Retro Review: The Car (1977)

The Car is a horror movie I discovered on television... or, more accurately, within the contents of our local TV guide.

See, kids, back in the day, before the convenience of the Internet and digital programming, we had to read a book to know what was going to be on TV. And, one day back in 1978, there was a promotion for The Car.

Yup, we had to wait a year to watch a movie after it left theatres back then. How we survived I'l never know...

I thought The Car looked cool as fuck and wanted to watch it. My parents argued I was six at the time and too young. They won.

But, all these year later, I finally got the upper hand and watched it. Take that, now dead parents! And the film is as cool as fuck as I hoped it would be.

Sure, it's a 41-year-old movie, and suffers in terms of visual effects and stunt work by today's standards, but for a flick made back in the day, it's solid stuff. The Car runs people down, forces them off cliffs, and even rolls itself over a couple of moving police cars. THAT, my friends, is cool as fuck!

The cast is likeable from start to finish. Leads James Brolin (father of Thanos) and Kathleen Lloyd have a great chemistry, and are 100-per-cent believable in their roles. Lloyd has a particular spunk that I found appealing. R.G. Armstrong is also solid as an abusive dick who actually helps save the day (spoiler alert). Eddie Little Sky is great as a First Nations sheriff.

OK, here's where I gotta pause and remind viewers, especially those who are offended by everything, that there's some racism in here and yes, the wife beater does become somewhat of a hero. Now, keep in mind this was made in 1977, and times were different then. Just accept The Car as a piece of history and let it go. Don't try to ban it like you did Baby, It's Cold Outside, you overly sensitive dicks!

Where was I? Oh yeah, The Car. This movie is a hoot from start to finish, and one of my favourite Retro Reviews. It's a fun ride about a killer, driverless car. What more you'd want from such a premise is beyond me.

It's Good!

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