Gas! -Or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It. (1970)

A gas is let loose upon the world that kills anyone over 25 years old.

Director:

Roger Corman

Writer:

George Armitage (screenplay)

Stars:

Bob Corff, Elaine Giftos, Bud Cort

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bob Corff	...	Coel (as Robert Corff)
Elaine Giftos	...	Cilla
Bud Cort	...	Hooper
Talia Shire	...	Coralee (as Tally Coppola)
Ben Vereen	...	Carlos
Cindy Williams	...	Marissa
Alex Wilson	...	Jason
Lou Procopio	...	Marshal McLuhan
Phil Borneo	...	Quant
Alan H. Braunstein	...	Dr. Drake (as Alan Braunstein)
Jackie Farley	...	Ginny
David Osterhout	...	Texas Ranger
Juretta Taylor	...	Zoe
Michael D. Castle	...	Burroughs (as Mike Castle)
Alan DeWitt	...	Dr. Murder

Storyline

A gas is let loose upon the world that kills anyone over 25 years old.

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Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | rock concert | camp | disguised as a priest | free love | 

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Taglines:

Invite a few friends over to watch the end of the world!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language, sexuality and drug content

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the two young leads escape from Dallas at the beginning they drive the Edsel through Dealey Plaza past the Texas School Book Depository, site of the JFK assassination only seven years earlier.

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Goofs

After breaking a road barrier, the car of the main character has 3 out 4 headlights broken, later they are intact, while it does not seem probable they would be repaired.

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Quotes

Marshal's man: I say we run them out of town
Marshal McLuhan: That's not the American way! Underneath those ridiculous clothes and destructive attitudes there beats a heart crying: Give me another chance! Who knows, they may be just around a dog leg from... good citizenship.

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Connections

Referenced in Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)

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Soundtracks

Victory March
(Notre Dame fight song)
[played by marching band]

User Reviews

W-w-w-what the Hell-l-l-l ?!?

Roger Corman is undeniably one of the most versatile and unpredictable directors/producers in history. He was single-handedly responsible for some of my favorite horror films ever (like the Edgar Allen Poe adaptations "Masque of the Red Death" and "Pit and the Pendulum") as well as some insufferably cheap and tacky rubbish quickies (like "Creature from the Haunted Sea" and "She Gods of the Shark Reef"). Corman also made a couple of movies that are simply unclassifiable and – simply put – nearly impossible to judge properly. "The Trip", for example, as well as this imaginatively titled "Gas-s-s-s" can somewhat be labeled as psychedelic exploitation. In other words, they're incredibly strange hippie-culture influenced movies. Half of the time you haven't got the slightest idea what's going on, who these characters are that walk back and forth through the screen and where the hell this whole thing is going. The plot is simply and yet highly effective: a strange but deadly nerve gas is accidentally unleashed and promptly annihilates that the entire world population over the age of 25. This *could* be the basic premise of an atmospheric, gritty and nail-bitingly suspenseful post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi landmark, but writer George Armitage and Roger Corman decided to turn it into a "trippy" road-movie comedy. None of the characters is even trying to prevent their inevitable upcoming deaths; they just party out in the streets and found little juvenile crime syndicates. "Gas-s-s-s" is a disappointingly boring and tries overly hard to be bizarre. The entire script appears to be improvised at the spot and not at all funny. Definitely not my cup of tea, but the film does have a loyal fan base and many admirers, so who am I to say that it's not worth your time or money?

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gas-s-s-s

Filming Locations:

Acoma Indian Reservation, New Mexico, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

San Jacinto Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1