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DVD Race With the Devil
An alternate title for this movie could easily be RV to Hell. Two middle-class couples take their spankin'-new motor home on a trip to Colorado. While camping out in Texas, the men see something they shouldn't--a human sacrifice by Satanists who somehow manage not to notice their Safeway- sized vehicle until the last minute. The tourists flee from the devil worshippers, getting the monstrous RV hung up in a stream, and so goes the rest of the movie. The local sheriff is in league with the devil, and every town they come to is full of pesky Satanists. The vacationers are nothing if not resourceful, though; when a pair of determined Beelzebubbers cling to the vehicle like barnacles, Peter Fonda pokes at them with an aluminum vacuum-cleaner wand until they give up and fall off! Oddly, halfway through the film, it turns from a fairly routine (if suspenseful) horror movie to a Ron Howard-style car-chase film, with a half-dozen vehicles pursuing the motor home. The vacationers continue to abuse the RV until large chunks of it begin to fall off, fending off their enemies with a shotgun until the nasty surprise ending. With a cast that includes Fonda, Warren Oates, Loretta Swit, and Lara Parker, it's hard to go wrong (though the women's roles consist of screaming ineffectually, making coffee, and cleaning the earth-toned Winnebago). Yep, this Central Texas-lensed drive-in feature supplies thrills, car wrecks, devil worshippers, and unintended laughs by the bushel... what else can you ask for? --Jerry Renshaw
2.65 STARS: Nice Horror/Action hybrid, but it ended with me wanting more out of it.
Every now and then I come across that rare breed, a mix or hybrid of a horror and action movie all rolled into one. Sometimes, it works and sometimes it doesn't. "Race With The Devil" is a nice little hybrid which mixes some horror, suspense, action and thriller, all of which together produces a pretty good movie.
"Race With The Devil" is about two couples who take their souped up RV and ride off on a vacation using their "self contained" RV as a hotel room, etc., etc. I think that's a neat idea myself as it really appeals to me for some reason. Anyway, they park their RV one night out in the middle of no where and the husbands played well by Peter Fonda and Warren Oates witness a human sacrifice, apparently part of a Satanic ritual or ceremony under a rather scary looking dead tree. The Satanic cult sees that they have been made and a deadly chase eventually ensues which ranks up there with "Bullit" and other great car chases as well.
As far as the element of horror to "Race With The Devil", I would like fans of the horror genre to notice the Satanic ritual involving a human sacrifice...I thought this was pretty well done although certainly not as graphic I would have liked and not as gory as some others would have liked. Still, the element of horror is present here as Frank and his buddy witness the horrifying event, but I came away with a feeling that the movie was lacking in detail and atmosphere from a horror movie fan's perspective. In other words, this movie could have been better.
Another interesting and somewhat horrifying aspect to this movie is the paranoia that ensues as the two couples pretty much see Devil worshipers everywhere they go, or at least they think this is the case. As it turns out, many ordinary people in this part of the country turn out to be deadly Satanists and this is quite chilling...after all, this movie seems to suggest that anyone can be a Satanist. The savy horror movie fan will note that this same idea was also used quite effectively in the movie "Spellbinder", which is good movie in its own right I might add.
The horror theme is only part of "Race With The Devil" as one could easily argue that the majority of this movie is actually of the action and thriller variety...there are a couple of chase scenes, including a very good car chase scene where the four vacationers attempt to ward off numerous Satanists. Still, the horror genre has its moments, especially in the end. At times, a horror movie/dark atmosphere is present in this movie, most evident during the Satanic ceremony and the ending of course. That being said, "Race With The Devil" is not a great horror movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a good overall horror/action hybrid movie. However, I can't help but be a little disappointed because I feel that this movie could have been a very good horror movie, but the movie doesn't go enough into the culture and horrors of the Satanic cult which is the source of the horror this movie employs...indeed, "Race With The Devil" could have downright scary if the makers had chosen to go that route.
Still, one of the truly great aspects of horror evident in "Race With The Devil" comes from the fact that this is a very realistic portrayal of something that could happen to you...in other words, some of the horror associated with this movie is the realistic aspect that there could be Satanists out there...in fact, your neighbor might be one.
