Motorpsycho! – Severin Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1965
Director: Russ Meyer
Writers: Billy Sprague, Russ Meyer, James Griffith, Hal Hopper, Ross Massbaum
Cast: Haji, Alex Rocco, Steve Oliver, Lane Carroll, Joseph Cellini, Timothy Scott, Coleman Francis, Sharon Lee, Steve Masters, Arshalouis Aivazian, Russ Meyer, George Costello, Fred Owens, Richard S. Brummer

Release Date: April 29th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 74 Minutes 1 Second
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10+
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $59.95

"When a trio of psycho bikers launches a sexual assault and murder spree in a desert town, the local veterinarian (Alex Rocco of THE GODFATHER fame in his screen debut) teams with a rage-ravaged vixen (the incredible Haji in her own first film role) to settle the score." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD), 4.5/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "This 4K restoration was produced by The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

The film was scanned, graded, and restored at ImagePro from the 35mm original camera negative, with additional sections scanned from the 35mm interpositive."

Motorpsycho! comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 54.9 GB

Feature: 53.6 GB

The source is in excellent shape; it is vastly superior to all of this film’s previous home media releases. Flesh tones look healthy, and image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid. Also, grain remains intact, and the image always retains an organic look.

Motorpsycho! comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 23.1 GB

Feature: 21.3 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. Like the video, Severin has done a fantastic job with the audio. The audio is in excellent shape; there are no sibilance issues, dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise ambient sounds are well-represented, and the score sounds appropriately robust. That said, not only does the audio sound better than ever, it is difficult to imagine it sounding any better.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with film historian Elizabeth Purchell and filmmaker Zach Clark.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Haji and actor Alex Rocco titled Desert Rats on Hondas (21 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Elizabeth Purchell and Zach Clark.

Other extras include a slipcover.

Summary:

A motorcycle gang led by a sadistic Vietnam veteran terrorizes a small desert town.

Though Russ Meyer’s films from Vixen! onward are outrageous farces that are technicolor explosions that leap from the screen, there is something equally striking about his use of black & white cinematography in his gothic cycle of films. Motorpsycho! is the third film from Russ Meyer’s gothic period, the other three are Lorna, Mudhoney, and Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!. These films came after Russ Meyer’s "nudie-cutie" period, and they all contain elements synonymous with "roughie films," a sub-genre that evolved from "nudie-cuties." Tone-wise Russ Meyer’s Gothic period is noticeably darker than his other films.

Motorpsycho! taps into the delinquent-themed film movement that rose to prominence in the latter half of the 1960s. The narrative revolves around a gang that does and says what they want to, without fear of repercussions. Though most cower in their presence, there are two characters who are hell-bent on getting revenge against them.

Motorpsycho! does a phenomenal job drawing you in with an opening sequence that perfectly sets the tone. It is in this opening setup that we are introduced to three bikers who come upon a man fishing and his wife sunbathing in a bikini. Aroused by the sight of the voluptuous woman, they decide she is theirs for the taking.

All around the cast is excellent, especially Steve Oliver (The Naked Zoo), who portrays Brahmin, the short-fused leader of the biker gang. He delivers a menacing performance that is believable and utterly terrifying. Other performances of note are Alex Rocco (in his film debut) in the role of Cory Maddox, a veterinarian whose wife was sexually assaulted by the biker gang, and Haji (Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!), in the role of Ruby Bonner, a character who was shot in the back by the biker gang and left for dead.

No matter what genre he’s working in, Russ Meyer’s films do a superb job employing humor. Case in point Motorpsycho!, a film whose dialog is laced with sexual innuendo. The most prominent example of humor occurs in a scene where Cory is bitten by a snake, and he repeatedly urges Ruby to suck it out. This is a moment that purely embodies the cinema of Russ Meyer.

The narrative is briskly paced; it does an excellent job building momentum to an explosive finale that serves as a perfect climax. Visually, it's gorgeous black and white cinematography that takes full advantage of the desert locations. Though Russ Meyer keeps most of the violence off-screen, he’s able to create some intense moments. Ultimately, Motorpsycho! is a solid revenge-themed film that ranks among Russ Meyer’s best works.

Motorpsycho! gets a definitive release from Severin Films, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer