The Car
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{{Infobox Film
| name = The Car
| image = The_Car_movie_poster.jpg
| caption = Promotional poster for American release of ''The Car''
| director = [[Elliot Silverstein]]
| producer = [[Marvin Birdt]]<br>[[Elliot Silverstein]]
| writer = [[Michael Butler (screenwriter)|Michael Butler]] &<br/>[[Dennis Shryack]] (story)<br/>[[Michael Butler (screenwriter)|Michael Butler]] &<br/>[[Dennis Shryack]] and<br>[[Lane Slate]] (screenplay)
| starring = [[James Brolin]]<br>[[Kathleen Lloyd]]<br>[[John Marley]]<br>[[Ronny Cox]]<br>[[R.G. Armstrong]]<br>[[John Rubenstein]]<br>[[Elizabeth Thompson (actor)|Elizabeth Thompson]]
| music = [[Leonard Rosenman]]
| cinematography = [[Gerald Hirschfeld]]
| editing = [[Michael McCroskey]]
| distributor = [[Universal Studios]]
| released = [[May 13]], [[1977]] (USA)
| runtime = 96 min.
| country = [[United States]]
| language = [[English language|English]]
| budget = Unknown
| gross = Unknown
| amg_id = 1:86669
| imdb_id = 0075809
}}
'''The Car''' is a [[1977 in film|1977]] thriller/horror film directed by [[Elliot Silverstein]] and written by [[Michael Butler (screenwriter)|Michael Butler]], [[Dennis Shryack]] and [[Lane Slate]]. 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 movie]]s" of the 1970's including [[Steven Spielberg]]'s [[1971 in film|1971]] thriller ''[[Duel (film)|Duel]]'' and [[Roger Corman]]'s ''[[Death Race 2000]]'' (from [[1975 in film|1975]]). It has also been compared to Spielberg's ''[[Jaws (film)|Jaws]]'', with a car replacing the shark. The film is memorable for its sound effects, most notably the terrifying horn blast the car makes when claiming a victim.
'''Taglines:'''
* "Is it a phantom, a demon, or the Devil himself?"
* "What evil drives... The Car"
==Plot summary==
The movie is set around a small, fictional, [[Utah]] community of Santa Ynez, which is suddenly terrorized by a phantom black [[sedan]] that appears out of nowhere. The vehicle begins running people down – starting with some bicyclists and then a [[French horn]]-playing hitchhiker. After the car kills off the town's Sheriff Everett, ([[John Marley]]), it becomes the job of Captain Wade Parent ([[James Brolin]]), to stop the murderous driver.
The car enters town and begins running down the citizens, first attacking a [[marching band]] and then mowing people down at a [[carnival]]. It eventually chases a group of people into a graveyard – among them Lauren (Kathleen Lloyd), Wade's girlfriend – but curiously enough, the machine will not pass onto the consecrated ground and Lauren taunts it. The car then destroys a wall supporting a cross and leaves. 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 for Wade when the automobile stalks and then eliminates Lauren by driving straight through her house. Wade concocts a plan to stop the horsepower-laden menace, but after discovering it waiting for him in his own garage, he is forced to carry out his plans post haste. He lures the car into a mountainous canyon area where his fellow officers have set a trap for the machine. There, a final confrontation settles the score and reveals the driver's frightening identity.
==Main cast==
* [[James Brolin]] - Wade Parent
* [[Kathleen Lloyd]] - Lauren
* [[John Marley]] - Everett
* [[R.G. Armstrong]] - Amos Clemens
* [[John Rubinstein]] - John Morris
* [[Kim Richards]] - Lynn Marie Parent
* [[Kyle Richards]] - Debbie Parent
* [[Doris Dowling]] - Bertha Clemens
* [[Ronny Cox]] - Luke
* [[Elizabeth Thompson (actor)|Elizabeth Thompson]] - Margie
==Trivia==
* The evil car in the film was a customized 1971 [[Lincoln Continental Mark III]] designed by famed customizer [[George Barris (auto customizer)|George Barris]] who designed the ''[[The Munsters]]'' "[[Munster Koach]]" and the original "[[Batmobile]]" used in the [[1966]] television series ''[[Batman (TV 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 (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."
*Could it be...Satan? That may be the case given that late [[Church of Satan]] leader [[Anton LaVey]] was given a 'Technical Advisor' credit on the film.
*In the episode Trust doesn't rust in the show show "[[Knight Rider]]", at the end where "[[KARR]]" gets destroyed there is a glimpse of ''The Car'', (as borrowed footage from this film), going over the cliff instead of KARR.
== External links ==
* {{imdb title|id=0075809|title=The Car}}
* {{amg title|id=1:86669|title=The Car}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=car|title=The Car}}
[[Category:1977 films|Car, The]]
[[Category:1970s horror films|Car, The]]
[[Category:American films|Car, The]]
[[Category:English-language films|Car, The]]
[[Category:Fictional automobiles|Car, The]]
[[Category:Films based on urban legends|Car, The]]
[[Category:Thriller films|Car, The]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures films|Car, The]]
[[it:La macchina nera]]
[[ja:ザ・カー]]