The acting and directing are very good and the plot is developed quite nicely. "Race With The Devil" is not the kind of movie that scares you to the point where you can't sleep at night, but the realistic aspect of the movie and the common appearance of Satanists in general provide an uncomfortable feeling derivative of cinematic horror. Overall, "Race With The Devil" is a good movie, but it's not a great horror movie mainly because it doesn't try to be.
Nevertheless, "Race With The Devil" is an effective horror/action hybrid that I recommend, but just don't expect too much in the area of horror and you'll be satisfied. Being a connoisseur of horror movies, I came away with mixed feelings about this movie because I felt it could have been more effective as a horror movie by providing more details into the Satanic cult, but that doesn't take away from the movie as a whole.
I mildly recommend "Race With The Devil" to the horror movie fan, but there just wasn't enough of the horror genre influence in this movie to suit me...hence, the 2.65 STARS rating. "Race With The Devil" was not exactly what I wanted it to be, but it is still a pretty good movie. I also recommend "Spellbinder" to those horror buffs that are interested in the Satanic cult theme, but I am not sure if and when this movie will ever come out on DVD.
70s Peter Fonda RV/dirtbike/Satanist road movie w/Loretta Swift & Warren Oates
Anybody that's traveled in an RV knows that it can be hell on wheels if you're not getting along with your fellow travelers. It's even worse when you stumble upon devil worshipers sacrificing a woman right outside your door. A low budget minor horror classic, "Race with the Devil" finally arrives on DVD courtesy of Anchor Bay in a deluxe release that probably had a budget nearly as large as the original film release itself. A pair of couples (Peter Fonda, Lara Parker, Warren Oates, Loretta Swit) traveling by RV to go skiing in Colorado observe what they think is an orgy at first. When it turns into murder and it's clear that it's part of some satanic ritual, they have to run for their lives as the cult pursues them. One of a series of low budget horror movies that are memorable from the 70's, "Race with the Devil" was an example of the only type of independent filmmaking that could be made because it was designed for a quick shoot, quick profit and with a specific target audience. "Race with the Devil" represented the type of low budget independent films that were being done in the 70's. I thought for a long time that "Race with the Devil" was a made for TV movie in the mold of "The Night Stalker" or "The Norlis Tapes" (another made for TV horror film that deserves to be unearthed) when I first caught it on late night during the late 70's-early 80's.
A surprisingly great looking transfer for this vintage horror film. Anchor Bay has done a superb job in bringing "Race with the Devil" to DVD. There's the expected grain issues but there's no analog defects that I can detect and it's clear that Anchor Bay pulled this from a recent print of the film. The film grain isn't the result of the transfer but of the stock and condition of the original negative. It's not even an issue for a film made in 1974 in my mind. It actually adds texture to the film and to the atmosphere as well. The mono sound comes across crisp and clear and isn't clipped or compressed. Leonard Rosenman's atmospheric period score sounds quite good within the limitations of the presentation.
Anchor Bay DVD producer Perry Martin has included all the bells and whistles here. We get the original theatrical trailer, radio ads, photo galleries as well as promotional stills and posters from theatrical exhibits of the film from around the world. This was the third film that Warren Oates and Peter Fonda made together. They enjoyed each other's company and worked extensively throughout the 70's. There's also an excellent featurette on the making of the film featuring Fonda discussing the making of the film. Featuring clips from two other films that Fonda made with Oates, Fonda discusses the water balloon and pie fight that concluded the shooting of the movie. Oates was a bit surprised commenting that, "this never happened on a Peckinpah movie". Fonda explained that this was the crew's way of expressing how much fun they had making the movie. "Go with it Warren", was his response. Writer/director Perry Martin makes liberal use of clips and behind-the-scenes photos to illustrate what Fonda discusses in the featurette. Great job yet again Perry!
A very involving commentary track featuring co-producer Paul Maslansky ("Police Academy") and actress Lara Parker ("Dark Shadows") moderated by Perry Martin. Martin keeps the discussing moving asking lots of great questions about the making of the movie. Maslansky (who provided behind-the-scenes photos from his personal collection) discusses everything from the fact that they had no ending and created it by using previously shot footage to the remake that he pitched (and is being made this year for release next year). Parker shares many of the behind-the-scenes stories on the making of the movie that one would expect about joking around but also discusses the concern they had working with a real rattlesnake and her own suggestion for how the remake should end.
