Race with the Devil
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Saber-Maslansky Productions, USA, 1975.
Motorcycle salesman Frank (Warren Oates) goes to campervan/biking vacation with motorist Roger (Peter Fonda) and their wives Alice (Loretta Swit) and Kelly (Lara Parker). Apparently they haven't seen "Texas Chainsaw massacre", they should know to avoid American back countries. There are always inbred cannibals, monsters and stuff! Soon the nice vacation takes a nasty turn when a group of Satan worshippers begins to sacrifice humans on the nearby hill.
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| Roger and Frank |
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| Kelly and Alice |
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| Satanic ritual |
The Sheriff (R.G. Armstrong) seems amused. It must be those damn hippies again having a drunken orgy again! Meanwhile the ladies loan some reference books for deciphering the ominous message that was left in the campervan. The freakish local residents begin to get on their nerves. Then the cultists start playing psychological warfare on them. Finally they have to drive like crazy to save their lives.
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| The Sheriff |
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| Ominous message |
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| Race With the Devil! |
This is an weird mixture of car chase action movie, horror thriller and motorhome invasion- movie. Kind of fusion of "Wicker Man" and "Mad Max." It offers some good thrills and scares. Of course the story is quite silly with whole towns supporting the evil cult. Possibly it felt more believable in the seventies after the Manson murders and Jonestown cult mass suicide three years later in 1978. Also the side plots are left hanging as this is clearly horror flick meant to be watched drive-in theatres. Still watched in the right mood it has good cast, good tension and solid nightmarish plot development.
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| Knock knock! Who's there? Crazy cultist! |
As a trivia Tom Hanks is watching this movie in "The 'Burbs."
Rating: 
Good
Good
Starring: Peter Fonda, Warren Oates, Loretta Swit, Lara Parker, R.G. Armstrong, Clay Tanner, Carol Blodgett, Phil Hoover, Ricci Ware, Paul A. Partain, James N. Harrell, Karen Miller, Arkey Blue, Jack Starrett, Wes Bishop, Joyce King, Paul Maslansky, Dan Hewitt Owens, Tommy Splittgerber
Director: Jack Starrett
Director: Jack Starrett
Tykkään.
ReplyDeleteJa nyt ihmettelen hieman sitä, että ihme kun tästä ei ole tehty remakea. Jostain syystä tämä tuntuu nimenomaan sellaiselta leffalta josta joku Rob Zombie tekisi uusintaversion. Minuun kyllä puri se paholaisenpalvojien pako tarpeeksi hengästyttävän ahdistavana jo tässäkin (vaikka toki se näyttää ja vaikuttaa nyt katsottuna hieman koomiseltakin), joten enpä sitä remakea kaipaakaan.
Enpäs muista tätä nähneeni, joten lisään sen varmuuden vuoksi hankittavien/katsottavien listalleni.
DeleteKieltämättä remaken olemattomuus ihmetyttää, mutta hieman kaivelemalla selvisi että tuosta suunniteltiin remakea 2005 ja ohjaajaksi kaavailtiin Chris Moorea. Mihin lienee sitten projekti juuttunut. Toisaalta ehkä hyvä niin.
DeleteTietääkseni tästä on ainakin Suomi-VHS olemassa, tämä versio oli britti-dvd.