Owing to 1970s TV movies such as Steven Spielberg’s DUEL (1971) and KILLDOZER (1974), 1977’s THE CAR is not the first filmed effort to portray a driverless car terrorizing hapless victims, nor is it the most commercially successful (that honor would go to John Carpenter’s CHRISTINE, adapted from a Stephen King novel). But even though it was overshadowed by the year that gave us box office genre triumphs like STAR WARS and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD CAR, THE CAR has remained something of a fan favorite with an undeniable cult following, and it’s a miracle Hollywood has not yet secured a CG-laden remake. Previously available on DVD from Anchor Bay as licensed from Universal, the studio itself has remedied its out-of-print status with this updated version, complete with an improved transfer.

In the desert highways of New Mexico, a black Sedan is sadistically offing unsuspecting victims, from a pair of young cyclists to an obnoxious hitchhiker (John Rubinstein, ZACHARIAH) hoping to get a ride from a hot mama. Police officer Wade Parent (James Brolin) a single parent of two girls (real-life sisters Kim and Kyle Richards) is in love with a local schoolteacher Lauren (Kathleen Lloyd), but the notion of her being a new step-mom is the least of his problems. “The Car” continues to claim victims, including one his co-workers, and makes its aggressive presence known at a parade horded with school kids. As the vehicle apparently has no driver and can perform unfathomable acts of destruction, it’s believed to be possessed by the Devil, and the community must unite to put the four-wheeled hellraiser to rest.

Opening with a quote from Anton La Vey (!), THE CAR has a rather silly premise that not only culls from the sporadic “killer car” genre, but also JAWS, which at this point was still being ripped off left and right. Despite it being compared to the work of Ingmar Bergman by one reviewer upon its release (whaaat?), the film is far from high art, but it has some excellent widescreen cinematography, decent thrills and makes for, if nothing else, a pleasurable popcorn flick from the decade that gave us more than its fair share. It even takes itself quite seriously (well, for the most part, least of all when Kathleen Lloyd’s character tries to verbally intimidate the demonic jalopy), giving its supporting character’s some surprising development, including Ronnie Cox as an alcoholic cop, John Marley (DEATHDREAM) as an aging lawman with feelings for a woman being abused by her husband, and character great R.G. Armstrong (RACE WITH THE DEVIL) as that very wife beater who tries to redeem himself during the final showdown.

Director Elliot Silverstein was a veteran of numerous “Twilight Zone” episodes, and even though the film feels like an expanded version of that show (at least in story), he manages to do a decent job and make this all look cinematic. It’s Leonard Rosenman’s menacing and thunderous score that gives the film a somewhat epic feel, but it’s so similar to the soundtrack he did years earlier for BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, they’re practically interchangeable. James Brolin (who would be on a role with fantasy films – CAPICORN ONE and THE AMITYVILLE HORROR) is underrated when you look back at these kinds of films now, and Kathleen Lloyd… whatever happened to Kathleen Lloyd? Charming, pretty and likable, Lloyd seemed to be an up and coming leading lady in the late 1970s, landing parts in the rarely seen SKATEBOARD opposite Allen Garfield and as a doomed mother in Larry Cohen’s IT LIVES AGAIN, but afterwards, she mainly did guest spots on various TV series. Unfortunately, she hasn’t appeared in anything for years. Fans of “Gilligan’s Island” will recognize the late Eddie Little Sky (here, playing another member of the local police force), who guest starred several times on the sitcom as either a native or a witch doctor menacing the castaways.