The Car [Blu-ray]

I love this 1977 B-movie action/horror, it is a textbook example of how a good director… Cat Ballou’s Elliot Silverstein… can take even a ridiculous premise and turn it into a solidly entertaining flick. And The Car is exactly that. The plot is simple, a demonic looking black sedan comes thundering out of the desert one morning and heads into the small rural desert town of Santa Ynez and begins to mow down innocents like a hitchhiker and two young bicycle riders. While the Thomas County Sheriff’s office, including Captain…soon to be sheriff thanks to The Car…Wade Parent (James Brolin and an awesome 70s mustache), think there is a psycho on the loose, we already know something supernatural is afoot from the red tinted POV shots from within the vehicle and the mysterious wind that blows through right before it’s thunderous engines and blaring horn can be heard. Despite road blocks, the vehicle appears and disappears at will and Wade and his deputies start to realize something is satanically wrong here when the vehicle tries to run down a group of school children and is stopped when they flee into the hallowed ground of a cemetery and Wade himself confirms eye witness accounts that the vehicle has no driver. But something evil is inside as indicated by the gleeful sounding horn after a kill and the fact that single dad Wade’s pretty school teacher girlfriend (Kathleen Lloyd) finds out the hard way that calling the ‘driver’ a “chicken s***” is a bad idea. Now with the body count mounting and all signs pointing to the fact that Old Scratch himself might be out for a joyride, Wade and his rapidly diminishing police force must find a way to stop Satan’s Sedan before Santa Ynez becomes a ghost town.As with our previous Tomb Of Nostalgia… The Devil’s Rain… The Car is another film that employed Satanist Anton LaVey as a technical advisor and even opens with a quote from him. Not sure what he advised as there really is very little religious talk in the film and even when they start to believe something evil is going on, a priest is never even mentioned much less consulted. Who cares, as Silverstein takes this laughable idea and makes a really fun and suspenseful action/horror flick that actually has some goose bump inducing moments such as when The Car has the kids trapped in the cemetery and when Wade has an encounter with it in his own garage. Silverstein accomplishes this by taking his subject totally seriously and not only instilling his villain with a good deal of menace, but delivers some really intense chase and action sequences including a very thrilling climax where all Hell literally breaks loose. Obviously the 70s nostalgia adds a lot of fun to it too, but this is actually a well directed film and we enjoy it far more then we expect from a movie about a demon driven car. Another thing that adds to the effectiveness is that The Car appears in sleepy Santa Ynez for no reason, nor do we ever get one. It’s very spooky and random and that works far better than a hokey explanation and it gives The Car added personality to what Silverstein already imbues it with.The cast, also starring Ronny Cox, R.G. Armstrong and Kyle and Kim Richards as Wade’s precocious daughters, take their roles very seriously with Brolin making a very human and sometimes fallible hero. He and Lloyd really do come across as a cute couple, too. The film was criticized for it’s acting back in the day, but personally, I think they are just fine for being in a flick about a demon possessed car. And speaking of which… the real star is George Barris’ customized 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III and it’s an iconic movie vehicle and is very intimidating and effective. If Beezelbub had a car, I have no problem believing this is what it would look like. Leonard Rosenman’s score is appropriately spooky and incorporates bits of Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique…the piece that open’s The Shining and Gerald Hirschfeld’s cinematography makes nice use of the desert locations. Despite being filmed mostly in the day, it has plenty of creepy atmosphere.All in all, The Car is a really fun B-movie blast with a well deserved cult following and a favorite guilty pleasure of mine that I actually saw at The Park Lane theater in Palisades Park in 1977 when I was a kid…and it delightfully holds up all these years later! A fun action/ horror of the type they don’t make anymore!

Must buy

I remember seeing this classic as a kid in the 1970's, and i had loved it, so last week i ordered it to see if it could still hold up in this modern day of CGI special effects and shock-horror. It was captivating then, and it grasped my attention when i watched it today. "The Car" is a suspenseful little film, with quite solid acting, and an eerie atmosphere although 90% of the action takes place in the daytime, when the vast skies are bright, blue, and clear, and the dirt, and desert cinematography are brilliant and picturesque... maybe thats what gave me an unsettling feeling, that somewhere in this small, slow paced, quiet, desert town, something indestructible, fast, and evil appeared, in the daylight..."The Car" is, in my opinion, what a good horror flick is about; suspenseful moments, good music, acting and camera angles, and especially in which that it frightens us without the overwhelming use of purposeless shock- violence that overflows the majority of modern day horror films. Now, i really dig horror films and all genres of film, but nowadays i really look forward to being scared by atmosphere, concept, story-line, and a build up of suspense, kinda like a Steven King short story..No CGI here, no explicit gore, just conjured up notions that some possessed car is running over people, (all we usually see is white sheets with some blood on them) and that makes it more frightening, but we do see the car killing people... the fact that this vehicle, which physically looks evil, is tearing through this town unmercifully. The killer in this movie is solid steel, gas and rubber, and it makes you think, that as human beings we are just mere flesh and blood, and that it's pretty hard to fight a crazed vehicle..HaHaHaHaThere are some pretty good performances here, actors with expressive, facial expressions like James Brolin and his girlfriend, and supporting roles with Ronny Cox, and John Marley from the "Godfather," plus, some really cool stunt scenes, great sound effects... and that damned horn!!!If you like atmospheric, creepy 70's horror films, i recommend "The Car"... it's a film classic.

If you're in the mood for a classic thriller that will keep you at the edge of your seat, "The Car" from 1977 is a must-watch. I remember being completely terrified when I first saw it—it was one of the first thriller/horror films I ever watched, and it left a lasting impression.The plot is simple yet incredibly effective: a mysterious, driverless car starts wreaking havoc in a small desert town, and the local sheriff, played by James Brolin, has to figure out how to stop it. The suspense builds steadily as the car takes out anyone in its path with ruthless efficiency. The eerie, almost supernatural presence of the car is what makes this movie so gripping.The special effects and car chases are impressive for the time and add to the relentless pace of the film. The sound design is particularly memorable, with the car's roaring engine becoming a terrifying character in its own right.What makes "The Car" stand out is its ability to create an atmosphere of dread and suspense without relying on gore like the horror films of today. The tension is palpable, and the sense of helplessness as the townspeople try to combat this unstoppable force is incredibly effective. Yes, it's dated but it delivers."The Car" is a thrilling ride that delivers chills and excitement in equal measure. If you haven't seen it yet, you're in for a treat—just be prepared to be at the edge of your seat, as I was, from start to finish!

This was one of my favorite horror movies from the 70's. This movie never gets old for me.

I saw this movie at the theater when I was still in Grammer school. Really good thriller, with a lot of action...its scary too. You will see a lot of veteran actors of today, when they were young.