Northville Cemetery Massacre

I too was fortunate enough to view the screening of this film the other night in Hollywood at the monthly Grindhouse screening. Lots of hippies, bikers and shootings in slo-mo with blood packs spurting a la Peckinpah. Apparently this movie is quite a rare little number. Shot in Detroit in 1974 and 75, released to drive-ins in 1976, and as such I believe we can state definitively that this film marks the very end of the classic "biker film" cycle (no pun intended) started 10 years earlier with "The Wild Angels" starring Peter Fonda, Nancy Sinatra and Bruce Dern.

One very important fact not mentioned by any of the other commenter's, and confirmed by Mr. Dear, was the fact that the music for this was scored by the great Michael Nesmith. I am a fan of his time in the Monkees as well as his great "solo" records released throughout the 1970's. If you've heard Nez's work from this period, you will certainly recognize his distinctive sound in the music here. I believe most (but not all) of this music was recorded especially for this film, and as such would be a treat to hear for any Nesmith admirers.

How to describe his style? Cole Porter on the Prairie could be one shorthand meme, but that does a disservice to his elegant yet down home music. He combines western cowboy songs, country-rock, blues, Caribbean Pop and lilting, wistful melodies in a unique fashion. Some of the musical themes are what you would expect in a picture like this: some hammering blues-rock and some country truckin' songs. One of the songs was sung by Garland Frady. Nesmith released some LP's by him on his Pacific Arts record label which he operated at that time.

Director William Dear worked further with Nesmith after this. He directed Time Rider, produced by Nesmith, and directed several of Michael's music videos in the 1980's. Dear had a funny line: he looked up Nesmith during an appearance at McCabe's Guitar Shop (local music store and live music venue in Santa Monica) He showed the movie to Nesmith, who said, "This movie is terrible!" "I know, you wanna score it?" "Okay."

Some wise company like Blue Underround or Synapse should contact Mr. Dear and arrange a DVD release of this toot suite! And plenty of bonus materials and a commentary track? Yes please!

UPDATE 10/18/2006: THEY HEARD ME!

Northville Cemetery Massacre is now out on DVD, with THREE commentary tracks and other bonus material! Thank you VCI Entertainment! I'm ordering one right now!

The DVD came out this Halloween, and I was able to get a copy signed at the 30th Anniversary re-release party in Northville. I hadn't heard about it before, but growing up in the area I was excited for it. It was made almost a decade before I was born so I felt no nostalgia for the time period and the way of life. I did however enjoy seeing what is now a fully-developed town back when it was just farm land.

The quality of the DVD menus and extras are phenomenal. I'm very glad the spent the time and money on creating a quality product. Since I hadn't seen it before, I can't say if the video or sound was remastered. It seemed like there could have been more work done to spruce up the actual film (there are a few jump cuts that seem almost accidental and the audio doesn't always line up with the mouths).

I enjoyed the extreme violence (not something you want to watch while babysitting) and the demonization of the 'pigs'. It certainly speaks of a different time and is rewarding with an interesting combination of action, drama, and comedy. I think I enjoyed most the fact that this was an actual motorcycle club and not actors (for the most part).

In conclusion, this film is never very believable, but is almost always enjoyable. If you are from the area (and not too sensitive to violence, sexuality, and language) definitely pick up a copy. I think this film crosses a few lines (in a good way) and takes you out of your comfort zone. It never really makes you think, but the motorcycle club is well developed as a single character (none of the members really stand out individually) and at times the cinematography is surprisingly good. It's not incredibly well put-together, but for its time and budget, I would consider classifying it as amazing.

Apparently the 10 or 12 people (worldwide!) who have seen this movie have not yet spoken up enough about it to elevate it to cult classic status. When I first heard about it I mistakenly assumed from the title that it had something to do with zombies or vampires or something like that. Well it doesn't! There are monsters to be sure but the kind we all run the risk of encountering; the narrow minded bigot who hates anyone who differs from his own view of what "normal" should be. This movie deserves to be recognised for many reasons. For one thing the 2 biker gangs in it (The Scorpions and The Road Agents) are real gangs; for another the music was written by Mike Nesmith. Yes, THAT Mike Nesmith, the former Monkey; and for yet another it is one of the most brutally honest independent movies to come out of the 1970's putting those glossy, sugar coated versions of biker life put out by American International to a well deserved shame. (Sorry, Roger.) We are on the side of the bikers from the opening scene when they surround an elderly couple in a car with a flat tire. We are expecting the worst but the bikers change the tire and ride on without even waiting to be thanked! This was filmed in 1976 so the Vietnam War was over and the Hippie Era had crashed dismally but America was still licking its wounded ego over the war they "lost" and returning soldiers came home to a society that made them pariahs. Many fought back against the only enemies they had left, the societal dropouts who had dodged the draft and had been living free and indulging every impulse from mind expanding drugs to free love while they, the alleged "good Americans", had been away fighting a hopeless case.

