The Car is a 1977 supernatural horror film about a a powerful, seemingly possessed automobile that terrorises a small desert town. The local sheriff may be the only one who can stop the evil automobile.
The movie was directed by Elliot Silverstein (Nightmare Honeymoon) from a screenplay written by Michael Butler, Dennis Shryack and Lane Slate.
The movie stars James Brolin, Kathleen Lloyd, John Marley and Ronny Cox.
Plot:
In the fictional Utah community of Santa Ynez, a mysterious black car is terrorising road users.
The police are called to the first of a series of hit-and-run deaths, apparently caused by the same car that appears heavily customized and has no license plate, making identification difficult. Sheriff Everett Peck (John Marley) gets a lead on the car when it is witnessed by Amos Clemens (R. G. Armstrong) after it runs over a hitchhiker.
After the car claims the sheriff as its fourth victim, it becomes the job of Captain Wade Parent (James Brolin) to stop the deaths. During the resulting investigation, an eyewitness to the accident claims that there was no driver inside the vehicle…
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Our review:
The supernatural elements are worked in quietly – the first hint we get that this might be more than just a crazy guy behind the wheel comes when the kids hide in a cemetery and the car is unable to follow them – because it’s consecrated ground. It’s a twist handled well, and thankfully the film avoids too much discussion of the demonic (and even more thankfully doesn’t have a car exorcist show up).
David Flint, MOVIES and MANIA
Other reviews:
“Even the dialogue-heavy scenes are entertaining to watch merely for the insane performances on display. I found myself grinning frequently while the filler scenes in between Car sightings kept me amused. And when you do get to see some Satanic auto-play, the score (which is a reworked orchestral version of Berlioz-Symphonie Fantastique) does a pretty good job of setting a sinister tone…” CHUD.com
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“The script either needed a few more drafts or someone needed to be a bit more ruthless in the cutting room. On the plus side, the Utah locations look fabulous, and composer Leonard Rosenman makes similar use of the Dies Irae as he did when he scored Race with the Devil…” House of Mortal Cinema
“With its stunning Panavision desert-scapes, a Planet of the Apes-inspired Leonard Rosenman score, featuring a reworked, orchestral version of the Dies Irae Gregorian chant, and it even has a credit to Anton LaVey – how can you not love this Jaws on land offering?” Kultguy’s Keep
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