The Car (1977 film)

For other uses, see The Car (1977 film) (disambiguation).

The Car
Promotional poster for American release of The Car
Directed by	Elliot Silverstein
Written by	Michael Butler & Dennis Shryack (story) Michael Butler & Dennis Shryack and Lane Slate (screenplay)
Produced by	Marvin Birdt Elliot Silverstein
Starring	James Brolin Kathleen Lloyd John Marley Ronny Cox R.G. Armstrong John Rubenstein Elizabeth Thompson
Cinematography	Gerald Hirschfeld
Edited by	Michael McCroskey
Music by	Leonard Rosenman
Distributed by	Universal Studios
Release date	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.

Synopsis

The film is set in the fictional Utah community of Santa Ynez. Police are called to the first of a series of hit and run deaths, apparently caused by a mysterious black coupe that appears heavily customised and has no numberplate, making identification difficult. After the car claims it's 4th victim, the town's Sheriff (John Marley), 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 into a cemetery, among them Lauren (Kathleen Lloyd), Wade's girlfriend. Curiously enough, the machine will not pass onto the consecrated ground as Lauren taunts the driver that any of the townsfolk have yet to see. Seemingly in anger, the car destroys a brick gate post supporting a cross and leaves. The police chase the automobile down highways throughout the desert, before turning on them, destroying several squad cars and killing five officers in the process. Wade confronts the vehicle and 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 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 horsepower-laden menace 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. Pursued by the car into a mountainous canyon area where his fellow officers have set a trap for the machine, a final confrontation settles the score, and a demonic shape appears in the smoke and fire of the explosion.

The final scenes show Wade refusing to believe what the group saw in the flames, and the car driving around a large city, possibly indicating that it has in fact survived and moved on to a different location.

Main cast

• James Brolin - Wade Parent
• Kathleen Lloyd - Lauren
• John Marley - Everett
• R.G. Armstrong - Amos Clemens
• John Rubinstein - John Morris
• Kim Richards - Lynn Marie Parent
• Kyle Richards - Debbie Parent
• Doris Dowling - Bertha Clemens
• Ronny Cox - Luke

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."

Production

The evil car in the film was a customized 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III designed by famed customizer George Barris, who also designed the "Munster Koach" from The Munsters and the original "Batmobile" used in the 1966 television series Batman.

There were six cars built in six weeks for the filming and all were destroyed during production. Supposedly, a seventh car was built later and displayed for a time at Universal Studios, but was eventually given back to Barris, who later sold it to a private collector in the 1980s.

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.

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.

In pop culture

The Ertl Company made a limited edition 1:18 scale die cast model of the title car.

In the episode "The Honking" of the animated series Futurama, Bender is run over by a strange car that infects him with a virus. This causes him to turn into a "werecar" that looks almost exactly like "The Car."

Ricardo Autobahn's 2009 work, The Golden Age of Video, includes several clips from The Car.

Director Guillermo Del Toro in a 2010, June 25th, interview at the Saturn Awards stated that in the next three months he would be driving a replica of the car from The Car. The replica was being fabricated by his brother and built by hand.

See also

• My Mother the Car - a 1965 television sitcom.
• The Love Bug, a 1968 comedy film about an anthropomorphic 1963 Volkswagen Type 1
• The Hearse - a 1980 horror movie about a possessed hearse.
• "Christine", a 1983 horror film about an anthropomorphic 1958 Plymouth Fury
• "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.
• "Maximum Overdrive" - a 1986 horror movie, based on the short story "Trucks" by Stephen King.
• "Trucks" - a 1997 made-for-TV film, a remake of "Maximum Overdrive"
• Phantom Racer - a 2009 SyFy movie about a possessed race car.

External links

• The Car at IMDb
• The Car at AllMovie
• The Car at Rotten Tomatoes