The Car
| The Car | |
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 Promotional poster for American release of The Car |
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| Directed by | Elliot Silverstein |
| Produced by | Marvin Birdt Elliot Silverstein |
| Written by | Michael Butler & Dennis Shryack (story) Michael Butler & Dennis Shryack and Lane Slate (screenplay) |
| Starring | James Brolin Kathleen Lloyd John Marley Ronny Cox R.G. Armstrong John Rubenstein Elizabeth Thompson |
| Music by | Leonard Rosenman |
| Cinematography | Gerald Hirschfeld |
| Editing by | Michael McCroskey |
| Distributed by | Universal Studios |
| Release date(s) | May 13, 1977 (USA) |
| Running time | 96 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | Unknown |
| Box office | Unknown |
The Car is a 1977 thriller/horror film directed by Elliot Silverstein and written by Michael Butler, Dennis Shryack and Lane Slate. The film stars James Brolin, Kathleen Lloyd, John Marley, and Ronny Cox, and tells the story of a mysterious car which goes on a murderous rampage, terrorizing the residents of a small town.
The movie was produced and distributed by Universal Studios, and was influenced by numerous "road movies" of the 1970s including Steven Spielberg's 1971 thriller Duel and Roger Corman's Death Race 2000.
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[edit] Plot
The film is set in the fictional Utah community of Santa Ynez. Two bikers cycling in the canyon are killed by a mysterious black coupe. Police are called to the first of a series of hit and run deaths, apparently caused by the same car that appears heavily customised and has no license plate, making identification difficult. Sheriff Everett Peck gets a lead on the car when it is witnessed by Amos Clemens after it runs over a hitchhiker. After the car claims its fourth victim, the town's Sheriff (John Marley), while trying to kill Amos, it becomes the job of Captain Wade Parent (James Brolin) to stop the deaths. During the resulting investigation, an eyewitness to the accident states that there was no driver in the vehicle.
Despite a police cordon being placed around all roads in the area, the car enters town and attacks the school marching band as it rehearses at the local show ground. It chases the group of teachers and students, among them Wade's girlfriend Lauren (Kathleen Lloyd), into a cemetery. Curiously enough, the machine will not enter onto the consecrated ground as Lauren taunts the purported driver that any of the townsfolk have yet to see. Seemingly in anger, the car destroys a brick gate post and leaves. The police chase the automobile along highways throughout the desert before it turns on them, destroying several squad cars and killing five officers in the process. Wade confronts the vehicle and is surprised to see that none of his bullets put a dent on the car's windshield or tires. After trying to open the door, Wade is injured, and the car escapes.
The hunt for the car becomes a personal vendetta for Wade when the automobile stalks and eliminates Lauren by driving straight through her house. Wade's deputy Luke (Ronny Cox) puts forward the theory that it acted in revenge for the insults hurled on it by Lauren and notes it cannot enter hallowed ground. Wade concocts a plan to stop the car by burying it beneath a controlled explosion in the canyons that lie outside of town. After discovering it waiting for him in his own garage, he is forced to carry out his plans post haste. He is pursued by the car into a mountainous canyon area where his fellow officers have set a trap for the machine, and a final confrontation settles the score with a demonic visage appearing in the smoke and fire of the explosion.
The final scenes show Wade refusing to believe what the group saw in the flames, despite Deputy Johnson's insistence about what he saw.
[edit] Main cast
- James Brolin – Sheriff Wade Parent
- Kathleen Lloyd – Lauren Humphries
- John Marley – Sheriff Everett Peck
- R.G. Armstrong – Amos Clemens
- John Rubinstein – John Morris
- Kim Richards – Lynn Marie Parent
- Kyle Richards – Debbie Parent
- Doris Dowling – Bertha Clemens
- Ronny Cox – Deputy Luke Johnson
[edit] Critical reception
The film was panned by critics, citing poor dialogue and acting. The film received a 18% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes. Chicago Tribune film critic Gene Siskel gave the film one star and his headline referred to this film as, "The Cinematic Turkey of 1977."[1]
[edit] Production
The evil car in the film was a customized 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III designed by customizer George Barris. There were six cars built in six weeks for the film. All were destroyed during production.
The late Church of Satan leader Anton LaVey was given a "Technical Advisor" credit on the film. His quote: "Oh great brothers of the night who rideth upon the hot winds of hell, who dwelleth in the Devil's lair; move and appear," is given in the opening credits and is taken from the "Invocation of Destruction" in The Satanic Bible.
The film's main theme, heard predominantly throughout, is a reworked, orchestral version of Dies Irae.
Footage from this film is seen in the Knight Rider episode "Trust Doesn't Rust", shown at the end when "KARR" is destroyed by driving off a cliff, a glimpse of "The Car" is seen going over the cliff instead.[2]
[edit] In other languages
- French - Enfer Mécanique (lit. Mechanical Hell )
- German - Der Teufel auf Rädern (lit. The Devil on Wheels)
- Italian - La Macchina Nera (lit. The Black Car)
- Japanese - ザ・カー - Za Kā
- Portuguese - O Carro: Máquina do Diabo (Translated in English, The Car: Devil's Machine)
[edit] See also
- Killdozer!, a 1974 film about a possessed bulldozer.
- Christine, a 1983 horror film inspired by Stephen King's novel of the same name.
- The Hearse, a 1980 horror movie about a possessed hearse.
- Nightmares, a 1983 movie made up of four separate story segments; the third, "The Benediction", features a traveling priest attacked on the highway by a demonic 4x4.
- The Wraith – 1986 film about a phantom car and driver seeking revenge
- Maximum Overdrive, a 1986 horror movie, loosely based on the short story "Trucks" by Stephen King.
- Wheels of Terror, a 1990 made-for-TV film about a driverless car terrorizing a small Arizona community.
- Trucks, a 1997 made-for-TV film, also based on the King short story.
- Phantom Racer, a 2009 Syfy movie about a possessed race car.
- Hybrid, film about a possessed car.
[edit] References
- ^ "The Car Movie Reviews, Pictures – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/car/. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
- ^ "Trust Doesn't Rust Nitpicks". http://knightridercollective.com/nitpicks/TDRnits.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
[edit] External links
- The Car at the Internet Movie Database
- The Car at AllRovi
- The Car at Rotten Tomatoes
