The Car [DVD]

Any movie that begins with a quotation from Church of Satan founder (the late) Anton La Vey, has to have something interesting going for it. In the case of The Car, the presence of a La Vey quote is extremely fitting, for the dark and demonic themes within might just get you thinking about the spiritual world. The film is an interesting and stylish attempt at taking a concept and making it more potent. It also predates both the book and film of Stephen King's famous "evil car" story Christine.

The Car is set in a rather non-descript Southwestern town called Santa Ynaz (filmed in Utah). One day, out of nowhere, a menacing, black car rolls into the town and starts killing people off. Sheriff Wade Parent (James Brolin) finds himself desperately trying to figure out a way to stop the mysterious car, but every attempt to do anything about it results in disaster. The car seems completely invincible and able to do almost anything. It comes and goes as it pleases, never being spotted or seen until it's too late. Wade is a man on a mission, but his police officers keep being killed off and hope is diminishing. Though some people have supernatural explanations on their lips, no one really knows what drives the car. The car lurks about the locality unseen until it suddenly appears and kills. Though people try and hunt it, the sedan always seems smarter.

Skilled direction turns this script into an above-average horror film. The central cast is filled with excellent dramatic actors like Ronny Cox, John Marly, and R.G. Armstrong, and some time is spent giving the characters some depth. We are given little peeks into their personal lives, for good or for bad, and it helps to flesh out the dynamics of this small town. The black enigmatic car itself is a cleverly customized Lincoln, crafted for the film by Barris Kustoms (who have done a good deal of custom film work), and certainly looks the part with heavily tinted windows and no visible door handles.The driving and stuntwork in the car sequences is excellent, and adds a professional level of atmosphere.

The 2:35:1 aspect ratio is used extremely well. Quality-wise, this widescreen version is very good, but slightly flawed by the film's obvious age. Some scenes have grain and compression artifacts, which isn't helped by the level of smoke and dust in the picture. Despite those instances, the film does have excellent color level, detail, and black level.

The Dolby 5.1 audio track center channel is a little muddy at times, especially dialogue, for the most part the mix works. Directionality has been added (mostly in the car chase sequences) and the musical score has been beefed up a bit. Surrounds are used quite a bit for added imaging and enhancement. The LFE channel gets some great, throaty roars from the engine of the sinister car, as well as most the other motorized vehicles. Unfortunately, the original soundtrack didn't have much frequency range so the whole thing is harsh sounding at times.

The Car is a great example of movie totally battered into obscurity, despite being critically praised. It has a great cast, excellent effects (some of which come from legendary effects artist Albert J. Whitlock), and very effective direction. It was the last major film for director Silverstein, who had made Cat Ballou and A Man Called Horse. In a very intelligent move, the film also avoids any easy explanation of the situation. Why this film isn't a classic is a mystery, however it does have a 'cult' staus and is sought after worldwide. Anton La Vey was the credited "technical advisor". Highly Recommended.