the fact that The
Psychedelic Priest is utterly forgettable in almost every other way. Grefe,
according to the interview, had a lot of issues filming the movie and these issues
certainly undermine the end result. The performances are meandering, as is the
narrative, and the reliance on its soundtrack to create personality in the
script and characters is a massive crutch that barely keeps the energy up. Even
when the dramatic heft between characters should resonate, it just feels a bit
forced and flat.
The Psychedelic Priest is a film with an interesting
idea, particularly when you take into consideration when it was originally
filmed, but the execution and lifeless style of the material make it an
unmemorable experience. Considering the general enjoyment I’ve received from
the other films in this set so far, this one seems to be a misfire.
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