Angels from Hell (1968) User Reviews

The Usual

[gavin6942 · 5/10 · 25 February 2014]

Mike (Tom Stern), a biker, returns to California after serving in Vietnam. He uses his war-hero experience to organize a new, united super outlaw gang. When one member is shot by police because he killed a girl at a pot orgy, an all-out cop versus biker war results.

I have no idea why there existed a period in time where all you had to do was throw bikers, hippies and cops in a film and it just wrote itself. This idea spawned some good films (notably "Easy Rider") and plenty of bad ones. And it seems like many of the bad ones were brought to life by American International Pictures.

This is no exception, and unfortunately they did not even manage to cast a single big star. Without the name talent or crew, this is a largely forgettable film from a largely forgettable genre. The most notable name is Von Dutch who designed the titles -- decades before the brand became famous.

so bad it's almost good

[propsguy · 5/10 · 16 October 1999]

AIP does what it does best, exploitation of stereotypes. Good fun though with the real bikers being used. The real actors aren't as good as them. Incredibly terrible soundtrack.

Typical of the genre...but a bit better.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 22 April 2015]

In 2015, it's a bit hard to imagine that evil biker flicks were so popular in the late 1960s. Although the films seem incredibly naive and silly today, at the time they were box office gold for American International--a studio specializing in cheap and trashy drive-in fare. But the films were wildly successful despite their many shortcomings.

Unlike many of the biker films which starred the likes of Joe Naimath or Peter Fonda, this one stars a relative unknown. Tom Stern stars as Mike--a newcomer to town who soon becomes the leader of the Madcaps biker gang after he breaks the leg of their old leader. Now with a taste of power, Mike becomes a bit of a megalomaniac--feeling invincible and drunk with power. So, when his gang goes too far, he does little to reign them in and it's soon war with the local police. And, when 'Nutty' murders a girl, instead of turning this psychopath in, Mike covers up the killing and continues to think he can do pretty much what he wants. What's next for Mike and the out of control and rather stupid gang?

So is this film any good? Well, yes and no. Compared to many other biker films it's a bit better---with a bit more realism and a great ending. But it's also very low-brow and not exactly a must-see film! Not terrible overall despite the title.

"Boredom from Hell" is more like it

[Wizard-8 · 18 December 2014]

Although I'm usually a big fan of drive-in movies, I have to confess that motorcycle gang movies kind of leave me cold. So I might be writing this review with some prejudice, but I think that this particular motorcycle movie will be badly judged by other drive-in movie fans. The biggest problem with it is how slow and uneventful it is. In the first half of the movie, almost nothing of consequence happens. It's almost all padding. There's a bit more plot in the second half of the movie, but the movie still feels slow and lacking bite. Another big problem with the movie is that the main character (played by Tom Stern) is not developed very well; we never quite sense what makes him tick and what motivates him. By the way, while the movie got an "R" rating back in 1968, it's not very explicit by today's standards; it would get a "PG-13" rating at most if submitted to the MPAA today.

They want to be rough; their leader is back.

[michaelRokeefe · 2/10 · 12 September 2011]

A motorcycle gang flick that has very little to offer. A heroic Vietnam vet Mike(Tom Stern)returns home bitter, cynical and ready to ride. Mike thinks his bad ass military training will help him as he takes back most of his former gang of bikers. He is in no mood to get along with the local sheriff Bingham(Jack Starrett); Mike is obsessed with "sticking it to the man". When one of the gang members is blatantly gunned down by the fuzz; Mike has his gang ready to raise hell after the funeral; big dreams of organizing numerous California gangs to a total of 500 bikers does not seem to bother Bingham. How this movie got its R rating is somewhat odd; violence is all but nil, maybe 20 gang members, no foul language, some pretty girls...but no nudity. This is not even close to a run-of-the-mill motorcycle gang movie. Other members of the cast: Arlene Martel, Ted Markham, Steve Oliver, Suzy Walters, Sandra Bettin, Paul Bertoya, Jay S. York and Dirty Denny.

1968--IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR

[mmthos · 4/10 · 30 August 2021]

...for cheesy biker movies like this. It's got it all: motorcycle clubs, a hippie commune, a disaffected Viet Nam vet, free love,(and brutal rape), a dive bar that takes Mastercharge (long before it became MasterCARD), go go dancers, skirts so short (and a wardrobe budget so tight) one girl takes a micro-mini dress she wore in a previous scene, tucks it in bell-bottom pants, and voila! It's a blouse; a generic rock score, hard for the bikers, soft for the hippies, chockfull of cliche' "Freedom" anthems, all with lyrics that are trite variations on the counter-culture slogan "Fight the Power!", and a script almost totally devoid of any standard English words, strictly hip "rap" LONG before it went gangsta. So chockful of 60's slang it should be in a linguist's historical archives.

