The Bushwhacker (1968)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Byron Mabe

Release Date:

November 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Shocking! Adults Only!

Plot:

A crazy mountain-man shoots down a small passenger plane. He then proceeds to stalk, torture and kill the survivors. |

Plot Keywords:

Torture | Gore | Desert | Lesbian | Rape

Cast

Byron Mabe	...	The Bushwhacker (as Ronnie Runningboard)
Merci Montello	...	Dawn (as Merci Mee)
Barbara Kline	...	Maureen (as Acee Decee)
Forman Shane	...	Dan
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dan Martin	...	The Bushwacker (as Ronny Runningboard)

Also Known As:

The Bushwacker (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Company:

Eliot Enterprises

Wow, where have you been all my life?

The 1960's, the very beginning of the golden age of exploitation. A decade which gave us such underground epics as The Blood Trilogy and The Undertaker And His Pal's, just to name a few. Some of these classics are M.I.A. and will never be seen by human eyes again, some are just unwanted, because they are completely unwatchable, and apparently, some have just been hiding under a rock for 40 years. I do believe The Bushwhacker is ready to come out and play! Alright, so, no credits, just the title written on a piece of wood, I'm cool with it. Nevermind the credits, anyway, the story is what matters here... OK, fine, not much of a storyline either. Who needs a story, anyway? What truly matters here in Exploitation Country is violence and nudity... yeah, that's it. A hermit (bushwhacker), living in the California desert, shoots down a plane filled with some guy and his three girlfriends. Either Mr. Bushwhacker is lonely and needs a playmate, or he's feeling ornery and feels like stalking, and hopefully murdering four innocent people, but then again, what's the difference? Like I said, not much in the story department. Guy and his girlfriends take their time walking back to civilization, and naturally, the bushwhacker takes his sweet damn time stalking them. Guy finds excuses to go off alone with one girlfriend at a time, which is where all that nudity comes in, and there's a lot, but nothing too impressive. Considered too offensive for the Drive-in circuit of the 60's, The Bushwhacker was forced into obscurity not long after its debut. In 2007, the print resurfaced, and soon transferred/released on DVD. Directed by Byron Mabe, The Bushwhacker is one of the sleaziest, pre-70's B-movie I can think of. The world just wasn't ready for such a grim combination of sex and violence, certainly no longer the case. Anyone familiar with Bethel Buckalew's soft-core-hick-porn-corn-ball comedies of the early 70's (Tobacco Roody) should appreciate similar qualities. The Bushwhacker ain't bad, were looking at an obvious Z-grade production, with atrocious acting, endless sex scenes, gruesome killings, grainy film quality, unintentional (?) humor, and just all around bad taste, hey, that's what 60's exploitation is all about. Welcome back, Bushwhacker. 7/10