• Wide Release
• Director: Ray Dennis Steckler
• Written by: Gene Pollock, Ray Dennis Steckler
• Running Time: 69 minutes
• Language: English
• MPAA Rating:
• Cast: Ray Dennis Steckler, Liz Renay, Joseph Bardo, Carolyn Brandt, Gary Kent, Herb Robins

Riddle me this:

What do cult legend actor Cash Flagg and notorious cult independant '60s B-film maker Ray Dennis Steckler have in common?

Answer:

Just about everything!!! They are the same person!! Actually the name Cash came from Steckler always making his checks out to 'cash'.

And with that riddle solved, that brings us to our movie, THE THRILL KILLERS. This flick was written and directed by R. D. Steckler and stars his on screen persona Cash Flagg. And many consider this Camp Cult Classic his greatest achievement. Certainly it seems the most polished and technically well done of Stecklers 1960's features.

So what's it about? Well it seems three homicidal maniacs escape from an asylum and go on a killing spree. Theyteam up with one of the maniacs' brother, Mort 'Mad Dog' Click, who is on rampage of his own. The thrills go on in campy black and white, setting the precident for killers on the rampage movies. The killers get hostages, kill hitchhickers, cut off heads, kill a cop, hell, they even steal a horse. Each is a twisted maniac in his own way. Mort hates people cause they are no good and kills them, and Gary is so claustrophobic he is incited to violence when someone closes a door. It even has a diner scene, years before Natural Born Killers. And this movie is even based on a true story , it says so on the box....

Unlike many of the slasher type movies to follow, this film is rather tame when it comes to its gory violence. Much of the violence occurs off screen or in the shadows but this is a good thing. The performances of the maniacs really sells it, and letting your imagination fill in the blanks, makes for a disturbing effect. But fear not, there is some onscreen violence, like a decapitation with the head rolling down the stairs.

This is a very tight movie compared to Steckler's other efforts, coming in at just over an hour. The camera work and editing is also far superior. In fact, he has out done himself, this was really good work. His other movies reek of campiness (not that this is a bad thing), but this one is on par with just about any straight crime/thriller. Maybe it's not PSYCHO but it certainly delivers the goods.

For awhile you may have some trouble finding this flick. It was re-released in theaters until the title THE MANIACS ARE LOOSE and was billed as being shot in "Hallucinogenic Hypno-vision". THis was just some swirling colors spliced into the film to signal theatre ushers to run out into the audience with Cash Flag masks and scare the audience. My original copy is the VHS Camp Video (and Bob Dobbs approved) release. But now, thanks to the DVD revolution you can get a DVD with extras (including a Steckler interview) at Amazon.