Rating: PG
Genre:
Action
Release Date: 06/28/2005
Sound: DD1
Run Time: 88 Minutes
Flags: Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language
Distributor/Studio: Anchor Bay
This novel fusion of car-chase film and spooky
horror became a surprise box-office hit in 1975. The story begins with car enthusiasts
Frank (
Warren Oates) and
Roger (
Peter Fonda) taking their wives,
Kelly (
Lara Parker) and
Alice (
Loretta Swit), on a vacation in a recreational vehicle. Their camping trip goes horribly awry when
Frank and
Roger accidentally stumble upon a group of hooded cultists committing a human sacrifice. The cultists give chase and the two couples barely escape with their lives. They go to the local police for help, but the officers can find no evidence to back up the story and send the two couples on their way. As they try to continue their vacation, strange events continue to occur that culminate in four protagonists and their cultist tormentors having a brutal automotive showdown on the open road. The end result of all this genre-hopping suffers from a lightweight approach that downplays the story's darker and more interesting elements, but still manages to deliver plentiful action and a few genuine chills. As a result,
Race With the Devil became an unexpected success for
20th Century Fox and remains something of a cult favorite.
~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide