Race with the Devil (1975)

Director:

Jack Starrett

Writers:

Wes Bishop (writer)
Lee Frost (writer)

Release Date:

June 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

If you're going to race with the devil, you've got to be as fast as Hell!

Plot:

Two couples vacationing together in an R.V. from Texas to Colorado are terrorized after they witness a murder during a Satanic ritual.

Plot Keywords:

Vacation | Cult Film | Survival Horror | Gothic | Cult Horror

Cast

Peter Fonda	...	Roger Marsh
Warren Oates	...	Frank Stewart
Loretta Swit	...	Alice Stewart
Lara Parker	...	Kelly Marsh
R.G. Armstrong	...	Sheriff Taylor
Clay Tanner	...	Delbert
Carol Blodgett	...	Ethel Henderson
Phil Hoover	...	Mechanic
Ricci Ware	...	Ricci Ware
Paul A. Partain	...	Cal Mathers
James N. Harrell	...	Gun Shop Owner
Karen Miller	...	Kay
Arkey Blue	...	Arkey Blue
Jack Starrett	...	Gas Station Attendant
Wes Bishop	...	Deputy Dave

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Spain:18 | Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | Norway:16 (1976) | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (cut) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Bandera, Texas, USA

Company:

Saber Productions

Trivia:

Director Jack Starrett claims he hired real life Satanists as cult-member extras.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the motorhome is being pursued by the white pickup truck, Peter Fonda's character throws one of the scramblers off the rear bike rack. When we see him doing this, the motorhome is driving down a narrow single track road with bushes on each side. Immediately afterwards, the view switches to the pickup, which is driving along a much wider road with a central divider.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Shocking Truth (2000) (V)

Unseen Gem

Race with the Devil (1975)

*** (out of 4)

Peter Fonda and Warren Oates take their wives on a camping trip in a RV but they witness a Satanic cult killing and soon the cult are after them. I deleted this film off my DVR a couple times but went on and recorded it again thinking it might be mindless fun and it turned out to be great, campy fun. This is certainly one of the better examples of "Drive-In Fluff" as it contains some campy action and poor acting but at times the film comes off very effective. The film could be called Deliverance with a horror twist and I think those who like cheap exploitation will get a kick out of it. Fonda and Oates aren't the greatest actors in the world but they fit their roles perfectly and add a lot of fun to the movie. The film contains a rather eerie Satanic worshipping scene that manages to be very effective and creepy. The film turns to high camp in the end when the RV is racing down the road with several trucks following it in a high speed chase with plenty of crashes, gun shots and explosions. There's another scene involving snakes, which downright terrified me since I'm already scared to death of the things. The ending also comes out of no where and it will certainly catch you off guard. There are plenty of silly moments but this is the type of film that clearly influenced Tarantino's Death Proof so if you enjoyed that movie then you'll certainly want to check this out.