The Car (1977)

Please don't spend money on this.

Beautiful, moving film.

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

I thought it was just going to be another B movie, but hey, this one actually turned out pretty good. The only parts I wasn't too keen on was the fact that the car literally just "shows up" out of seemingly nowhere, and you never find out what it really truly is, or why its there. The way the movie is layed out, it can leave you on the edge of your seat at times, which is rare with this kind of film usually. There are some times as well that leave you forming your own little theories on why certain events are taking place, for example, the car being unable to enter a graveyard. The reasoning for this is suggested, but never truly set in stone. Later on you notice the car is completely indestructible, its tires unbustable, glass unbreakable and completely unstoppable, which adds to the suspense. The ending, for me, was both a bit confusing, and very eye opening. I really liked this film, more than I thought I would.

America. The late 70s. It was a very different time and place, to be sure. Fuel was scarce. Crime wasn't. We weren't yet in the grip of the 1980s Satanic Panic, but thanks to Manson, Son of Sam and Zodiac, we were darn close. And despite blockbusters taking over the cinema, there remained grimy little movies unafraid to broadcast their flirtations with the dark lord – The Devil's Rain, The Omen, Mephisto Waltz and this largely forgotten little thriller — The Car.I first saw this film in another way the 70s were different — we only had five channels. ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and a new pay channel – HBO. And unlike the HBO that you know and love today, there were no original series or blockbuster films. Just around 15-20 movies a month that would play again and again and, well, again. Anyone that grew up in the halcyon days of nascent HBO can recite many of them by heart: Flash Gordon, Sharkey's Machine, Superfuzz, Scavenger Hunt, They Call Me Bruce and The Car. I can personally claim to have seen this film over 280 times, perhaps because the summertime was all reruns when it originally aired and perhaps because it was my grandfather's favorite movie (until Terminator 2 came out and that is a story for another article).You'll notice another difference about 70s movies right from the start of this film — kids aren't just put in danger to scare the audience. No, in 1977, movies just outright killed kids two minutes into the movie and we sat there in mortal terror, watching jaws agape.Let's back up a bit. The hero of The Car is, quite literally, The Car. A George Barris customized 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III (Barris also created the 60s Batmobile), the secret of The Car appears to have no driver at the wheel…unless you count Satan! It has a blaring horn noise that is based on the Morse code for the letter X and it shows up just blasting that horn when you least expect it. Don't take it from me. Take it from the two kids, a hitchhiker and the sheriff that it smooshes. After that nice little spot of multiple vehicular homicide, The Car goes after an entire marching band and their leader Lauren (played by Kathleen Lloyd, who you may remember from It Lives Again, a sequel to It's Alive), chasing them the whole way to a cemetery. It turns out The Car can't cross hallowed ground, so she stands and insults it and calls it names. That leads to her boyfriend Chief Deputy Wade Parent chasing the car, shooting at it and tries to get into The Car, only to discover that it has no doorhandles.READ MORE AT http://www.thatsnotcurrent.com/40-years-later-look-back- car-1977/

This is one devilish car: There is no driver, no door handles and it kills people - how do you stop it? Who possesses it? Who will be it's next victim and why? Watch The Car to find out more.The film is a very creepy horror-thriller with a lot of mystery surrounding The Car.I very much liked this movie - it really is full of suspense and thrills. It's actually another fun movie to watch yet it would be horrifying if this was reality.This movie would make a great double feature with another awesome horror movie surrounding a car Christine 1983. The only thing that is similar about these two films is the "creepy car" theme - the stories of both films are entirely different.9/10

Laughable 1970s car chase/ demonic possession flick about a driverless Continental running down random people in the Utah desert. The local yokels are falling left and right to it, and the hick police are powerless to stop it. Turn your mind off, and this can be worth a watch, as it careens from suspense to unintended laughs all throughout, and does fairly well in both regards. The scenes of the car stalking and killing its victims have a bit of suspense, plus the car looks creepy as hell, and the barrel roll sequence was a surprise. The scenes of the local hicks fleeing for their lives, and attempting to destroy the car have a few unintended laughs. The desert photography looks good, too. I wonder how much say "creative consultant" Anton LaVey actually had in this one?