Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Teenage Hitchhikers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 27, 2020

Gerri Sedley's "Teenage Hitchhikers" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Dark Force Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new video interview with the director and archival audio commentary by cinematographer Bill La Mond. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Gerri Sedley’s film Teenage Hitchhikers is a lot like the early films from the Danish Mazurka series. It has a strong hillbilly-esque sense of humor, but the nature of its erotic material is essentially the same. This is precisely the reason why during the ‘70s these films were shown in mainstream theaters on both sides of the Atlantic.

The narrative is broken into multiple episodes where young hitchhikers Mouse (Chris Jordan) and Bird (Sandra Peabody, The Last House on the Left) travel across the country and have unique encounters with complete strangers that agree to give them a ride in exchange for sexual services. The supposedly naïve and inexperienced girls, however, turn out to be a lot smarter than they appear and the spicy adventures the strangers imagine in their heads never materialize. So, the girls usually get what they want and the strangers are left pondering their ‘bad luck’.

A third girl, Jeannie (Nikki Lynn), joins Mouse and Bird after she is saved from the world’s dumbest rapist (hilarious Ric Mancini) and together they eventually manage to get a car. Their journey ends up in a secluded villa where a large group of hippies have gathered to have a ‘blast’, which shortly after the girls discover is a code word for orgy.

It is immediately obvious that Sedley intended Teenage Hitchhikers to be a light comedy first and then everything else because all of the memorable highlights throughout the film are part of the funny material. (Even the director’s decision to credit himself as Claude Goddard seems like a pretty obvious statement). Yes, there are some naked bodies and ecstatic moaning, but the erotic material isn’t going to satisfy anyone that expects Teenage Hitchhikers to be an arousing erotic film because it is shot with the type of authenticity that would appear suspicious even in a period production like The Decameron.

There are two episodes where Sedley does a bit more to shape up the film’s sexploitation image. (Again, if the erotic material ought to be the main attraction, tone down your expectations). The first features Claire Wilbur, who appeared in Radley Metzger’s better polished and explicit sizzler Score. Here she plays a wealthy seductress having a quick encounter with one of the hitchhikers after she enthusiastically agrees to visit her lavish home. The second episode is right at the end where the girls mingle with the hippies and then begin exploring the different sexual activities that are underway in various corners of the villa. Sedley lets his camera roam free just long enough to make it obvious that some of the actors are not acting, but there are plenty of hilarious moments here as well because there are some awkward moments suggesting that certain drugs and alcohol were used as mood or performance enhancers.

Ultimately, despite being shot with a modest budget this film delivers plenty of good laughs that can quite easily put one in a good mood. It has a few naughty parts, but unlike so many contemporary comedies where sex has an important role to play, it never becomes crude. This makes quite a difference.

*Dark Force Entertainment’s release of Teenage Hitchhikers is sourced from an exclusive new master that was struck from the original 35mm camera negative.

Teenage Hitchhikers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Teenage Hitchhikers arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Dark Force Entertainment.

The release is sourced from a gorgeous exclusive new master that was struck from the original 35mm camera negative. I like how this film looks in high-definition a lot. Depth, clarity, and delineation are simply terrific, plus fluidity is as good as I expected it to be. The color grading is also done with an obvious awareness of the type of balance that is needed to preserve nuances in areas where some native fluctuations might exist. There are no traces of any compromising digital adjustments. Image stability is excellent. A couple of white specks remain, but there are no distracting cuts, debris, stains, warped or torn frames to report. Great master and presentation of the film. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Teenage Hitchhikers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

The audio is clear and stable. I had the volume turn up quite a bit and in the upper register there is room for some cosmetic improvements, but I wish to make it clear that there are no distortions or other serious anomalies that may affect your viewing experience. Given the nature of the production, balance is good.

Teenage Hitchhikers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Gerri Sedley - in this new video interview, director/writer/producer Gerri Sedley explains in great detail how Teenage Hitchhikers was conceived, produced and promoted, and discusses the blending of humor and erotica that occurs in it, Quentin Tarantino's fondness for the film, its rights (and acquisition by Bill Olsen from Code Red), the 70s movie scene, the evolution of his career, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively by David 'Demon' DeFalco for Dark Force Entertainment in 2019. In English, not subtitled. (25 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary by cinematographer Bill La Mond initially appeared on Code Red's DVD release of Teenage Hitchhikers. The bulk of the information that is shared in the commentary addresses the production history of the film, the careers of some of the talent, and the film's sense of humor.

Teenage Hitchhikers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If Gerri Sedley's Teenage Hitchhikers was a bigger film, I would have said that there is an excellent chance Fernando Di Leo had seen it and used it as a model for his film To Be Twenty. In fact, in the recent interview that Sedley recorded for this release he specifically mentions that in the '70s his film was picked up by European distributors and did some good business for them, so this isn't an improbable scenario. On the other hand, Teenage Hitchhikers is a lot like the early films from the Danish Mazurka series, so it is possible that the original concept for it actually came from the other side of the Atlantic. Anyhow, I enjoyed this film quite a bit. It is very funny, and while it does have a few naughty parts, it never becomes crude. Dark Force Entertainment's release is sourced from a very solid restored master that makes the film look almost brand new. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.