Five great biker movies that aren’t ‘Easy Rider’
In 1969, Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda rode onto screens with the ultimate counterculture film, Easy Rider, Steppenwolf’s ‘Born to Be Wild’ blasting. Hollywood shifted on its axis.
The film reflected the desire for freedom that people were longing for, but of course it wasn’t the first good biker film – Marlon Brando’s The Wild One had emerged over a decade before, cementing itself as the quintessential biker film. Easy Rider came and updated the genre with its psychedelic edge, and now the two sit head-to-head as the titans of the biker genre.
Yet, there are so many other lesser-known biker movies out there that reveal the full scope of the subculture’s varied roots, from its association with gay leather culture to its occasional connection to the occult. While masculinity is at the forefront of most biker films – the vehicle seen as the ultimate symbol of machismo – the biker genre includes women, too, who have often taken to the road in a bold act of defiance against stereotypes.
So, from the all-female bikers of She-Devils on Wheels to the gay BDSM love story at the heart of Pillion, here are five great biker movies that aren’t Easy Rider or The Wild One which you should add to your watchlist.
Five great biker movies that aren’t Easy Rider:
‘She-Devils on Wheels’ (Herschell Gordon Lewis, 1968)
When you picture the biker genre, the image of leather-clad men probably comes to mind, but what about the women? In Herschell Gordon Lewis’ She-Devils on Wheels, a group of female bikers take centre stage as they prove to be much more ruthless than the men they associate with. With the tagline “Riding their men as viciously as they ride their motorcycles,” this low-budget exploitation film is every bit the fever-dream, and incredibly daring for 1968, when you think about it.
Wearing jackets emblazoned with ‘MAN-EATERS’ on the back, the women ride their bikes with a fierce sense of recklessness, encouraging competition between one another, the prize being first pick of their male groupies. Yet, they’ll happily throw these men under the bus (or under a bike, quite literally), and the violence of this clan makes for a rather unconventional tale where gender roles are inverted and sexual politics are thrown completely out of order. It’s fabulous.
‘Psychomania’ (Don Sharp, 1973)
If you knew for definite that you could come back to life, live immortally, and do whatever you like, but only if you killed yourself with absolute belief in your resurrection, would you do it? That’s the premise of the British gem Psychomania, a ‘70s horror film which rode the biker wave with a supernatural spin, which even included an excellently creepy scene featuring a little girl’s voice possessing an old woman.
Directed by Don Sharp, the film didn’t get the success it deserved, despite being rather creative in its exploration of youth culture and rising fears of occultism in the country. The biker gang, a group of young men and women with a lack of empathy for others, might not be likable, but their interest in living hedonistically (even if that means doing so by passing over to the other side), is something to be admired. Sharp allows the characters to express this desire for ultimate freedom, but, like Easy Rider, they don’t go unpunished.
‘The Girl on a Motorcycle’ (Jack Cardiff, 1968)
Marianne Faithfull ruled the ‘60s as one of Britain’s it girls, a fantastic singer, a style icon, an actor, and an emblem of rock and roll cool. She might have been most closely associated with the Rolling Stones (and their various drug busts), but who can forget her turn in the wonderfully psychedelic and erotic The Girl on a Motorcycle? Kaleidoscopic, brightly-coloured imagery gives an uneasy edge to this quintessentially ‘60s slice of sensuality, which sees Faithfull don leathers with nothing underneath as she rides in search of escape and sex.
You see, her character is trapped in a rather loveless relationship, but this has been complicated by her meeting with Alain Delon’s Daniel. Can you blame her for wanting to ride off and reunite with him? He gives her a Harley Davidson Electra Glide, and this proves to be her pride and joy, a vehicle with which to escape the confines of what has been expected of her.
‘Scorpio Rising’ (Kenneth Anger, 1963)
There has always been a strong cultural link between biker culture and homosexuality, with many gay men forming their own biker clubs back in the day, their attire a big part of the leather subculture. Bikes are a symbol of independence and freedom, after all, so it makes sense that many gay men have historically banded together with a shared interest in leathers, bikes, and BDSM forming a subcultural landscape that has had a lasting impact on cinema.
Scorpio Rising is the definitive encapsulation of this, with Kenneth Anger’s 28-minute film using popular ‘60s tracks, like ‘Blue Velvet’ and ‘My Boyfriend’s Back’, to soundtrack eroticised images of gay bikers. Close-up shots of the shining metal are treated with as much care as images of the men putting on their belts and leather wrist cuffs. Not only is it a vital part of the queer cinematic canon, but it’s an essential biker film.
‘Pillion’ (Harry Lighton, 2025)
While the biker genre’s heyday came in the ‘60s and ‘70s, Harry Lighton’s recent debut feature, 2025’s Pillion, is proof that it still works in the modern age. It’s a brilliant mix of humour, pathos, and erotic grit, with the filmmaker even describing it as a ‘dom-com.’ The film sees Alexander Skarsgard play a muscly gay biker and Harry Melling as his terribly uncool yet endearing new lover, with the pair engaging in an unusual BDSM relationship that exposes both them to a connection unlike anything either of them have ever experienced before.
Pillion is sometimes painful, and sometimes heartwarming, putting a new spin on the biker-leather subgenre with a charming layer of humour that sets it apart as the most unconventional rom-com of the year. It’s a terrific film, especially for a first feature, riding right into your heart with the potential to make you shed a tear or two.
