The high point of Northville
Cemetery Massacre—which is actually a biker flick, rather than the gory
horror movie one might expect, based upon the title—occurs when several bikers
get thrown into a county jail after getting needlessly hassled by redneck cops.
As the cyclists pass around a reefer provided by a dealer who’s been thrown
into the slammer with them, the amiable voice of Michael Nesmith appears on the
soundtrack. Nesmith, a once-and-future member of pop group the Monkees, did the
score for Northville Cemetery Massacre,
and he also wrote and performed several songs. So, while the onscreen dudes
toke, Nesmith croons like a country-and-western troubadour: “A friend with weed
is a friend indeed.” For sheer novelty’s sake, nothing else in Northville Cemetery Massacre matches the
peculiarity of a Monkee singing the praises of sweet Mary Jane. That’s because,
excepting a surprising amount of gore during murder scenes, nothing in Northville Cemetery Massacre has the
power to surprise.
The story is a familiar grind during which bikers roll into a small town, get accused of a crime they didn’t commit (in this case, a rape), and then battle angry locals. The twist, such as it is, stems from the fact that rape was actually committed by a sleazy policeman (Craig Collicott), who persuades the victim’s father that the bikers were the culprits. Cue instant vendetta, with the cop and the father, abetted by a big-game hunter, mowing down bikers. The violent cycle culminates in a shootout that takes place in a graveyard, hence the film’s title.
Despite sketchy production values and some iffy acting, Northville Cemetery Massacre has some pleasant passages. For instance, a biker captures counterculture angst by lamenting that “all you gotta do is have long hair, ride a scooter, and wear colors, and everything you do is illegal.” In fact, all of the scenes of the bikers hanging out have a realistic vibe. Between interesting-ish scenes, however, is lots of padding. Predictability and superficiality are problems, as well, since character development clearly was not a priority for the filmmakers. FYI, one of those aforementioned filmmakers, codirector and co-cinematographer William Dear, later built a respectable career making, among other things, the gentle family film Harry and the Hendersons (1987). Go figure.
The story is a familiar grind during which bikers roll into a small town, get accused of a crime they didn’t commit (in this case, a rape), and then battle angry locals. The twist, such as it is, stems from the fact that rape was actually committed by a sleazy policeman (Craig Collicott), who persuades the victim’s father that the bikers were the culprits. Cue instant vendetta, with the cop and the father, abetted by a big-game hunter, mowing down bikers. The violent cycle culminates in a shootout that takes place in a graveyard, hence the film’s title.
Despite sketchy production values and some iffy acting, Northville Cemetery Massacre has some pleasant passages. For instance, a biker captures counterculture angst by lamenting that “all you gotta do is have long hair, ride a scooter, and wear colors, and everything you do is illegal.” In fact, all of the scenes of the bikers hanging out have a realistic vibe. Between interesting-ish scenes, however, is lots of padding. Predictability and superficiality are problems, as well, since character development clearly was not a priority for the filmmakers. FYI, one of those aforementioned filmmakers, codirector and co-cinematographer William Dear, later built a respectable career making, among other things, the gentle family film Harry and the Hendersons (1987). Go figure.
Northville
Cemetery Massacre: FUNKY
3 comments:
The young boyfriend of the raped girl has been visiting her at the hospital much to the consternation of a suspicious nurse,but he still hasn't put all the pieces together. Finally SPOILER ALERT! The bikers have a funeral for a fellow biker slain in an earlier battle. Dad, Sheriff Sleaze and Game Hunter fly over and the Northville Cemetery Massacre begins. The bikers are all slain,but one manages to blow up the helicopter and pilot after the good ol boys land. The bikers are all blown away,even the women,but one manages to ride by and stab the game hunter to death before he's shot to death. The boyfriend is still alive but sounded. The daughter shows up and finally points the finger at Sheriff Sleaze,who proceeds to kill horrified dad before he can turn on him,but boyfriend is up and pulls a gun on Sheriff Sleaze and he and the girl stare him down and Sheriff Sleaze finally gets his,right between the eyes as the credits roll,or it's implied he does.
Still alive but wounded. Sorry.
This is a surprisingly halfway decent film, and since it was an indie, it took about four years to make---shooting actually started in 1972, so by the time the film was finished and got some distribution, the biker genre had all but died out. It's the only biker film shot in Northville, MI, and around the Detroit metro area, too. Some of the biker roles were played by actual bikers themselves, too. Nice to see a film where the bikers aren't the bad guys for once.
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