Race with the Devil
Encyclopedia
Race with the Devil is a 1975
occult thriller and action film
starring Peter Fonda
, Warren Oates
, Loretta Swit
and Lara Parker
. This was the second of three films Fonda and Oates would star in together (The Hired Hand
was their first and 92 in the Shade was their third). The film was a hybrid of the horror
, action and car chase
genres.
, Loretta Swit
), leave San Antonio in a recreational vehicle
for vacation in Colorado
. They decide to camp en route in a desolate area of central Texas
, where they witness a Satanic ritual human sacrifice. After barely escaping with their lives, they report the incident to the local sheriff (R.G. Armstrong), who investigates their report but attempts to convince the men that they probably only saw hippie
s killing an animal. When the men refuse to accept the sheriff's explanation, it becomes clear that he is a part of the Satanic cult. The couples agree to leave peacefully, but Roger steals a sample of dirt stained with the murder victim's blood, intent on delivering it to the authorities in Amarillo. As the couples head towards Amarillo they are pursued by a steadily increasing number of cultists, who are networked throughout numerous small Texas towns. Eventually, Roger and Frank purchase a shotgun
and stage a showdown with the cult members during a high speed chase that pits their RV against a convoy
of truck
s. Frank and Roger kill or wound all of the attackers and escape, stopping to celebrate when they pick up a radio signal coming from Amarillo. In the middle of their celebration, the couples hear chanting outside their RV and find themselves surrounded by cult members. The film ends as the cult lights a ring of fire around the vehicle, trapping the couples inside.
, Castroville
, Bandera
and Leakey, Texas
. Director Jack Starrett
later claimed he hired actual Satanists to serve as cult-member extras, though he probably stated this for publicity purposes. Starrett directed the similar B-movie action film A Small Town in Texas
the following year.
by 20th Century Fox
in June 1975.
The film was released on DVD
by Anchor Bay Entertainment
in 2005. This version is currently out of print
.
On April 12, 2011 the film was released on DVD through Shout! Factory
, packaged as a double feature with another Peter Fonda film, Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
.
was planned in 2005, written by Drew McWeeny
and Scott Swan
, with Chris Moore (of Project Greenlight
fame) to serve as director. Kevin Smith
has said that Race With the Devil is a strong influence on his 2011 film Red State
.
The film was also the basis for the Tamil language
film Kazhugu
(Eagle) which was released in 1981.
1975 in film
The year 1975 in film involved some significant events, with Steven Spielberg's thriller Jaws topping the box office.-Events:*March 26 - The film version of The Who's Tommy premieres in London....
occult thriller and action film
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
starring Peter Fonda
Peter Fonda
Peter Henry Fonda is an American actor. He is the son of Henry Fonda, brother of Jane Fonda, and father of Bridget and Justin Fonda...
, Warren Oates
Warren Oates
Warren Mercer Oates was an American actor best known for his performances in several films directed by Sam Peckinpah including The Wild Bunch and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia...
, Loretta Swit
Loretta Swit
Loretta Swit is an American stage and television actress known for her character roles. Swit is best-known for her portrayal of Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on M*A*S*H.-Early life:...
and Lara Parker
Lara Parker
Lara Parker is an American television, stage, and film actress best known for her role as Angelique on the cult ABC-TV serial Dark Shadows which aired from to...
. This was the second of three films Fonda and Oates would star in together (The Hired Hand
The Hired Hand
The Hired Hand is a 1971 American western film directed by Peter Fonda, with a screenplay by Alan Sharp. The film stars Fonda, Warren Oates, and Verna Bloom. The cinematography was by Vilmos Zsigmond, and Bruce Langhorne provided the moody film score. The story is about a man who returns to his...
was their first and 92 in the Shade was their third). The film was a hybrid of the horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
, action and car chase
Car chase
A car chase is the vehicular pursuit of a suspect by law enforcement officers. Car chases are often captured on film and broadcast due to the availability of video footage recorded by police cars and police and media helicopters participating in the chase...
genres.
Plot
Roger Marsh (Peter Fonda) and Frank Stewart (Warren Oates), with their wives Kelly and Alice (Lara ParkerLara Parker
Lara Parker is an American television, stage, and film actress best known for her role as Angelique on the cult ABC-TV serial Dark Shadows which aired from to...
, Loretta Swit
Loretta Swit
Loretta Swit is an American stage and television actress known for her character roles. Swit is best-known for her portrayal of Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on M*A*S*H.-Early life:...
