What’s a couple of black-and-white stories involving a Lolita-style romance, a lustful farmhand, a vengeful farmer, a bayou moonshiner, a shady policeman, a small-town floozie and a gold-digging stripper all have in common? They’re the latest feature films included in the Film Masters Backwoods Double Feature collector’s set to be released on June 25th via Blu-ray and DVD!

Another similarity between the two movies is that they were both originally cult classics that endured after recuts and in one instance, after being released and later retitled. Both films are considered a part of the Hicksploitation subgenre, as well. They are Common Law Wife and Jennie, Wife/Child.

So, what, exactly is Hicksploitation? It’s an exploitation movie that focuses on the Southern way of life, usually highlighting stereotypes and often focusing on sensational story elements. I’m not an expert in this film style, so I was curious to see what I had been missing out on.

After watching the restored 1963 trailer for Common Law Wife, I was absolutely intrigued. A spokesperson walks through “a cheap motel room,” which is a highlighted setting within the film, and claims, “Out of deference to those with young ones present, no scenes will be previewed.” A whole lot is implied but never shown. Let’s go!

Enduring a five-year affair with Linda (played by Annabelle Lee), ol’ Uncle Chug (Shugfoot Rainey) has decided to shift his affections toward a new, trophy wife: His sultry niece, Baby Doll (Lacy Kelly). Expecting a new love in his life to take care of him, little does he know about the informal definition of his current relationship (most states have since abolished the statute in the 21st century) and its implications. When true love fights off lustful eyes, illegal moonshine and blackmail soon follows. And two wronged women don’t make a right…

“Live with a rattlesnake for five years, you can even learn to love it!

All of them are conniving, but I have to admit each character is relatable to an extent, however small that sliver of believability may be. Common Law Wife features a conclusion that was probably ahead of its time in 1963 when it originally premiered, but it definitely feels familiar in 2024. Cyanide isn’t exactly the official go-to for ending toxic relationships these days, but it definitely gets results.

The second film included in this collection is Jennie, Wife/Child. With a title like that, I already had a decent idea of what would play out for this movie’s synopsis. Jim Reader portrays the lustful farmhand. Jack Lester is the vengeful farmer. Beverly Lunsford stars as the farmer’s restless young wife. And Virginia Wood represents the town floozie. There are so many stereotypes crammed into this hour-and-a-half production, I don’t have enough time to address them all.

Small-town life is really on display here, something I know very well. Unfortunately, so are the cliches. Growing up, I learned all about stereotypes the hard way. I’m proud to be a Southerner (despite any bad connotations that might contain — which I don’t support). I have been fighting negative cliches my entire life, so seeing some of them pop up on the screen was distressing, to say the least. It’s one of the reasons I truly haven’t watched too many movies within this subgenre.

But you know what? After watching the included documentary, “That’s Hicksploitation: The Origin of Southern Sinema,” my viewpoint changed. Thanks in part to the efforts of Daniel Griffith, C. Courtney Joyner and Jim Kunz, I received a new perspective on the subgenre.

These were usually lower-budgeted movies that were made primarily for Southern audiences, not to mock them (although that happened, as well). Long before movie theater chains were created, various theaters along the redneck circuit promoted their taboo, scandalous topics, which early censorship rules didn’t seem to apply. Illegal liquor, sexual overtones, hillbillies and adult themes were promoted, along with criminal activity. After watching this great Ballyhoo Motion Picture, I appreciated this Jennie from the Block just a little bit more.

Photo Courtesy: Film Masters

Both of these over-the-top Southern exploitation films from the ’60s are presented with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The discs are region free and include English SDH, its audio is DTS-HD/Dolby AC3s. Available on June 25th, this special collector’s edition — on both Blu-ray ($29.95 MSRP) and DVD ($19.95 MSRP) formats — includes newly restored versions of the two films originally released by Something Weird Video in 2003 from original 35mm archival elements — with supplemental 1080p footage in Common Law Wife — premiering on Blu-ray for the first time!

“What a treat to see these relatively little-known low-budget potboilers from the ‘60s given first-class treatment, with brand new restorations and extras,” said Lisa Petrucci from Something Weird, who pens the liner notes in this collection. “I think fans will appreciate the enthusiasm, time and effort that went into this wonderfully weird Blu-ray release.”

This Special Edition release also includes bonus materials in the form of archival audio commentary, as well as new feature-length commentary for Common Law Wife, a full-length commentary for Jennie, Wife/Child, both an original and restored cinematic trailer for Common Law Wife and a newly created trailer by Film Masters for Jennie, Wife/Child.

What a great collection of stories you might hear from people living in the hills, brought to you by archivists, historians and film enthusiasts who are committed to preserving dormant films for future generations. For more information, please visit the Film Masters, ya hear?