Why So Blu?

The Car (Blu-ray Review)

Fasten your seatbelts for the terrifying thrill ride that has become a cult classic! On December 15, 2015, SCREAM FACTORY™ is proud to present THE CAR, arriving for the first time on Blu-ray™.  Directed by Elliot Silverstein, the action-packed thriller stars James Brolin (The Amityville Horror), Kathleen Lloyd (It Lives Again), John Marley (Deathdream), Elizabeth Thompson (A Shadow in the Street) and Ronny Cox (RoboCop).  R.G. Armstrong (Race with the Devil, Evilspeak), Roy Jenson (Soylent Green), Melody Thomas Scott (Piranha, The Fury), Kim Richards (Assault on Precinct 13) and Kyle Richards (Halloween) also star in this high-octane thriller.  A must-have for loyal fans, movie collectors and horror-thriller enthusiasts to complete their home entertainment library, THE CAR Blu-ray also contains a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork and a reversible cover wrap featuring original theatrical key art.  Exclusive also to this disc are new Interviews with Author Peter Straub,  Actress Alice Krige, Screenwriter Lawrence D. Cohen, Producer Burt Weissbourd and Matte Photographer Bill Taylor.

Film 

The peaceful tranquility of a small Western town is disturbed when a murderous car wreaks havoc by viciously mowing down innocent victims. The new sheriff, Wade Parent, may be the only one who can stop this menace in its tracks.  But what Wade Parent doesn’t realize is that the driver of this indestructible vehicle is far more dangerous than any man… because it is driven by pure evil.

Following 1975, where the summer blockbuster film was birthed by Steven Spielberg with Jaws, it was high time for other studios to figure out how to knock off that film for a quick buck.  Primarily everyone saw the key being an oceanic water adventure.  What new kind of deep sea creature could harm those out on on a boat or down for a swim?  Not so with The Car.  The studio here said (Which so happens is the same studio as Jaws), lets flip this thing to land and have a car controlled by evil going after people.  Yes, you read that right.

You have to give in to such a damn silly concept, but if you’re willing, the film works on its own terms.  And with age, the film works better with unintentional (Back in 1977) camp now festering in.  It features some entertaining set pieces including car crashes and car chases.  Some work in the idea of being pure spectacle and others work for some shock and a good laugh.  What doesn’t work for the film is pretty much anything in between.  Its uninteresting and boring and you’re wanting to know when the car is coming back.  Characterization gets off to a really solid start with James Brolin and Katlheen Lloyd’s first scene, but when Brolin is hospitalized for a portion things just drop off.

One thing I really gotta give this movie is that it has some terrific sound engineering on it.  The mix here on the disc is great, but just hearing a lot of it and its layered impactful presence is something else.  It excels at some jumps and also creating discomfort and distress with some loudness and the intensity of a car engine pushing it to the limits.  Its something that one would probably overlook with a movie like this or if they don’t like the film not see to give credit for.  But, its here and makes even the worst of the film a most enjoyable session.  Vrrooom vroom crash!

The Car wasn’t a well liked film upon release.  However, 38 years later, as a film to pop in late at night, it works pretty well.  Silly concept, plus mostly car action does not equate to a boring view.  Its honestly one of the better Jaws knock offs there is.  You don’t need to go into the water to drive home the killer shark.  No, this isn’t even a 1/100th as good as Jaws, but for being the knock off exploitative picture it is and is trying to be, its works on its on terms.

Video 

Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Clarity/Detail:  The Car has a real slick, kind of clean look to it.  I’m not sure if its a good print or the gain has been brushed away with some DNR as detail doesn’t look smoothed over at all.  Everything in the picture has a solid, full appearance to it.  Detail, such as wood grain on paneling, wrinkles and stitchings on clothing and scuffs and polishes on cars all comes through quite well.

Depth:  Character movements are smooth and cinematic.  Obejcts and people have a decent sense of freedom in their environments both exterior and interior.

Black Levels:  Blacks run deep and do consume some detail in nighttime sequences.  There might not be much that could be done with that though.  No noticeable crushing seen.

Color Reproduction:  Colors are nice and bolder in appearance.  Nothing is snazzy as this is the 1970s and taking place in a desert.  However, greens and browns come across with quite the variety and are a strength to the picture.

Flesh Tones:  Skin tones are for the most part natural with a touch of warmness.  Facial detail is solid in medium shots, but close ups reveal more stubble, wrinkles and blemishes.

Noise/Artifacts:  Some very minor compression issues in a couple spots but that’s it.

Audio 

Audio Format(s): English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, English 2.0 DTS-HD MA

Subtitles: English SDH

Dynamics:  The Car comes with a really fresh, clean 5.1 mix.  Its sounds very new and not 1970s.  Everything from score to vocals to sound effects is balanced and given room to breath.  Effects are layered sounding and quite distinct.  The 2.0 track is the original theatrical audio and sounds just as gorgeous if not more efficient because its the envisioned mix and the 5.1 doesn’t really make an argument to include the rear channels anyway.  This sounds great whichever path you take.

Low Frequency Extension:  Engines rev’ing, crashing and destruction as well as gunfire as some of the things the LFE gives an extra kick to.

Surround Sound Presentation:  Most of the action sticks to the front, where actions are chronicled right and left.  Placement has terrific accuracy.  Rear channels primarily hold onto ambiance.

Dialogue Reproduction:  Dialogue is very clean and clear.  

Extras 

The Car comes with an additional promotional photo on the reverse side of the cover insert.

Interview with Director Elliott Silverstein (HD, 9:16) – The director talks about this movie being an “assignment” and how he had to have back and forth with the studio in explaining the supernatural elements of the film.  He also talks about the functionality and production problems with the car.

Interview with Actress Geraldine Keams (HD, 12:10) – She talks about her experience and upbringing and experience before the film (The Outlaw Josey Wales) as well as what it was like during production.

Interview with Actress Melody Thomas Scott (HD, 11:52) – There’s plenty here, considering how small this part was in the movie.  But since she’s a little bit more known, we get some more of a career interview as well.

Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2:15) 

TV Spot (HD, :34) 

Radio Spots (HD, 3:09) 

Still Gallery (HD, 10:32) – Production stills, character headshots, promotional photos, behind the scenes photos, posters, lobby cards and newspaper clippings.

Summary 

The Car is a decent little Jaws knock off that you should definitely check out with you and your buddies on a late night movie session.  As a person who collects horror Blu-rays, its something that probably should be on your shelf too.  This release from Scream Factory has a very good audio and video presentation.  This release also boasts some really good interviews, too.  Don’t worry about taking The Car for a test drive, go ahead and sign the lease or loan to have it in your collection.