The Car

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The Car

Promotional poster for American release of The Car
Directed by Elliot Silverstein
Produced by Marvin Birdt
Elliot Silverstein
Written by Michael Butler &
Dennis Shryack (story)
Michael Butler &
Dennis Shryack and
Lane Slate (screenplay)
Starring James Brolin
Kathleen Lloyd
John Marley
Ronny Cox
R.G. Armstrong
John Rubenstein
Elizabeth Thompson
Music by Leonard Rosenman
Cinematography Gerald Hirschfeld
Editing by Michael McCroskey
Distributed by Universal Studios
Release date(s) May 13, 1977 (USA)
Running time 96 min.
Country United States
Language English
Budget Unknown
Gross revenue Unknown
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

The Car is a 1977 thriller/horror film directed by Elliot Silverstein and written by Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack. It starred James Brolin, Kathleen Lloyd, John Marley, and Ronny Cox. The story is about a mysterious car driven by a murderous, unseen driver.

The movie was produced and distributed by Universal Studios, and was influenced by numerous "road movies" of the 1970's including Steven Spielberg's 1971 thriller Duel and Roger Corman's Death Race 2000 (from 1975). It has also been compared to Spielberg's Jaws, with a car replacing the shark. The film is memorable for its sound effects, most notably the terrifying horn blast the car makes before claiming a victim.

Taglines:

  • "Is it a phantom, a demon, or the Devil himself?"
  • "What evil drives... The Car"

[edit] Plot summary

A small mountainous Utah community is terrorized by a phantom black sedan that appears out of nowhere and begins running people down. The main character, Sheriff Wade Parent (James Brolin), is on a mission to stop the car which seems to have a demonic driver. The police officers chase the automobile down highways throughout the desert, but it destroys several squad cars before injuring Wade and then mysteriously disappears.

The hunt for the car becomes a personal vendetta when the automobile eliminates Wade's girlfriend Lauren (Kathleen Lloyd) in a shocking sequence. Gathering his remaining officers, Wade concocts a plan to stop the horsepower-laden menace, but after discovering it hiding in his own garage, Wade is forced to lure the car into a mountainous canyon area. A final confrontation settles the score and reveals the driver's frightening identity.

[edit] Main cast

[edit] Trivia

  • The evil car in the film was a customized 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III designed by famed customizer George Barris who designed the The Munsters "Munster Koach" and the original "Batmobile" used in the 1966 television series Batman.
  • There were six cars built in six weeks for the filming and all were destroyed during production. Supposedly, a seventh car was built later and displayed for a time at Universal Studios but was eventually given back to Barris who later sold it to a private collector in the 1980s.
  • The Ertl Company made a limited edition 1:18 scale die cast model of "The Car".
  • In the episode "The Honking" of the animated series Futurama, Bender is run over by a strange car that infects him with a virus. This causes him to turn into a "werecar" that looks almost exactly like "The Car."

[edit] External links

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