Okay that was the editorial, now back to the review. A redneck sheriff's deputy rapes a local girl who has rejected his romantic advances and puts the blame on a member of a biker gang that is passing through town. This sets off a smalltown war and underscores the intolerance and potential for violence that lurks beneath the shallow veneer of the Norman Rockwellian style smalltown life. The bikers fight back by arming themselves and soon it's rednecks vs. bikers and bullets are flying by the hundreds. The use of explosive squibs is used primarily for shock value but this is the earliest movie I can recall (apart from THE WILD BUNCH, that is) that used them quite so much. Prior to this screen violence had been mostly bloodless until Sam Peckinpah broke new ground with THE WILD BUNCH which left audiences and exhibitors alike gasping.

There is a PATTON-inspired speech in front of a giant American flag; there are shootings, knifings, beatings, one exploding helicopter that is the worst special effect in the movie (an obvious miniature) and a powerful ending that . . .oops, almost gave it away. This is a hard movie to find but it is well worth the search. Check it out and then don't be shy about e-mailing me and telling me how you feel about that ending! Trust me, you WILL be talking about it.

For fans of seventies exploitation flicks, Northville Cemetery Massacre is a must! The film is typically thin on plot, but this isn't important as directors William Dear and Thomas L. Dyke have ensured that the film is packed with the important stuff - that being gunfire and tons of blood! The film appears to take influence from Easy Rider in that it features a troupe of bikers coming under scrutiny from the local community and police force simply because they ride bikes and don't have jobs, but it's clear that most of its inspiration comes from the robust violent flicks that were all the rage throughout the seventies. I don't doubt that this film was a major influence on Walter Hill's popular gang flick The Warriors. The plot focuses on a gang of bikers (calling themselves a biker's club). The local police force is none too happy about them hanging around the town, and after a brutal rape is committed; the blame naturally falls on the gang. A number of their troupe are slaughtered by unknown gunmen, and after their rival gang is dismissed as suspects; the real culprits come to light...

The fact that there isn't a lot of plot is completely unimportant. This film is all about atmosphere, and that is delivered through the gritty picture (the film obviously had little to no budget), the soundtrack and the grubby look of most of the central characters. Northville Cemetery Massacre is wickedly entertaining throughout, and despite the numerous continuity errors; remains enjoyable thanks to the entertainment value. The way that the guns are used is excellent, as we get to hear every shot, and each one usually results in a lot of blood being spilled - the budget certainly had room for a lot of squibs! Despite the fact that the budget is low, the violence is brutal and realistic; and it's all owed to the gritty cinematography. There are a number of standout scenes throughout the movie but, as the title suggests, the ending features a huge shootout; and that's where the film really takes off! Of course, it's mostly just mindless violence - but the constant stream of shooting and bloodshed makes for fantastic viewing, and this ensures that a very entertaining film ends on a major high. Overall, Northville Cemetery Massacre is an under seen seventies gem and I highly recommend tracking down a copy!

I saw The Northville Cemetery Massacre along with Satan's Sadists as part of the monthly Grindhouse dbl feature in Hollywood at the New Beverly Cinema. The director, William Dear, humbly introduced the film and shared some amusing antidotes. Hopefully I am remembering them correctly.

The title of the movie was supposed to be Freedom R.I.P. As was the case with many genre films of the 70's, distributors changed the title without informing the film makers. The print that we saw had the title Wheels Of Death.

The film which was only supposed to take a few weeks to shoot actually wound up taking several years. They would run out of funds and when they had more funds would resume filming. This explains a few continuity issues.

Due to budget limitations, the blanks used in the guns were for revolvers/rifles/ shotguns. No automatic weapons. This explains why the arms dealer only gives the bikers the firearms that he does. The biker firing a fully automatic assault rifle is firing live rounds.

Nick Nolte does a voice-over for one of the characters.