The Car (1977)

When I checked my phone yesterday I had a text from one of my friends living in Japan. It has been a few months since I had heard from Terry, as we were working on the van literally the day before he was flying from New Jersey back to Japan (where he is stationed). Now that I am retired, it is nice to hear from some of my old Sailors (of course, I need to call Shaun about this Penn State fiasco). Ironically, my selection last night was The Car from 1977.

Plot/ When a mysterious, driverless black sedan begins running people down in a small Southwestern town, new sheriff Wade Parent must find out who -- or what -- is behind the killings. What he uncovers is a truth more terrifying than anyone expected.

This interesting 1970s flick is one of the more entertaining films I have watched in the past few weeks. From the opening note from Anton Le Vey on, this layered story creates a tension that is often overlooked in movies. The cinematography does a wonderful job at creating atmosphere with its subtle background images, the acting is solid, the characterization is top notch and the storyline plays to a deep psychological level that creates some uneasy feelings when interpreting the religious and philosophical questions that sit at the core. And, I have not mentioned the car itself, which was menacing and awesome, Sure, there were some flaws with dialogue and the soundtrack seemed a bit off, but those are very minor in the grand scheme. In the end, this creepy and underrated drive-in era flick is fun and compelling; check it out if you get the chance!