Race with the Devil (1975)

Director:

Jack Starrett

Writers:

Lee Frost (written by) and
Wes Bishop (written by)

Release Date:

June 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Peter Fonda and Warren Oates are burning their bridges and a lot of rubber... on the deadliest stretch of road in the country!

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 | Occult | Black Magic | Cult Film | Carsploitation

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joyce King	...	Librarian (uncredited)
Paul Maslansky	...	Road Worker in Cowboy Hat (uncredited)
Dan Hewitt Owens	...	Jay (uncredited)
Tommy Splittgerber	...	Shop Foreman (uncredited)

Directed by
Jack Starrett

Writing credits
Lee Frost		(written by) and
Wes Bishop		(written by)

Produced by
Wes Bishop	....	producer
Paul Maslansky	....	executive producer
Lee Frost	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Leonard Rosenman

Cinematography by
Robert C. Jessup		(director of photography) (as Robert Jessup)

Film Editing by
John F. Link		(as John Link)

Makeup Department
Dorothy J. Pearl	....	makeup artist (as Dottie Pearl)

Production Management
Frederic W. Brost	....	unit production manager (as Fred Brost)
Tony Wade	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Frederic W. Brost	....	assistant director (as Fred Brost)
Stephen Lim	....	second assistant director (as Steve Lim)
Paul Maslansky	....	second unit director (uncredited)
Paul Nuckles	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Art Department
Mark Wade	....	property master
Stephane Goulet	....	prop supervisor (uncredited)

Sound Department
Don J. Bassman	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Don Bassman)
William Randall	....	production sound mixer

Special Effects by
Richard O. Helmer	....	special effects (as Richard Helmer)

Stunts
Paul Nuckles	....	stunt coordinator (as Paul Knuckles)
Bud Davis	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gary Davis	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddy Donno	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bud Ekins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Beau Gibson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Duffy Hambleton	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
George Bouillet	....	camera operator (as George Boulliet)
Ross A. Maehl	....	gaffer (as Ross Maehl)
Don Baker	....	animation camera: main title (uncredited)
Calvin Maehl	....	best boy electric (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Nancy McArdle	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Michael Cipriano	....	assistant film editor
Allan Jacobs	....	supervising film editor

Music Department
Tommy Tedesco	....	musician: guitar (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Greg Van Dyke	....	transportation coordinator (uncredited)

Other crew
Jack Cole	....	main title design
Joyce King	....	script supervisor
Peter Anderson	....	main title (uncredited)
Catherine McDermott	....	lead stand-in (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Saber Productions

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1977) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Fox Video (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• Fox Films (1975) (Finland) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment España S.A. (2006) (Spain) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Japan (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• CBS/Fox (VHS)
• Key Video (VHS)
• Shout! Factory (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• Shout! Factory (2013) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Showtime (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2000) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• N. Lee Lacy & Assoc.  main title design

Also Known As:

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1975) | Norway:16 (1976) | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (cut) | USA:PG | Spain:18 | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (1988) | France:-16

Filming Locations:

Bandera, Texas, USA

Company:

Saber Productions

Trivia:

Jack Starrett replaced original director Lee Frost when Fox head Alan Ladd Jr. was unsatisfied with the dailies. Most of his footage was re-shot.

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:

Featured in American Grindhouse (2010)

Perfect drive-in fare

Let's hop into the wayback machine and return to the North Cedar Drive-In Theatre in Spokane, Washington, circa 1975. It's hot and muggy and my best friend and I are seeing maybe the fortieth movie of the summer, sitting in my Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser or his 12 year old F-250 (I can't remember which). We sit back to watch Race With the Devil, an obvious B-grade horror flick we've heard great things about from friends.

I haven't seen Jack Starrett's RWD since that night in the summer of '75, but I distinctly remember how good it was, how merrily hell-bent-for-leather the action was, and the way it tied into our goofy fear of Satanic cults and human chains thirty years ago. If you were around the greater Spokane area (now there's an oxymoron!) way back when, you must have heard the stories coming out of Rathdrum, Idaho, north of Coeur d'Alene. This flick was shot in the southwest, but with all the rural versions of urban legends clanking about the Idaho Panhandle, Race With the Devil seemed like a home movie.

I believe the movie made a gob of money that year.

I recommend Race With the Devil in no small part for the fact that it's obvious the people involved are having a great time, a must for a low-budget movie. It has the pacing and the chills to scare teenagers wearing long hair and bell bottoms and, I'm sure after I order a copy from Amazon, it will put a grin on the face of this paunchy, middle-aged nostalgist.