A terrific job by Anchor Bay in presenting this psychological terror story on DVD. The extras are great and any of the major studios would probably just dumped this on the market without anything in the way of extras so kudos to Perry Martin for doing such a great job with the budget he had for extras.
Susan George (Straw Dogs) is ex-groupie Mary and Peter Fonda (Easy Rider) is wannabe-NASCAR driver Larry. They're thieves on the run from sheriff Vic Morrow (The Blackboard Jungle), who carries neither gun nor badge. According to director John Hough (The Legend of Hell House), his white trash cult classic was "an action picture with a lot of stunts." That about sums it up. The Tarantino favorite is slim on character development, but overstuffed with automobile-oriented action (most revolving around a 1969 Dodge Charger). Notable stunts include a game of chicken with a couple of 18-wheelers, a low-flying helicopter chase, and a death-defying leap over a moving bridge (Speed would up the ante with a bus). Adapted from the novel The Chase, Dirty... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Peter Fonda - Susan George Director(s): John Hough DVD Release Date: Released the 28 June 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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A tres cool mix of noirish grit and slam-bang action this caper film from director Walter Hill (48 Hrs, The Warriors) is required viewing for car-chase fanatics and devotees of '70s cinema. Ryan O'Neal and Bruce Dern are terrific as opposite sides of the law: respectively, a supernaturally skilled getaway car driver, and the dogged detective who's pursued him at the expense of all else. For his second feature film, Hill keeps dialogue and character development at bare-bones level (the characters are named after their primary function: O'Neal is the Driver, the stunning Isabelle Adjani is the Connection) and focuses on mood, tone, and, above all, some of the most stunning automotive action captured on film. The DVD offers widescreen and fullscreen versions... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Ryan O'Neal - Bruce Dern Director(s): Walter Hill DVD Release Date: Released the 07 June 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Sam Peckinpah knew he couldn't call a movie Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia and get away with it. That's why he did it. When he undertook this nakedly personal project, in self-exile in Mexico, the director was a deeply bitter man out of favor with critics, the media, and the Hollywood establishment, which had just released his Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid in a mutilated version. "Bring Me the Head..." sounded like the parody title of an ultraviolent Sam Peckinpah movie, and he flung it in our faces just as his onscreen surrogate tosses the titular object at the camera.
Thing is, the movie is a masterpiece--raw, shocking, beautiful, and brave--in which Peckinpah confronts his enemies and his own demons. Warren Oates plays a gringo piano-player stuck in Mexico who... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Warren Oates - Isela Vega Director(s): Sam Peckinpah DVD Release Date: Released the 22 March 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Walker (Lee Marvin) strides through Los Angeles with the steel-eyed stare of a stone-cold killer, or perhaps a ghost. Betrayed by his wife and best friend, who gun him down point-blank and leave him for dead after a successful heist, Walker blasts his way up the criminal food chain in a quest for revenge. Did he survive the shooting or return from the grave, or is it all a dying dream? The question is left in the air in John Boorman's modern film noir, a brutal revenge thriller based on Richard Stark's novel The Hunter (remade by Brian Helgeland as Payback), set in the impersonal concrete and steel canyons of Los Angeles and eerily empty cells of Alcatraz. Walker kills without remorse, guided by shadowy "informant" Keenan Wynn, whose own agenda is carefully concealed, and... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Lee Marvin - Angie Dickinson Director(s): John Boorman DVD Release Date: Released the 05 July 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Prime Cut is a strangely likeable if decidedly oddball thriller from 1972. A happy collision of gangster genre grit (validated by Lee Marvin's granite-faced lead performance) with a strain of shameless (though shrewd) exploitation not unfamiliar to screenwriter Robert Dillon (X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes), plus the kinetic, semi-documentary wit of director Michael Ritchie (The Candidate) makes Prime Cut both a straightforward noir and a satire of itself. Marvin plays Nick, an aging enforcer for the Chicago mob, sent to Kansas City to deal with a ruthless cattle baron (Gene Hackman) who owes a half-million to Windy City racketeers. Hackman's character (inexplicably named Mary Ann), dismissive of old-guard crime chieftains, has set up his own heartland empire... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Lee Marvin - Gene Hackman - Sissy Spacek Director(s): Michael Ritchie DVD Release Date: Released the 14 June 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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