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Gas-s-s-s
[MGM Home Entertainment]
1970; color
Directed by Roger Corman
Starring: Robert Corff, Elaine Giftos & Bud Cort
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Gas-s-s-s, Corman's last directorial effort, was also his last picture for AIP. (Apparently their editing out of most of the god character without his knowledge or permission was the last straw for him, but that's a whole other story.) Filmed in 1968 and released in 1970, the basic plot involves an accidental leak of a military gas that causes everyone in the US over age 25 to die (due to instant old age) leaving the country in a state of chaos that some hippie, our "hero", and his band of friends seek to overcome. Things start off in Dallas where the hippie and some girl begin their trek to Arizona or New Mexico, where rumor has it there's a self-sufficient community living a utopian existence in an old pueblo. Along the way they hook up with Ben Vereen and a very pregnant Cindy Williams (you know, Shirley; as in Laverne and… ) along with a few other no-names. As their journey continues they encounter a couple groups who've fallen into position of self-imposed authority: bikers who run a country club and control their territory (the links) with well-aimed drives and chip shots, and dune buggy driving high school football players who sack towns as if their varsity letters were at stake. All of this, of course, leads to various confrontations where group go up against these new interpretations of "the man." Despite all the bumps along the way, the hippie and co. keep on cruising in their magical Ford Edsel (it must be magic because they make it across Texas and a good chunk of the Southwest without ever putting gas in the tank), eventually making it to the pueblo and living happily ever after. Now that that's over with, I've gotta make one thing absolutely clear—and this fact should remain in the forefront of your mind before you choose to make this your viewing option du jour—this movie is a trainwreck. Compelling only because it's so unbelievably nonsensical, this flick is like a bad acid trip… or more like a bad acid trip depicted by someone who's never actually taken acid. I cannot recommend this with a straight face; hell, I don't think I can recommend it all. It's a shame Corman ended his directorial career on such a low and confusing note. On the other hand, his best days as a producer were yet to come.
—the Kommandant
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