Lead "actor" looks remarkably like porn "actor" Long John Holmes, and is given frequent opportunities to show off his hot bod to the ladies, to the point where the sheriff, his nemesis tells him to "button up:" i was thinking I'm sure he was speaking for the entire audience as well, Only real acting is done by Jack Starrett (Sheriff) and Arlene Martel, "Ginger", (the all-purpose "Hot Chick" name) the woman who owns the biker bar where she takes Mastercharge, best known as one of Captain Kirk's dalliances in the original "Star Trek" TV series. Nobody else of note, except that the Madcaps, the actual biker gang the movie's fictional one is based on, are mentioned in the closing credits, and its members fill up empty space onscreen as needed throughout.

Of course, on their miniscule budget, they can't afford to ride cross-country in search of America, so they hightail it from Bakersfield couple hundred miles to BEVERLY HILLS to become MOVIE STARS--I kid you not.

Absolutely belongs in a time capsule, for appreciators of ancient artifacts.

Mixed bag

[jordondave-28085 · 4/10 · 25 December 2023]

(1968) Angels From Hell CRIME DRAMA

It opens with motorcycle bike rider, Mike Connery (Tom Stern) beating up a couple of racists who ganged up to beat up a young African American man wanting to use the washroom. And by the time he helps to carry him out, is when other African American guys riding motor bikes show up. After this was done, he then rides away to meet up with his former bike gang group "Madcaps" hanging out in a bar. And we find out Mike had just returned from serving in the military, and decides he want to upstart his own gang again. Except that the Madcaps have a current leader already, Big George to whom Mike has never met before. Big George then challenges him to a fight since he knows Mike has a long history with majority of the members, and wants to prove he is worthy. Once Mike takes over the Madcap group the movie then flips back and forth between righteous and chaos. It was routine until there was a single moment it became interesting is when two low ball cops became judge and jury and breaking the law themselves are and are worse than bikers themselves. The movie worsened as it continued, as if it forgot what it wanted to say as the makers was making it.

Average biker flick.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 1 January 2014]

Tom Stern ("Hell's Angels '69") stars as Mike, a Vietnam veteran who returns home determined to form his own biker gang and stick it to the man. He assumes control of his former cronies, who were better behaved before he came along. He wants to make his gang all-powerful, and their antics lead to fairly predictable results.

Overall, as directed by Bruce Kessler ("The Gay Deceivers"), "Angels from Hell", which gets a special 'story consultant' credit for famed Angel Sonny Barger, is typical for the genre, with decent action and a cast full of tough guys and sassy, sexy ladies. The music score is most groovy, with a priceless theme song to boot. Perhaps most interesting is that the movie isn't quite as anti-establishment as other entries in this genre, at least in its even handed portrayal of lawman Bingham (played by the late, great actor / director Jack Starrett).

The swaggering Stern does alright in the central role. Among the supporting players are Ted Markland ("Fighting Mad") as Smiley, the enticing Arlene Martel ("Zoltan: Hound of Dracula") as the independent-minded Ginger, Paul Bertoya ("Hot Rods to Hell") as the unstable Norman, Jimmy Murphy ("Mister Roberts") as Tiny Tim, and, in his film debut, wrestler Pepper Martin, famous for his role in "Superman II".

The ending fails to be all that satisfactory, but it does have a feeling of somber inevitability as Mike tries to make the case that the law should protect those of his kind as well as the average citizen. The end credits give the performers an appreciated "curtain call", and the movie does entertain if never really catch fire.

Seven out of 10.

Angels From Hell-A Tom Stern Masterpiece

[angelsunchained · 7/10 · 30 December 2004]

Tom Stern plays a Viet-Nam veteran who comes home with the dream of forming the most powerful biker gang around. His "wild bunch" consists of such immortals as Smiley, Nutty Norman, Tiny Tim, and Angry Annie. Turns out most of the cast are real bikers and their performances steal the show from the real actors.

Stern however reminds one of a young Nick Adams or Steve McQueen. He doesn't overplay his role; just giving it the sharp edge it needs to be realistic. His anger is a product of his war experiences and his frustrations are those of a man who is powerless to control the events happening around him. For a "minor" film, Stern does an outstanding job. It makes you wonder why this talented actor/director never made it to super-stardom.

Krazy Artwork by Renouned Artist

[daviddaveinternational · 10/10 · 28 April 2015]

The only reason I'm giving this bomb a "ten" is because of Ken "Von Dutch" Howards extensive artwork throughout the movie, including the opening credits. Bud Ekins's appearance riding the beautiful Triumph 500 Metisse certainly didn't hurt either! Check out his 2 jumps on that limited suspension bike. Of course you know he also did the jump in The Great escape about 5 years earlier. Anyway, Von Dutch's artwork, a usual, is Krazy! Can anyone imagine what it all would have sold at any recent auctions? Check out the full-sized Harley chopper he painted on the barn! That alone probably would auction of today for 10 grand if it was signed. Most of the artwork probably got lost or destroyed...sad. If anyone knows anything about the artwork in this movie, please contact me at [e-mail] I'm a big fan of Dutch & Roth and have an extensive Roth collection. Many books on both. "The Krazy Painters!

