The Acid Eaters

While most of the quickie "cash-in" psychedelic films of the late 1960's are not very good, many are very entertaining or fascinating period pieces. Even such bad films as THE WEIRD WORLD OF LSD, SKIDOO, THE BIG CUBE, or LIKE IT IS are fun to watch. THE ACID EATERS is just boring and stupid. It does start off well with a clever montage capturing the nine-to-five work world (and lunch hour!), and there is some good photography of the mountains outside of the greater L.A. area. Also, the music score is interesting, kind of like outtakes from a non-existent Sandy Nelson Goes Psychedelic album. Unfortunately, the cast does NOT look remotely psychedelic; they look like people who would be nuzzling mixed drinks in cocktail lounges looking to pick up an anonymous sex partner to take to a local motel. Perhaps the producers were so familiar with casting these type of people for their sex films that they did not think that the same people would not work here. Also, as the other reviews stated, this is mostly a topless groping film. There's no real drug content (the LSD tower is absurd--the devil routine is like a bad imitation of the tinted color sequence in Albert Zugsmith's PRIVATE LIVES OF ADAM AND EVE), and all the colored lights and hand-painted LSD signs on the wall do not make a psychedelic experience. The final sequences in the LSD tower remind me of Zugsmith's MOVIE STAR American STYLE OR LSD I HATE YOU, which was horrible but more interesting than anything in this film. I guess that since David Friedman made nude westerns and nude crime films and nude jungle films, he felt he had to make a nude psychedelic film too. Trust me, this film is NOT worth purchasing, even if you can get it for five dollars. If you want to see an obscure psychedelic cash-in film, find a copy of MARY JANE or THE LOVE-INS or THE American DREAMER or HALLUCINATION GENERATION or MICROSCOPIC LIQUID SUBWAY TO OBLIVION. Don't waste your time with this.

The ads claim this is "Hollywood's first underground movie." Just because this film uses subliminal/experimental editing does not make it "underground." The biggest problem with this movie is that most of its short running time is filled with sex fluff. The opening minutes is sped up footage of everyday people at work and subliminal flash-forward editing with a minimalist percussive soundtrack which segues into biker footage backed with groovy 60s instrumental rock. There's a long swimming scene and one of the group sinks in quicksand before they reach the pyramid of LSD. One of the group becomes the devil and were treated to various supposedly drug-induced sexual fantasies which all go on a bit too long. The fractured aimless narrative makes this movie a bore even at only 65 minutes. It is worth seeing as a relic of the 60s but I have to wonder if producer David F. Friedman screwed it up by demanding all the sex scenes be included.

This is no formulaic, coherent movie in the traditional sense. The colors are bold, brash and eye popping, so are the female performers in their disdain for clothing. The cast is on sort of a quest to find the big pyramid cube of LSD to send them on the penultimate acid trip. The film is done in sort of a slapstick / sleaze style that I had no trouble getting used too. The editing was bizarre, interspersed with maniacal laughter from the naked on again off again cast. This is not for the egg head film school scholars who clutch their pearls at the slightest hint of bad moving making, or the casual movie watcher who thinks everything has to look like it rolled off the 21st century CGI assembly line. I say go for it! Suspend belief! Have fun!!

The Acid Eaters (1968)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

After a montage showing the routine of a 9 to 5 worker, we see a group of office people going out for a good time, which includes some drugs and sex. After one woman is killed after pulling out a knife, the group ends up partying with Satan where there's more sex, nudity and drugs to come.

If you're looking for the high art of Kurosawa, Bunuel and Bergman then it might be best that you stay away from THE ACID EATERS. This film clocks in at just 62 minutes, which is probably the highlight of the film because even at just over a hour the thing drags in spots. Obviously if you're walking into a film like this it's best that you don't expect too much and as long as you don't take this too serious you'll be happy that there are a few campy moments that makes it worth sitting through.

The real highlight of the picture is the fight that happens towards the start. One woman pulls out a knife and attacks another before falling into some quicksand. I won't ruin what the woman does as she's going down but it's quite hilarious as is the special effect of her sinking. Another highlight is the Satan figure smoking weed. Technically speaking there's nothing great about this scene but it did make me laugh. And yes, there's plenty of nudity including a striptease by Pat Barrington who some might remember from ORGY OF THE DEAD among other sexploitation pictures.

THE ACID EATERS is an awful movie but there are enough campy moments to make it worth sitting through. Of course, if you're actually on acid it would probably be even better.

This David F. Friedman-produced flick starts out with some surreal images and editing that sorta caught me off guard, but then "conventional" story gets rollin'. Some "bikers" and babes take a trip in the country. Nudeswimmin', fights, Indians, and acid trippin' then follows. They even go to hell?!? There's also a lot of slapsticks goin' on provided by Burt ("Please Don't Eat My Mother") Kartalian. Lots of nudity and infantile insanity - high quality trash entertainment!

Johnny Ramone must've seen this since The Ramones named a cover album after this flick.