Race with the Devil (1975)


What The Exorcist managed to do was make the Devil quite the celebrity in the 1970s.  There had already been some resurgence of Old Nick with the Church of Satan and some albums by underground psychedelic bands like Coven, but what many were interested in was the same as what they had heard they could get out of Gardnerian Wicca: nude orgies.  Where Wicca didn't quite offer such - dancing around "skyclad" does not an orgy make - Anton La Vey did and, for a while, made some good money off of it.

Hollywood followed suit, releasing a number of horror films in the wake of The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby, which had pretty much started the Satan trend in the U.S.  Evil devil cults were always a big thing in Hammer films especially as the '70s dawned and a bit more flesh could be shown, but those movies always took place in dark castles and vine-covered estates, lorded over by actual lords.  When it came to the Devil in America we needed something that spoke to us specifically, so in 1975 it was time to hit the open road.

Frank (Warren Oates) and Roger (Peter Fonda) are motorcycle enthusiasts who own a successful shop in San Antonio, Texas.  To celebrate their good fortune Frank plans a vacation trip to Aspen, Colorado, bringing Roger and their wives Alice (Loretta Swit) and Kelly (Lara Parker), as well as Roger's dog Ginger along with them.  Things start out fine as they find an isolated place to spend the day riding motorcycles and getting drunk, but things change when Roger and Frank witness a Satanic ritual that involves the sacrifice of a nude woman.

The cult notices them and pursues, but they manage to make it to the nearest town where they report it to the county sheriff (R.G. Armstrong).  Despite plenty of evidence the sheriff is dismissive of the event, and the group receive an anonymous warning to keep silent.  Deciding to make their way to Amarillo and report the murder there they press on, only to find that the cult will do anything to keep their existence secret. 

I saw this movie a number of years ago, probably on TCM Underground, and I was looking forward to seeing it again.  I was hoping it still held up and that it just wasn't the fact I was in a good mood my first time through.  Well, this time I was sick and miserable, and I liked it even more.  It made my day as a previous film I had watched, with similar subject matter, had been a grand disappointment.  I didn't remember the ending, but remembered the sense of paranoia that grows as, especially Kelly, starts to pick up on the fact that all the friendly faces around them are anything but.  By the end of the film one gets the feeling that the majority of central Texas is worshipping Satan.

It's not just a horror movie but also an action film, which means since it's the '70s there are plenty of stunts (a few appear to be done by Fonda himself) and car chases.  A couple times it looks like there had already been a take or two or that an obvious junk car was used, but it doesn't matter.  Director Jack Starrett spends a good part of the movie building the tension before going all out so that the big set pieces aren't wasted.  It's a bit of pacing a lot of modern action films could learn from. 

It is a PG movie which means there is some clumsy blurring of full-frontal nudity during the sacrifice.  Someone tried to make it look like it was heat from the fire, and it probably did on old non-HD prints.  One strange thing is that, although Frank blew a bunch of money on 32-foot mobile home with all the amenities, he didn't include a CB radio.  These were the cellphones of the time and almost everyone doing regular road trips had one, as the licenses were easy to get, most units were inexpensive and there was a dedicated police channel for emergencies.  One complaint I read was that the cult members always knew where they were, and it was pretty much implied - especially with many of the vehicles being work trucks and other RVs - that they were keeping track of the group's progress through CB communication.  If there was any reason for leaving this out it is more than likely because it would have been rendered useless. 

In the end the movie is not supposed to be plausible but entertaining, offering some above-average drive-in fair with a couple of A-list actors.  It is still a lot of fun despite being of its time, but that is also what makes it work.  A remake would have to go either go dead serious or full-on parody, and neither would do anything to improve on the movie we ultimately got. 

Race with the Devil (1975)
Time: 88 minutes
Starring: Peter Fonda, Warren Oates, Loretta Swit, Lara Parket
Director: Jack Starrett 

 


 

 

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