The Car

__NOTOC__Infobox Film
name = The Car


caption = Promotional poster for American release of "The Car"
director = Elliot Silverstein
producer = Marvin Birdt
Elliot Silverstein
writer = 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 = Leonard Rosenman
cinematography = Gerald Hirschfeld
editing = Michael McCroskey
distributor = Universal Studios
released = May 13, 1977 (USA)
runtime = 96 min.
country = United States
language = English
budget = Unknown
gross = Unknown
amg_id = 1:86669
imdb_id = 0075809

The Car is a 1977 thriller/horror film directed by Elliot Silverstein and written by Michael Butler, Dennis Shryack and Lane Slate. It starred James Brolin, Kathleen Lloyd, John Marley, and Ronny Cox. The story is about a mysterious car which goes on a murderous rampage, terrorizing a small town.

The movie was produced and distributed by Universal Studios, and was influenced by numerous "road movies" of the 1970's including Steven Spielberg's 1971 thriller "Duel" and Roger Corman's "Death Race 2000" (from 1975). It has also been compared to Spielberg's "Jaws", with a car replacing the shark. The film is memorable for its sound effects, most notably the terrifying horn blast the car makes when claiming a victim.

Taglines:
* "Is it a phantom, a demon, or the Devil himself?"
* "What evil drives... The Car"

Plot summary

The movie is set around a small, fictional, Utah community of Santa Ynez, which is suddenly terrorized by a phantom black sedan that appears out of nowhere. The vehicle begins running people down – starting with some bicyclists and then a French horn-playing hitchhiker. After the car kills off the town's Sheriff Everett, (John Marley), it becomes the job of Captain Wade Parent (James Brolin), to stop the murderous driver.

The car enters town and begins running down the citizens, first attacking a marching band and then mowing people down at a carnival. It eventually chases a group of people into a graveyard – among them Lauren (Kathleen Lloyd), Wade's girlfriend – but curiously enough, the machine will not pass onto the consecrated ground and Lauren taunts it. The car then destroys a wall supporting a cross and leaves. The police officers chase the automobile down highways throughout the desert, but it destroys several squad cars before injuring Wade and then mysteriously disappears.

The hunt for the car becomes a personal vendetta for Wade when the automobile stalks and then eliminates Lauren by driving straight through her house. Wade concocts a plan to stop the horsepower-laden menace, but after discovering it waiting for him in his own garage, he is forced to carry out his plans post haste. He lures the car into a mountainous canyon area where his fellow officers have set a trap for the machine. There, a final confrontation settles the score and reveals the driver's frightening identity.

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
* Elizabeth Thompson - Margie

Critical reception

The film was panned by critics, citing poor dialogue and acting. The film received a 18% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes, but has also earned a small cult following.

Trivia

* The evil car in the film was a customized 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III designed by famed customizer George Barris who designed the "The Munsters" "Munster Koach" 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 Ertl Company made a limited edition die cast model of "The 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."
*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.
*In the "Knight Rider" episode "Trust Doesn't Rust", shown at the end when "KARR" is destroyed by driving off a cliff, there is a glimpse of "The Car", as borrowed footage from this film, going over the cliff instead.

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