The Car (1977)

Plot Outline: A small American town which is being terrorised by a fast, black and seemingly indestructible car. It's up to Sheriff Wade to catch it before it kills again. But where did it come from and what does it want?

The Review: Or Jaws on land. It sounds stupid and it's certainly been done already (Duel springs to mind), right? But The Car definitely isn't one of these "so bad it's good" films despite it's ridiculous premise. Helping the matter is everyone's sub-conscious fear about being hit by a car whilst crossing the road. I always say that the scariest films are those that make you scared of doing something (such as taking a shower ala Psycho or going swimming ala Jaws). This reinforces that fear and if you don't know what I mean, just watch the opening scene as the car dispatches two cyclists in glorious detail. If there was ever an excuse for not cycling, this scene shows us it! The way in which the killer car is presented is very akin to the way in which Spielberg presented the shark in Jaws and the truck in Duel. We don't really see much of it for a long time and this is actually quite effective in making it seem more ominous. Whereas you saw the fin in Jaws, here you get some close-ups of the grill on the front or the wheels - it may sound stupid but it actually works. The addition of a loud car horn and the fact that it leaves a trail of smoke behind it also enhances it's eeriness. When the film finishes, we still don't know what the car was all about - it just happens and that's what I like in horror films, no explanations when one isn't really needed. The characters are all the standard fare expected from a film such as this (and a ridiculous Native American cop who just personifies stereotyping in the film business) but the performances, especially from Brolin, are believable. The final third of the film is a little daft and the ending isn't the big pay-off one would hope for but The Car still manages to deliver a few surprises earlier on.

Final Verdict: It isn't great but The Car makes the most of it's ridiculous premise and comes out as a decent time waster at best.

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