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Russ Meyer Rides Again: MOTORPSYCHO and UP! Get the 4K Love They Deserve

Russ Meyer isn’t just a name in cult cinema, he’s a full-blown sweaty movement of flesh, fury, and frenetic editing. Now, thanks to the subversive cinephiles at Severin Films, two of Meyer’s most notorious films—1965’s Motorpsycho and 1976’s Russ Meyer’s UP!—have been resurrected, remastered in 4K from the original negatives, and stuffed with enough special features to make your Blu-ray shelf glisten with anticipation. Both titles drop on April 28, 2025, and are availabe now.

Meyer’s work has always occupied that sticky sweet wet spot between art and exploitation. As Variety put it best, “The films of Russ Meyer must be seen to be believed – exploitation entertainment that not only transgresses but achieves artistic transcendence.” These aren’t just cult curios—they’re those cultural potholes that someone has

Motorpsycho: Bikes, Blood, and Buxom Vengeance

Before Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! became the stuff of legend, Meyer revved up with Motorpsycho, a nihilistic desert revenge flick that plays like a biker noir nightmare. A gang of sadistic bikers wreak havoc until a local vet (a pre-Godfather Alex Rocco) and a vengeance-seeking vixen (Haji, in her debut role) fight back. It’s sweaty, sleazy, and shockingly well shot—courtesy of Meyer himself, of course.

This new release, restored with the help of MoMA, includes commentaries from film historian Elizabeth Purchell and filmmaker Zach Clark, plus interviews with Rocco and Haji. Whether you’re team UHD or Blu-ray, Severin’s got you:

Russ Meyer’s UP!: The Erotically Absurd Shakespearean Sex-Murder Caper

If Motorpsycho was Meyer getting nasty, UP! is him getting weird—with a little help from Roger Ebert (yes, that Roger Ebert). In what might be Meyer’s most bizarre fever dream, a sex-fueled murder mystery unfolds in a mythical Northern California town filled with ravenous piranhas, a Greek chorus played by Kitten Natividad, and a dictator who may or may not be a resurrected Hitler. It’s campy, crude, and—let’s be honest—completely glorious.

Severin’s 4K restoration is the best this gonzo classic has ever looked, and it comes with behind-the-scenes interviews, commentaries, and a radio spot to boot.

Why This Release Matters

These restorations are a revelation. Motorpsycho has never looked this sharp—the desert landscapes pop with gritty texture, and the contrast-heavy lighting that Meyer favored feels alive again. The skin tones are warm, the blood looks just the right kind of fake, and Haji’s on-screen presence—always larger than life—feels even more commanding in glorious high definition.

UP! is a different beast entirely, with saturated Technicolor absurdity and hypersexual camp dialed to eleven. This 4K scan finally does justice to Meyer’s color palette, his outrageous set design, and the facial close-ups that made his brand of erotic satire so distinct. The grain is intact, but the image is crisp, colorful, and clean without losing that vintage celluloid bite.

Russ Meyer, often dismissed by the mainstream as mere smut, was actually a groundbreaking force in American independent cinema. He wielded the tools of pulp like a true auteur, injecting his sex-charged visions with editing rhythms, absurdist storytelling, and feminist undercurrents that have since become the blueprint for exploitation’s artistic vanguard. These restorations remind us just how vital his work was to the evolution of underground film—DIY, rebellious, and fiercely original.

If you’re hungry for more boutique Blu-ray brilliance, check out our review of All the Haunts Be Ours at Signal Horizon, a folk horror box set that digs just as deep.

Get ready to bask in the unapologetic excess of Russ Meyer—restored, remastered, and just as raunchy as ever.