Ride a Wild Stud – Dark Force Entertainment (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1969
Director: Oliver Drake
Writers: Rachel Edwards, William Edwards
Cast: Hale Williams, Josie Kirk, Frenchy Le Boyd, Cliff Alexander, C.C. Chase, Bill Ferrill, Richard Smedley, William Fosterwick, Burke Reynolds, Helga Hanshue, Bill Johnson, Chuck Alford, Tex Gates, S.T. Alexander Sr., Bob Goldfarb

Release Date: August 19th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 68 Minutes 34 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: N/A
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $19.95

"The film follows the real-life Confederate guerrilla force of Quantrill's raiders during Civil War time, who kidnap women, rape them, and imprison them in a brothel...until a cowboy comes to the rescue!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 2.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Originally shot on 16mm, Dark Force uncovered the only existing 35mm internegative blow-up to present this drive-in exploitation classic for the very first time in HD."

Ride a Wild Stud comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 20.2 GB

Feature: 20.1 GB

Despite print debris throughout, it is never overbearing; colors look good, image clarity is strong, black levels are not always convincing, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 2.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English. This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English. The audio, like the video, has imperfections; that said, it is serviceable.

Extras:

This release comes with no extras, only an option to play the film.

Summary:

Ride a Wild Stud’s director made a career directing B westerns in the 1940s and 50s. He’s most known for a pair of exploitation films that he directed: The Mummy and the Curse of the Jackals and Angelica: The Young Vixen.

A lieutenant for the Confederate army disguises himself as an outlaw to infiltrate a gang of criminals.

Ride a Wild Stud is a western unlike any I have ever seen. Although it is set during the Civil War, that war feels more like an afterthought. The main focal point is a gang of outlaws who are more concerned with abducting women and making them sex slaves than trying to rob gold or something else of value. That said, what unfolds is a head-scratcher that has minimal exposition and no character development.

The only areas where Ride a Wild Stud excels are scenes where characters are riding horses and fight sequences. This is not surprising since both of these are in the director's wheelhouse with a background in B-movie westerns. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said when it comes to the sexploitation moments where the outlaws have their way with women. That said, these scenes are poorly executed and extremely hard to watch.

Despite only clocking in at just under 69 minutes, the narrative feels much longer. There is a lack of momentum as things move at a tedious pace. Performance-wise, for most of the cast, this would be the only film they ever worked on. Ultimately, Ride a Wild Stud struggles to define itself as either a western or a softcore roughie, leaving one to question the intended audience for the film.

Dark Force Entertainment gives Ride a Wild Stud a lackluster audio/video presentation.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer