Trip with the Teacher

Director - Earl Barton
Starring - Zalman King (Galaxy of Terror, Blue Sunshine), Brenda Fogarty (The Candy Tangerine Man, Fairy Tales), and Cathy Worthington (Monster Squad, Dallas)
Release Date - 1975
Genre - Crime
Tagline - "How far should a teacher go to protect her students"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've enjoyed exploitation flicks my whole life.  I can remember when I was little and my dad was traveling when a man approached him at a gas station.  The man claimed to be broke down and strapped for cash.  When my dad refused to give him money he offered my dad a box of VHS tapes.  My dad knew I was a movie fan and took him up on the offer. When I got home I found several movies I had never heard of.  The ones that stood out to me was Headhunter and Truck Turner.  Truck Turner was a popular film in my home.  My dad was a western junkie but he would always watch Truck Turner with me.  This love for Blaxploitation opened the door to exploitation and I've been watching sleazy flicks ever since.  Vinegar Syndrome is a company that has made a name for themselves releasing exploitation of every flavor.  Sometime ago Vin Syn released the classic exploitation flick Trip with the Teacher.  This is a movie I had actually never seen before but owned in several different box sets.  Vin Syn was kind enough to send me a review copy.  Thanks guys.

     The film follows a teacher and a group of teenage girls who go into the desert as part of their school trip.  On the way there they encounter a group of bikers who follow them looking for a little tail.  Innocent flirting turns deadly when one of the bikers doesn't get his way and he kills the bus driver.  Another biker they had picked up along the way is not into violence and tries to stand up to them but fails.  Now the teacher and the students are the biker's playthings unless they can work together to get away from the deranged men.

     I've seen this flick tossed into several horror and exploitation collections but I never took the time to check it out.  Honestly, I had no idea what it was about and the title was not that appealing to me.  Hell, if I wasn't asked to review the film I still wouldn't have seen it.  I'm glad I did because this is a film that I'm sure I will be watching occasionally until the day I die.  The acting in this one is hit and miss.  Like most of the exploitation flicks the cast in this one doesn't try to create a character that is genuine or natural.  Instead, they casually say their dialogue while trying to capture the perfect mood with their face.  With that being said, Zalman King made the fucking movie.  His performance is fucking insane and intense.  He brought a character into film that will never be forgotten.  In fact, I'm shocked I've never seen shirts and other merchandise with his character on it.  It was an amazing performance that deserves more credit than it gets.  The story for this one is simple but very effective.  A teacher and a small groups of students out in the desert with no supplies is unrealistic but no one will pay attention to that small detail.  Instead, they focus on the secret bloodlust of one of the bikers and what he is going to do with those young woman.   Finally, the film has a few death scenes but they are low quality and offer up little to no entertainment value.  If you want a flick with the red stuff you may want to check out another Vin Syn release.  Overall, Trip with the Teacher is a fucking fantastic exploitation flick that only lacks in the blood and gore department.  Sexually depraved and counter-culture like any good exploitation.  Check it out.