A mysterious black car starts killing the residents of a small, unspecified town in the United States. But this doesn’t seem to be the work of a maniac, it appears to be a supernatural evil force possessing the machine.
1977 was not a good year for Universal Pictures and motor vehicles. Not only did the studio lose a fortune with Sorcerer and its trucks roaming the jungle (read about it here), it also released The Car, a horror movie that was not well received by critics and was not a smash hit in theaters (or was it? More on that in a moment). Still, it has deservedly gained cult status over the years and remains a fun watch even today.
The hero of the piece is James Brolin (Westworld, The Amityville Horror) as Ward Parent, a divorced cop put in charge of the case involving an apparent madman who kills two cyclists and a hitchhiker within hours in his sleepy hometown (“Ten years only giving speeding tickets, and now all of this in the same day!”). He is dating a local schoolteacher, played by Kathleen Lloyd, known for numerous TV roles, and is aided by Ronny Cox (from Deliverance, RoboCop, and Total Recall) as the alcoholic Deputy Luke Johnson. Ward will investigate the case and come face to face with the evil automobile on more than one occasion.
The movie has its moments. The car trying to run over schoolchildren and being stopped by the hallowed ground of a cemetery; crashing through a house to kill a victim; and a car chase in which the vehicle from hell wipes out most of the police force. Director Elliot Silverstein (Cat Ballou, A Man Called Horse) and Universal seemed intent on mixing three of the most successful and acclaimed films of the time: Duel, The Exorcist, and Jaws. There is a bit of each here, but unfortunately without the same level of effort involved—or the same kind of box office success. Some sources say the film had a budget of US$2–3 million and grossed around US$7 million, while others suggest a higher total closer to US$12 million.
The Car could have benefited from a bit more care. Some of the chase scenes are unintentionally comical due to sped-up footage, and at times events happen without much logic—for example, the black car is clearly damaged after crashing into police vehicles, only to appear completely unscathed in the very next scene.
But don’t get me wrong. As I said, there are many good bits, the best being the climax, where the police work together to try to defeat the infernal machine once and for all. It’s a very hair-raising sequence, well directed and featuring memorable special effects. The movie is a fun watch—as long as you don’t expect it to be Duel, The Exorcist, or Jaws.
The (1977, Universal Pictures)
Starring James Brolin, Ronny Cox and Kathleen Lloyd
Directed by Elliot Silverstein
98 minutes
Rating: 7 Nerds (of 10) 😎😎😎😎😎😎😎
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