Classic Ross Amico

Tag: The Car (1977)

Road Trip with “The Car” & House on Haunted Hill

You might say Roy and I were “men possessed” last night during our road trip with “The Car” (1977).

Of course, as with any road trip, after a while the fatigue begins to set in, you start to get punchy, not all the witticisms land, and by the end you’re just looking for a restroom.

Still, some of the comments were good. As Phil Merkel observed, “If Satan possessed a Car, what he’d do would be to drive at 25 miles per hour in the fast lane with the left blinker on.”

The conversation is archived for posterity here:

Next week, our topic will be William Castle’s camp classic “House on Haunted Hill” (1959), one of Vincent Price’s most entertaining films. Price plays an eccentric millionaire who invites five people to a spooky mansion for a “haunted house party” in honor of his fourth wife’s birthday. Anyone who can make it through the night will receive $10,000.

It’s evident from the start the millionaire and his wife despise one other. Furthermore, the guests are given party favors in the form of tiny coffins with pistols inside. That’s a pretty good indication that you should probably leave.

Even so, the Price is right, when we discuss “House on Haunted Hill,” on the next Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner. Post your comments in Emergo as we livestream on Facebook, this Friday evening at 7:00 EDT!

https://www.facebook.com/roystiedyescificorner

Watch the haunting trailer now!

October 9, 2021
“The Car” (1977) So Bad It’s Good Movie Review

Be forewarned: “The Car” (1977) is a movie you won’t want to watch alone. Not because it’s scary, but because it’s hilarious!

Stock up on plenty of alcohol and chips and call your best buddy in the world, and get ready for a fun evening of so-bad-it’s-good, “Mystery Science Theater 3000”-style one-upsmanship. Then join Roy and me tomorrow night for an exhaustive discussion, which will fortify us with more than we thought we ever needed to know about this motorized cult classic.

James Brolin (father of Josh, husband of Barbra) plays the deputy sheriff upon whom it falls to rid a sleepy desert community of an implacable, homicidal, seemingly driverless Lincoln Continental with tinted windows. Who cares about horse power, when it’s fueled by Satan! No one is safe – not even indoors. And those ‘70s cop cars are just so flammable.

Even in the surprisingly crowded field of possessed vehicle entertainment (“Duel,” “Killdozer,” “My Mother the Car”), “The Car” has dirt in its carburetor. But that’s what makes it so damned fun.

If you don’t have any beer and you don’t have any friends, or if you have zero tolerance for this kind of thing (in which case I am sorry for you), you really get all you need from this trailer, which never fails to brighten my day:

“The Car” is one of those movies that hurts so good.

We continue with our celebration of Halloween, on Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner, as we check under the hood of “The Car.” Hitch a ride in the comments section, when we livestream on Facebook, this Friday evening at 7:00 EDT!

https://www.facebook.com/roystiedyescificorner

Wow, look what I found! The soundtrack by Leonard Rosenman (“East of Eden,” “Rebel without a Cause,” “Fantastic Voyage”). It opens, appropriately, if not unpredictably, with a quotation of the “Dies Irae,” which is woven throughout the score. Rosenman does his best to rachet up the tension – remember, he’s the one credited as the first composer to bring twelve-tone music to the movies (in “The Cobweb,” in 1955) – but nothing can really help “The Car.” Can it?

Hoooooooonk! HonkHonkHoooooooonk!

October 7, 2021
David Frankham Stories on Roy’s Sci-Fi Corner

Warm thanks to David Frankham and Jonathan David Dixon for their return appearance last night to Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner.

Frankham shared anecdotes about Vincent Price, Walt Disney, Alfred Hitchcock, Barbara Stanwyck, Ernie Kovacs, his guest shot on the original “Star Trek,” and many more. A born entertainer, his recall is enviable, his stories colorful and amusing, and his joie de vivre, even at the age of 95, palpable.

The show has been archived here:

If it piques your interest, there’s plenty more in Frankham’s memoir, “Which One Was David?” I’ll be placing my order today!

I hope you’ll join us on Friday, as Roy and I continue with our month-long celebration of Halloween and do our best to jumpstart your weekend with a discussion about “The Car” (1977), part of a befuddling trend in the 1970s of possessed vehicle movies (“Duel,” “Killdozer,” “Herbie the Love Bug”). James Brolin subjects himself to 98 minutes of Satanic honking and harassment in a remote town in the American Southwest. Drop by and oil our pistons in the comments section. We’ll be grinding our gears on “The Car,” this Friday evening at 7:00 EDT!

https://www.facebook.com/roystiedyescificorner

October 4, 2021

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