Just for the Hell of It (1968)
Starring Ray Sager, Rodney Bedell, Agi Gyenes
and Nancy Lee Noble
Directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis
Written by Allison Louise Downe
I purchased Herschell Gordon Lewis's 'Just for the Hell of it' for a mere £1 (that’s about $1.60, to you Yanks). With a cover headline of 'Revved Up youth on a Rock n Roll Rampage!' how could I resist?! Filmed in 1968, the film introduces us to a gang of delinquent teenagers, known as Destruction Inc, who spend their days terrorizing the sleepy all-American town in which they reside. Led by Dexter and his seductive girlfriend Bitsy, the gang thrives on doing things 'just for the hell of it'.
The opening scene shows said teen rebels 'rocking out' sixties style at a house party, before losing it and trashing the place just for kicks. The favourite pastimes of these nihilistic youths include setting fire to peoples newspapers as they are reading them (I found this to be quite amusing rather than shocking), shredding up magazines in the local doctors surgery (how could they?!), heckling a policeman (again rather amusing to me ) hanging around the local hospital and then assaulting anyone who is crippled/blind or both and in a 'shock highlight' (not my words, this was written on the DVD box!) a baby is tossed into a trash can (I didn’t laugh, I promise!).
However, the seemingly ridiculous pranks start to escalate into something more sinister, when the gang become embroiled in a fight with ex- gang member turned good Doug, and his wholesome girlfriend Jeanne. No longer under the gangs influence, perma-tanned Doug stands up to them on numerous occasions, as they try to taunt him and Jeanne. Destruction Inc isn’t used to being challenged like this and they don’t take to such reactions kindly...
As vengeance, the gang set up a plot to make Doug sorry he ever crossed them, culminating in a very nasty little rape scene involving Jeanne, followed by a dramatic motorbike chase finale, with the 'fuzz' in hot pursuit! Who survives? Do the juvenile delinquents repent for their past misdemeanors? Does Doug manage to escape with his neatly coiffed hair intact? My lips are sealed, you are going to have to get hold of a copy and see for yourselves!
Herschell Gordon Lewis is a cult director who paved the way for Quentin Tarantino, amongst others. His films have covered a variety of genres including everything from splatter/gore through to exploitation movies. 'Just for the Hell of It' definitely falls into the latter category. Its cast of mainly young, unknown actors and actresses perfectly convey what it was like to be a teenager in the swinging sixties; bored with nothing to do but cause havoc (even if that is whilst wearing the latest trends of ankle swingers and moccasins) and with an increasing sense of desensitization and alienation. No one scares them, not even the Police!
Whilst I found myself chuckling away smugly during the first half an hour or so, this group of idiotic teens got up to what would be classed by today’s standards as 'wholesome fun'- I wanted to know why they weren’t off on some crazy LSD fuelled trip?! The film began to rapidly pick up pace and I had to admit that their antics and 'so what?' attitude actually became quite unnerving and intimidating to behold. The excellent camera work added to this, it was in turn deliciously grainy and stylistic, giving us, the viewer, something of a voyeuristic insight into the events as they unfolded. Add to this a groovy sixties soundtrack (including one re-occurring track in which the vocalist wailed 'destruction!' whenever the bad teens were in full anarchic flow) and you’ve got a film which is seedy, quirky, politically incorrect and pretty darn entertaining! Exploitation at its finest - how could it be anything else when Mr. Lewis is at the helm?
The best pound I’ve ever spent. Well, almost...
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sophia