Trip with the Teacher (1975)

Details: By Loron Hays; 16 September 2017

{jatabs type="content" position="top" height="auto" skipAnim="true" mouseType="click" animType="animFade"}

[tab title="Movie Review"]

Trip With the Teacher (1975) - Blu-ray Review

Sun-bleached and seedy as hell, Trip with the Teacher features a rather torturous teenage death as one student is slammed headfirst into desert sands and then held down to choke on every grain. Talk about choking on a sandwich, Mama Cass.

From the funky and sweet score by composer Igo Kantor as the yellow titles spill out onto the 16mm print to the direction by Earl Burton (who would never direct again), Trip with the Teacher is an old school classic of the drive-in. It’s exploitative cinema to be sure, perhaps cashing in a bit on the success of The Last House on the Left, yet it feels authentic thanks to its spirited cinematography and its summer vibes as an all-girl group of students embark on a nature trail straight to Hell.

Vinegar Syndrome, welcoming in the beginning of the school year as the kids settle into their daily routine, releases this cult film on 1080p with a HD transfer that has been newly scanned and restored in 2k from the original 16mm camera negative. This feature from Crown International Pictures has never looked as gorgeous as it does here with this Blu-Ray/DVD combo that is limited to 3000 copies.

And, thanks to memorably unhinged performance from Zalman King (Red Shoe Diaries) as a psychotic biker with oversized wraparound fly sunglasses, this tale of survival by way of a biker movie is demented as f-u-c-k. Al (King) and his brother, Pete (Robert Porter), are hellbent on tormenting a group of students out to learn about some Native Americans as the girls go on a camping trip through the Grand Canyon.

But first, irritated that an elderly garage mechanic (Ed Cross) spilled some gas on his bike, Al’s got some killing to do. Thankfully, there is a conscience presence among the bikers in the character of Jay (Robert Gribbon) but, honestly, his knowhow in fixing flats is not nearly enough to match, strike for strike, the freakishly TWISTED ways of Al.

The naturally-lit shoot through the desert aids in creating a simmering mood that intensifies when the school bus breaks down and the girls, with nothing else to do but talk about boys and who is the bigger bitch, start fussing and fighting with each other. Talk about a catfight. Unfortunately, the desert floor sand and dust kicked up in their scratch and scuffle settles upon the shoulders of a trio of bikers, led by Al.

And the boys – as the girl’s teacher (Brenda Fogarty) looks on disapprovingly – just want to have some fun with Pam (Susan Russell), Julie (Cathy Worthington), Bobbie (Dina Ousley), and Tina (Jill Voight).

This is a murder-centered cult flick for those who have never seen motorcycles pulling a bus before. It is also a thriller as the short-tempered Al takes center stage after threatening to abandon the girls in a desolate farmhouse. He just wants a piece of ass for payment and no law abiding bus driver (Jack Driscoll) is going to stand in his way.

That’s two deaths so far, Al. And the sun has yet to go down. Oh, yes, there will be more.

Crown International Pictures taught me not to ever go on a fucking field trip with students. Like ever. It’s a lesson I took to heart. From the whispers of the teens as they plot and scheme to find a way free of the bikers to the ass-shaking ways of Bobbie the blonde, Trip with the Teacher is a masterpiece of dirty bird biker exploitation.

[/tab]

[tab title="Details"]

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 91 mins
Director: Earl Barton
Writer: Earl Barton
Cast: Zalman King, Brenda Fogarty, Cathy Worthington
Genre: Thriller
Tagline: How far should a teacher go to protect her students?
Memorable Movie Quote: "Look at that Al, he looks like some kind of freak!"
Theatrical Distributor: Crown International Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date: March, 1975
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: September 26, 2017
Synopsis: Ms. Tenney (Brenda Fogarty) and a group of summer school students are on a camping trip in the desert to study ancient native cultures and to hike through the Grand Canyon. But when their bus breaks down in the middle of nowhere, a trio of bikers, led by the demented Al (Zalman King) finds them and tricks them into heading out to an abandoned farmhouse. Fearing for their lives, the girls and their teacher try to survive the night and the short tempered, psycho biker Al.

[/tab]

[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Trip With the Teacher (1975) - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Vinegar Syndrome
Available on Blu-ray - September 26, 2017
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio:
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Vinegar Syndrome presents Trip with Teacher with a stellar 2k restoration. There’s just not a bad bone in this body. Using the original 16mm camera negative, this drive-in film now has details that were never before visible. Both the abandoned farmhouse and the desert highways look layered with fine detail and, with the wind at their backs, the murders that happen are realized with a starkness that is unexpected. There’s no blood, mind you. This isn’t that type of flick. The violence is merely suggested but the desert chase scene is an octane heavy delight on 1080p. Those bikes are bouncing every which way and it doesn’t look like stuntmen were used.

Supplements:

Commentary:

Provided by writer, producer, director Earl Barton and actresses Cathy Worthington and Dina Ousely, the commentary is pretty solid. The shoot is discussed as well as the random memories of the on-screen shenanigans.

Special Features:

Vinegar Syndrome with this Blu-Ray/DVD release of Trip with the Teacher provide fans of this film with a feature-length commentary and an interview with actress Brenda Fogarty. There are TV Spots, a trailer, a still gallery, and a reversible sleeve with new artwork. For fans of the drive-in, this release is not to be missed. It is limited to 3000 units, so act fast!