The Car (1977)

A small desert town is terrorized by a powerful, seemingly possessed car, and the local sheriff may be the only one who can stop it.

Director:

Elliot Silverstein

Writers:

Dennis Shryack (screenplay), Michael Butler (screenplay)

Stars:

James Brolin, Kathleen Lloyd, John Marley

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Brolin	...	Wade Parent
Kathleen Lloyd	...	Lauren
John Marley	...	Everett
R.G. Armstrong	...	Amos
John Rubinstein	...	John Morris
Elizabeth Thompson	...	Margie
Roy Jenson	...	Ray Mott
Kim Richards	...	Lynn Marie
Kyle Richards	...	Debbie
Kate Murtagh	...	Miss McDonald
Robert Phillips	...	Metcalf
Doris Dowling	...	Bertha
Henry O'Brien	...	Chas
Eddie Little Sky	...	Denson
Lee McLaughlin	...	Marvin Fats

Storyline

Near the small desert town of Santa Ynez, a mysterious black car runs down two teenage bicyclers en route to camp, then it hit-and-runs a hitchhiker with local Amos Clements as witness. Sheriff Everett puts his men on alert and plants road blocks in the area to arrest the murderer, but soon he himself falls victim to the car. Sheriff Wade Parent leads the hunt for the vehicle that threatens their town and seems impossible to locate. When his beloved girlfriend, teacher Lauren Humphries, challenges the driver in a cemetery, the car hunts her in her home. Wade realizes he might be dealing with supernatural powers.

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Plot Keywords:

killer car | zion national park | car | sheriff | teacher | 

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Taglines:

What evil drives... The Car

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Genres:

Action | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 May 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wheels

Filming Locations:

Snow Canyon, Utah, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono 4-Track Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to director Elliot Silverstein, the distinctive sound the horn of The Car makes, spells out the letter X in Morse code.

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Goofs

In the scene where The Car has Wade in the bottom of the canyon chasing him on his motorcycle, The Car makes a turn to screen left (our right) which quickly reveals the side of the front bumper is bent out of shape. It is a goof because The Car is "indestructable".

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Quotes

Everett: Are you gonna stand there philosophizing, or are you gonna buy me a drink? You're not smart enough to do both.

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Connections

Referenced in Bitch Slap (2009)

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Soundtracks

Dies Irae, Dies Illa
(uncredited)
Traditional, thought to be written by Thomas of Celano

User Reviews

I give it a 10

not because I think it is a perfect movie, but because of all the people who have severely underrated this movie. This is a very well crafted movie. No, its not the best acted movie, but for this type of movie, it is. You have to look at these movies in a relative manner. Its a movie about a mysterious car that goes around wreaking havoc. That is the story. A ridiculous premise but the makers pull it off. No small feat. The actors do a good job and I really enjoyed the direction, especially the long shots out in the desert. See this in widescreen, if possible. It adds a lot to the feel of the movie. James Brolin is very good as the hero and there are a lot of memorable scenes. No, its not a 10. More like an 8.5, but its far better than a 5 average.