A Pretty Good Biker Movie

[Uriah43 · 6/10 · 5 October 2015]

After serving a tour in Vietnam, "Mike" (Tom Stern) returns to his hometown to discover that his old motorcycle gang has essentially been run out of town by the local law enforcement and that a new person named "George" (Jay York) has since taken over as the leader. Not happy that Mike is now muscling in on his gang, George initiates a fight with him which turns out quite bad--for George. As a result Mike becomes the leader and soon gets the attractive girl (Arlene Martel as "Ginger") as well. But rather than be satisfied with what he has, Mike has a grand plan for uniting motorcycle gangs across the country with none other than himself as the overall leader. Needless to say, this idea is fraught with difficulty. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it, I will just say that I thought this was one of the better "motorcycle movies" made thus far. I say this because the plot was realistic and the acting was pretty good as well. In any case, I rate this movie as slightly above average and recommend it to all enthusiasts of this particular sub-genre.

Tom Stern

[dirts32 · 20 February 2008]

I worked with Tom in Angels From Hell. We worked together after the movie to produce our own biker movie. I had a lot of time and money in lining up the bikers for him. I got the bikers to really fix up their scooters 'cuz they were going to be paid well in the upcoming movie. After everybody had finished their bikes, I had them come together for Tom's inspection. For arranging all of the bikers, Tom had promised me a big part in the movie. On my last visit to Tom's office in Hollywood, he told me that he would contact me when he was ready to film. I waited until I found out the the HA were filming on location (Hells Angels 69). We rode out to location and talked with Terry The Tramp and Tiny. Tom had managed to get the real HA to do the picture and left me and my boys out. plus the HA weren't happy working with him at all.

Tom is a good actor but he is a user/manipulator. Whether this has kept him from going to the top, I don't know.

Dirty Denny

Hard to rate biker flick.

[ranleehow · 6/10 · 23 April 2024]

Angels from hell starts as a total cliche of every B biker movie from the 70's. The cops are redecks and ignorant. The Hippie group is so absurd as to be more clownish than real. The main character and gang leader rides a Honda, but the sound it makes is pure 2-cylinder Harley. The biker gang members are dim as a rock and have little or no thinking ability. The high points are, Arlene Martel as Ginger and Jack Starrett as sheriff Bingham. Somewhere along the storyline something unique happens. The antihero and lead actor Mike (Tom Stern) evolves into the bad guy and the sheriff turns out to be the good guy. Surprise!! This unforeseen twist could really have worked if the rest of the film was better. I gave it 4 stars for the movie +1 for Arlene Martel (quite the babe in her day) and +1 for the decent twist and ending. For a solid 6 stars. Worth suffering through the bad acting, weak plot, and ridiculous characters just to get the twist ending.

I LOVE MY CHOPPER

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 10 April 2019]

REAL PLOT SPOILER REVIEW

Mike (Tom Stern) returns from Vietnam to his old biker gang the Bakersfield Madcaps. He takes over as boss. Does some stupid stuff and dies. The film has TV star Arlene Martel which Trekkie fans will remember as "T'Pring", Spock's Vulcan wife in AMOK TIME. Fairly lame as far as biker films go in general. They harass a guy on a blue dirt bike, visit a movie star, and smoke pot.

Available on numerous multi-packs.

Guide: No f-bombs, or nudity. Implied sex.

Enjoyable biker opus

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 1 January 2014]

Vietnam war veteran Mike (a solid and engaging performance by Tom Stern) returns home and becomes president of the local top biker gang. However, problems with the police ultimately leads to all-out war between the bikers and the cops. Director Bruce Kessler maintains a snappy pace throughout, stages the requisite rough'n'tumble fights with aplomb, and provides a few startling moments of raw violence. The Harley hounds are a quirky and colorful bunch: Ted Markland as the easygoing Smiley, Paul Bertoya as the jolly, yet crazy and dangerous Nutty Norman, Jimmy Murphy as amiable runt Tiny Tim, and Stephen Oliver as the scruffy Speed. Jack Starrett does his customary professional job as pragmatic police captain Bingham, who tries to keep the peace to increasingly minute avail. Fetching brunette Arlene Martel also registers well as sassy and enticing free spirit Ginger. Jerome Wish's compact script offers a nice central theme on how straight society goes out of its way to persecute anybody who's different. Herman Knox's vibrant cinematography gives the picture a pleasing bright look. The get-down groovy soundtrack by Stu Phillips and the cool soundtrack both hit the way funky spot. A fun drive-in romp.