Arrow video are giving The Car it's worldwide debut on Blu Ray when they release the film on Monday, July 15th 2013. If you thought Duel or Christine were the last words in vehicular horror, then you haven't seen anything yet. The plot is streamlined and effective, the setting perfect and the car of the title, a Lincoln Continental Mark III, a terrifying force to be reckoned with. The Blu Ray is also filled with special features and it comes with a collectors booklet which features new writing on the film by Cullen Gallagher, as well as a brand new interview with co-writer Michael Butler. The Car is likened mostly to Jaws. Both feature a police chief of a small town being forced to deal with an unstoppable force that is killing townspeople.
The Car tells the story of a mysterious automobile which goes on a murderous rampage, terrorizing the residents of a small town. Two teenage cyclists are killed in an apparently deliberate hit and run, and when the police department of Santa Ynez investigate, the seemingly driverless vehicle turns on the hapless officers too. When the car strikes close to the home of Captain Wade Parent (James Brolin) he vows to stop at nothing to defeat it.
The film really is a beautifully shot piece of cinema, even more so now that you can see it on Blu Ray. The desert is captured in all of it's glory, making the perfect backdrop for a clash of good against evil. The car creates dust clouds where ever it goes, sometimes even seeming to appear from the dust clouds, which certainly adds to the supernatural element of the film. The pace is subdued, building up tension and suspense slowly and letting you get to know the characters. The Car doesn't need gore to make it frightening. Just the sound of it's wheels screeching or it's horn blaring manage to put the viewer on the edge of their seat. It is thrilling and frightening in it's simplicity.
It really amazed me how the film managed to be so frightening. The whole thing takes place during daylight, and it is credit to the films makers and stars at just how scary the film becomes. Although the movie stars James Brolin, the biggest character of the movie is undoubtedly the car itself. It seems to have a personality of it's own, and the way it taunts certain people in the film will really make you hate the diabolical vehicle.
The Arrow Video disc features a commentary with director Elliot Silverstein, which is moderated by Calum Waddell. It is an interesting commentary, and although it does feel incredibly uncomfortable at times, is informative. There is also a trailer commentary from John Landis, and two featurettes which again are informative and interesting, and shed more light on the making of this great movie.
I loved the fact that the car was such a formidable villain, and how it came across as evil. Keeping it a mystery throughout the movie made it that much more scary, and it really does manage to get under your skin, even though it has no dialogue and you never even find out if it has a driver or not. It is an incredibly effective and entertaining horror movie, and I find it difficult to find fault in any way. Thank you Arrow Video for giving this great movie a new lease of life on Blu Ray. Will you let The Car into your home?
You can visit the Arrow Video website by clicking HERE. You can also purchase all of their previous releases, as well as pre order The Car from there too.
Darkest regards......Dani.
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