Killdozer (1974)

A small construction crew on an island is terrorized when some strange spirit-like being takes over a large bulldozer, and goes on a killing rampage.

Director:

Jerry London

Writers:

Theodore Sturgeon (teleplay), Ed MacKillop (teleplay)

Stars:

Clint Walker, Robert Urich, Carl Betz

Cast

Cast overview:
Clint Walker	...	Lloyd Kelly
Carl Betz	...	Dennis Holvig
Neville Brand	...	Chub Foster
James Wainwright	...	Dutch Krasner
Robert Urich	...	McCarthy
James A. Watson Jr.	...	Beltran

Storyline

Construction workers building an airstrip on a small Pacific Island encounter an ancient non-material lifeform which has lived in the ruins of an ancient temple for millenia. The entity is of course malevolent and commandeers the earthmoving equipment to the general detriment of all concerned.

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Plot Keywords:

bulldozer | drunkenness | alien | possession | based on novel | 

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Taglines:

Six men ... playing a deadly game of cat and mouse ... With a machine that wants to kill them.

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 February 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bul'dozer-ubiytsa

Filming Locations:

Indian Dunes - 28700 Henry Mayo Drive, Valencia, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the short story that the movie was based on, the dozer was a Caterpillar model D7. The dozer was nicknamed 'Daisy Etta,' which resembles the Spanish translation of D7: 'De siete.'

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Goofs

The crew is located on an island 200 miles off the coast of Africa. In a scene where the bulldozer is lurking in the bushes, it looks like traffic is moving along a highway in the background, but in fact those vehicles are the two jeeps and the pickup truck making their way up the hill in the survivors' attempt to escape the Killdozer. The vehicles are seen twice beyond the bushes: once moving right to left on one part of the road, then a moment later moving left to right on a higher part of the road.

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Quotes

Dennis Holvig: Never have anything you care about losing. Travel light and travel alone.

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Connections

Featured in Phelous & the Movies: Killphoser (2012)

User Reviews

Entertaining Mid-1970s TV Movie

"Killdozer" is a very entertaining TV movie from 1974, telling the story of a construction crew on a remote island (that looks a lot like southern California). The men must fight for their lives against a huge bulldozer controlled by a murderous alien force. The silly premise is made watchable by a good cast, lots and lots of action, an intelligent screenplay, and fine (if TV-style) direction.

A D9 bulldozer strikes a strange-looking rock, whereupon a mysterious alien force (shown as a blue light) is transferred to the 'dozer. The big machine soon has a mind of its own, destroying the construction workers' camp and proceeding on an orgy of killing and destruction. Good acting work by Clint Walker, Carl Betz, and Neville Brand help uplift the proceedings. Watch for a very young (and skinny) Robert Urich, who only survives the first few minutes of the movie before being scorched by alien radiation. The other workers are methodically wiped out until only two are left.

The Killdozer does its homicidal work with much enthusiasm, revving its engine, emitting black diesel fumes, waving its huge blade, frantically moving its control levers, and flashing its lights. The climactic "Killdozer death scene" is pretty good, as Walker lures the violent 'dozer to its death—or at least the death of the alien force.

In summary, I think this film is very good but I have a few other items to discuss. I saw this movie 31 years ago, and I'm still wondering how a 50-ton machine with a roaring diesel engine which belches huge clouds of black smoke could possibly sneak up on and surprise anyone. But the Killdozer manages to do just that, much to the detriment of the workers. Another issue is the one lesson I learned from this movie: If a maniacal bulldozer controlled by an alien force is lurking about—don't get drunk.