), leave San Antonio in a recreational vehicle
Recreational vehicle
Recreational vehicle or RV is, in North America, the usual term for a Motor vehicle or trailer equipped with living space and amenities found in a home.-Features:...
for vacation in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. They decide to camp en route in a desolate area of central Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, where they witness a Satanic ritual human sacrifice. After barely escaping with their lives, they report the incident to the local sheriff (R.G. Armstrong), who investigates their report but attempts to convince the men that they probably only saw hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
s killing an animal. When the men refuse to accept the sheriff's explanation, it becomes clear that he is a part of the Satanic cult. The couples agree to leave peacefully, but Roger steals a sample of dirt stained with the murder victim's blood, intent on delivering it to the authorities in Amarillo. As the couples head towards Amarillo they are pursued by a steadily increasing number of cultists, who are networked throughout numerous small Texas towns. Eventually, Roger and Frank purchase a shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
and stage a showdown with the cult members during a high speed chase that pits their RV against a convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
of truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
s. Frank and Roger kill or wound all of the attackers and escape, stopping to celebrate when they pick up a radio signal coming from Amarillo. In the middle of their celebration, the couples hear chanting outside their RV and find themselves surrounded by cult members. The film ends as the cult lights a ring of fire around the vehicle, trapping the couples inside.
Production
Race with the Devil was filmed on location in San AntonioSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, Castroville
Castroville, Texas
Castroville is a city in Medina County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,664 at the 2000 census. Prior to 1893, Castroville was the first county seat of Medina County....
, Bandera
Bandera, Texas
Bandera is the county seat of Bandera County, Texas, United States,in the Texas Hill Country, which is part of the Edwards Plateau. The population was 957 at the 2000 census, and according to a 2009 estimate, the population had jumped up to 1,216 people...
and Leakey, Texas
Leakey, Texas
Leakey is a city in and the county seat of Real County, Texas, United States. The population was 387 at the 2000 census. A U.S. Census Bureau estimate of July 1, 2008, placed the population at 359....
. Director Jack Starrett
Jack Starrett
Jack Starrett was an American actor and film director. He is credited as Claude Ennis Starrett, Jr. in some of his films...
later claimed he hired actual Satanists to serve as cult-member extras, though he probably stated this for publicity purposes. Starrett directed the similar B-movie action film A Small Town in Texas
A Small Town in Texas
A Small Town in Texas is a 1976 filmed in Lockhart, Texas starring Bo Hopkins, Susan George, and Timothy Bottoms and directed by Jack Starrett.- External links :* at the Internet Movie Database...
the following year.
Release
The film was released theatrically in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
in June 1975.
The film was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
by Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment is a U.S. based home entertainment and production company and is a division of Starz Media, which is a unit of Starz, LLC. It was previously owned by IDT Entertainment until 2006 when IDT was purchased by Starz Media. Anchor Bay markets and sells feature films, series,...
in 2005. This version is currently out of print
Out of print
Out of print refers to an item, typically a book , but can include any print or visual media or sound recording, that is in the state of no longer being published....
.
On April 12, 2011 the film was released on DVD through Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label...
, packaged as a double feature with another Peter Fonda film, Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry is a cult 1974 car chase film starring Peter Fonda, Susan George, Adam Roarke, and Vic Morrow. The film was directed by John Hough...
.
Remakes announced
A remakeRemake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
was planned in 2005, written by Drew McWeeny
Drew McWeeny
Drew McWeeny , also known by his pseudonym Moriarty, is a film critic, screenwriter, and the former west coast editor of the Ain't It Cool News website...
and Scott Swan
Scott Swan
Scott Swan is an American filmmaker and screenwriter born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.-Biography:Scott Swan is screenwriter best identified for his work with director John Carpenter on seasons one and two of Masters of Horror...
, with Chris Moore (of Project Greenlight
Project Greenlight
Project Greenlight was a contest and television series focusing on first-time filmmakers being given the chance to direct a feature film. It was created by Alex Keledjian, developed by Eli Holzman and produced by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Sean Bailey, and Chris Moore through their production...
fame) to serve as director. Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
has said that Race With the Devil is a strong influence on his 2011 film Red State
Red State (2011 film)
Red State is a 2011 American independent horror film written and directed by Kevin Smith, starring Michael Parks, John Goodman, Melissa Leo and Stephen Root...
.
The film was also the basis for the Tamil language
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
film Kazhugu
Kazhugu
Kazhugu is a Tamil directed by SP. Muthuraman, starring Rajnikanth in the lead along with Rati Agnihotri as the heroine. The film was moderately successful in the box office, but became a cult film among Rajini fans....
(Eagle) which was released in 1981.