This exciting road movie/drive-in cult classic surprised me with its sustained inventiveness. I know that I had watched it on video many years ago and fondly remembered bits and pieces of it. But after seeing it again at a revival screening, I was extremely pleased to see how well it holds up.
Peter Fonda, Lara Parker, Warren Oates and Loretta Swit play two couples on an RV excursion who happen to witness a deadly Satanic ritual. Spooked, they quickly flee but are pursued by.the cult, who understandably do not want their activities to be exposed.
What I really appreciated about it on my recent viewing was that it had all the chases and elaborate stunts you expect to see in the genre, but the acting was always very grounded in reality no matter how outrageous the situation. It was sort of like a Roger Corman production without the nonsense he often injects. The only element that keeps this from being rated a 10 is that the characters of the cult members (with the exception of the leader) are woefully underdeveloped. Directed by Jack Starrett, whose somewhat checkered career is wholly redeemed by this remarkable effort.
Peter Fonda, Lara Parker, Warren Oates and Loretta Swit play two couples on an RV excursion who happen to witness a deadly Satanic ritual. Spooked, they quickly flee but are pursued by.the cult, who understandably do not want their activities to be exposed.
What I really appreciated about it on my recent viewing was that it had all the chases and elaborate stunts you expect to see in the genre, but the acting was always very grounded in reality no matter how outrageous the situation. It was sort of like a Roger Corman production without the nonsense he often injects. The only element that keeps this from being rated a 10 is that the characters of the cult members (with the exception of the leader) are woefully underdeveloped. Directed by Jack Starrett, whose somewhat checkered career is wholly redeemed by this remarkable effort.