This is a terrible film, with horrible film work, direction and acting. However, the basic story idea isn't horrible and the film gives a unique perspective on the hippies, so it is worth seeing. Just don't be surprised by the loud sucking noise you might notice as you watch--it is the film! The film is about a young priest who accidentally ingests some LSD. As a result, he decides to quit his job at the school and wander the country incognito in order to find himself. For much of the film, it seems like a variation on EASY RIDER but without the humor or style. However, towards the end, the priest becomes an alcoholic and heroin addict until ultimately finding redemption.

So what, specifically is so bad about the film? Well, first you'll probably notice that the sound is very poor. To make matters worse, there are no closed captions or a DVD option for captions. You'll really have to struggle with portions of the film in order to understand what they are saying. Additionally, much of what they say is poorly dubbed onto the film. Second, much of the film is simply padding--long and plodding montages where there is no dialog--just video of people walking about in the wilderness or city. I am not exaggerating when I say that some of these last five minutes or more! And, the number and length of these montages increases as the film progresses. It was like they had finished making the film and it only came to 45 minutes, so they hastily stuck in these segments. Third, the entire final 20 minutes of the film is a boring and silly mess. This is a shame, as having this mixed-up priest join up with the "Jesus People" was a good idea and this pop movement is seldom talked about in films.

By the way, while this isn't important, I was impressed at the priest, as he is the only "snaggle-tooth" actor (other than Edith Massey) I have seen in a major role in a film. While a handsome guy, his one significantly longer front tooth looks quite odd and is something you'd probably only find in a low budget (or John Waters) film.

Also, while the credits do not say it was directed by the schlock-meister, William Grefe, his did the weird and often poor camera-work which is credited. But, in an attempt to look sophisticated, he added an accent to his last name. Frankly, in his case, I would have picked a better alias--one that no one could possibly connect with me!!

Also known as Electric Shades of Grey and Jesus Freak, The Psychedelic Priest wasn't really directed by Stewart "Terry" Merrill, but instead William Gréfe, who was paid for this movie in trading stamps, which he described in Brian Albright's Regional Horror Films, 1958-1990: A State-by-State Guide with Interviews as "Instead of cash, if you owned a TV store and I owned a garage, and you needed your transmission fixed, you'd give me trading stamps. When I needed a TV, I could go get a TV from you."

Gréfe got paid $100,000 in trading stamps to make this movie that was never released until thirty years later because everyone felt it would be a bomb. As for Gréfe, he was now the president of Ivan Tors Films, making family movies, so he realized that "I didn't want some wild hippie drug movie with my name as writer and director."

The cast and the crew were non-actors, mostly real hippies, and the story is rambling at best, as Father John realizes that he can no longer preach to the young people, so he goes on some sort of quest to learn how to fit into a world that doesn't need religion any longer. He almost leaves the cloth for a woman named Sunny, but by the end of the movie, he's come back to his commitment to the church.

This was shot on the fly, with scenes mainly being improvised, as well as a soundtrack that is really solid. It's a great experiment and whether or not it works for you is, well, up to you. I dug what it was trying to do, even if it's not always successful.

Straight-laced Father John (a likeable performance by Joh Darrell) accidentally consumes a drink spiked with LSD. Following a mind-blowing acid trip, John decides to set his clerical collar aside so he can embark on a cross country journey of self-discovery and winds up falling for a wayward hippie gal.

Directors Terry Merrill and William Grefe relates the engrossing, if meandering story at a deliberate pace as well as maintain a low-key thoughtful tone throughout. Moreover, this film has a totally credible and engaging lived-in authenticity to it thanks to nice use of practical locations, some choice cool footage of a groovy outdoor rock concert, and rough, but sincere acting by a game no-name cast who come across as genuine warts'n'all people. In addition, there's plenty of lovely roadside scenery and a few interesting run-ins with various colorful folks, with a natural childbirth at a hippie commune and a nasty encounter with a loudmouth bigot in a bar rating as definite memorable highlights. Worth a watch.