by Natalie Devitt

From the moment the Russ Meyer’s new film (screenplay by Jack Moran), Faster, Pussycat!  Kill!  Kill! opens with a voice-over announcing, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to violence!”, it is made perfectly clear that this film may not be everyone’s cup of tea.  The voice-over warns the audience of a “rapacious new breed” of woman that “prowls both alone and in packs.” When the viewer is introduced to the movie’s three leading ladies, they are hard at work at their place of employment, a go-go club.

Out of the club, the group’s leader, Varla, is heard letting out an evil laugh while speeding off in her Porsche.  She leads the other two women, each at the wheel of their very own sports car, out for some fun in the desert.  Faster, Pussycat!  Kill!  Kill! establishes early on that Varla, played by burlesque dancer-turned-actress Tura Satana (1963’s Irma La Douce), rules her group by intimidation.

Varla orders everyone around and can become pretty abusive, to both men and women.  Her wardrobe for the better part of the film reflects her personality.  She is usually dressed all in black, shirt with a plunging neckline, pants, and gloves.  She also has long dark hair with blunt bangs.  Others describe her as a “beautiful animal”, “cold one” and even “a real Jekyll and Hyde.” Her main love interest, another woman and brunette named Rosie, can be seen lighting cigarettes for her.  Rosie is played by Canadian actress Haji, who can also be seen in another Russ Meyer film this year, Motorpsycho.  Rounding out the trio is blonde beauty Lori Williams of Viva Las Vegas (1964) in the role of Billie.

While taking a break from driving, a couple in another vehicle pulls up beside Varla’s group.  Tommy, “an all-American boy” and “champion” of his car club, hopes the ladies do not mind if he and his girlfriend try running some timing trials next to them.  Tommy explains that he picked the location because it is “about the best measured strip around.” Varla gives them the go-ahead.  Timing Tommy’s driving is his girlfriend, the incredibly sweet and innocent Linda.  She is played by Susan Bernard (General Hospital), daughter of pin-up photographer Bruno Bernard.

Less than impressed with Tommy’s trials, Varla challenges him with, “I don’t beat clocks, just people.  You want to try me?” The other members of her group hop into their cars and start racing.  Shortly after, he and Varla wind up in a physical altercation. Varla strikes him repeatedly, then breaks his neck, killing him instantly.  Linda faints.  Worried that Linda could be a witness, the women kidnap her.

After fleeing the scene of the crime, Varla and the gang stop at a gas station.  A muscular but not terribly bright young man, a character known only as “the Vegetable” according to the film’s credits, catches Billie’s eye.  The gas station attendant informs Billie that the Vegetable is “kind of a nut” and his disabled father, who he lives with, is a real “sick character.” The attendant goes on to explain that the man’s dad was injured in a railroad accident.  His father received a hefty settlement and rumor has is that the money is hidden somewhere on the property.  With their curiosity piqued and Linda gagged and bound, the ladies set out in search of the money, but as the film’s introduction warns, “Violence devours all that it touches.”

The film wastes no time establishing the tone of the movie.  In fact, the film wastes no time at all, due in no small part to Meyer’s incredibly fast-paced editing.  I cannot help but think how much Meyer’s time spent filming combat footage during World War II, combined with photographing pin-ups early in his career, clearly shaped his very unique brand of filmmaking.

A large part of what makes me like Faster, Pussycat!  Kill!  Kill! is its sense of humor.  The surprisingly witty banter between the characters really prevents this motion picture about violence from becoming dark and depressing.  Another aspect of the film that helps to create a one of a kind movie-going experience is the music, including an excellent theme song provided by The Bostweeds.  What’s not to love about a song with lyrics like, “If you think that you can tame her, well, just you try!”

The cast, while not terribly experienced as actors, aside from bit parts here and there, or appearances in other Russ Meyer films, like Mudhoney (also 1965), are actually quite good together.  Varla, in particular, is fascinating and unlike any character I have ever seen in a movie.

She, along with her partners in crime, are usually photographed with the camera looking up at them or they appear in the foreground of a number of shots.  Sure, Walter Schenk’s photography helps to draw attention to their voluptuous figures, but the camera angles he utilizes also make the women appear larger than life and even more powerful, especially when they are posed with their hands on their hips or have a leg up on the bumper of a car.  Everything and everyone in Faster, Pussycat!  Kill!  Kill! is very over the top.  The film also incorporates a number of surprisingly creative shots, including a particularly memorable one from underneath Varla’s steering wheel during a racing scene.

Even though I hear that it is not performing very well at the box office, Faster, Pussycat!  Kill!  Kill! is essential viewing for the more adventurous moviegoer.  It is totally original and unlike anything you will see all year.

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