Product Description

Frank (Warren Oates) and Roger (Peter Fonda) take off for Colorado with their wives in a recreational vehicle, looking forward to some skiing and dirt biking. While camping en route, they witness a satanic ritual sacrifice, but the local sheriff finds no evidence to support their claims and urges them to continue on their vacation. On the way, however, they find themselves fleeing repeated attacks from cult members.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19390 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-06-28
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 88 minutes

Amazon.com
An alternate title for this movie could easily be RV to Hell. Two middle-class couples take their spankin'-new motor home on a trip to Colorado. While camping out in Texas, the men see something they shouldn't--a human sacrifice by Satanists who somehow manage not to notice their Safeway- sized vehicle until the last minute. The tourists flee from the devil worshippers, getting the monstrous RV hung up in a stream, and so goes the rest of the movie. The local sheriff is in league with the devil, and every town they come to is full of pesky Satanists. The vacationers are nothing if not resourceful, though; when a pair of determined Beelzebubbers cling to the vehicle like barnacles, Peter Fonda pokes at them with an aluminum vacuum-cleaner wand until they give up and fall off! Oddly, halfway through the film, it turns from a fairly routine (if suspenseful) horror movie to a Ron Howard-style car-chase film, with a half-dozen vehicles pursuing the motor home. The vacationers continue to abuse the RV until large chunks of it begin to fall off, fending off their enemies with a shotgun until the nasty surprise ending. With a cast that includes Fonda, Warren Oates, Loretta Swit, and Lara Parker, it's hard to go wrong (though the women's roles consist of screaming ineffectually, making coffee, and cleaning the earth-toned Winnebago). Yep, this Central Texas-lensed drive-in feature supplies thrills, car wrecks, devil worshippers, and unintended laughs by the bushel... what else can you ask for? --Jerry Renshaw

Customer Reviews

"...and here's to the best damn vacation we may ever have in our lives."
Take a moment and think about the worst vacation you ever had...I've had a few doozys, but I think the absolute worst involved a time when I was in Florida and I got an ear infection for a few days and my activities were confined to laying on my side and administering liquid antibiotics into my ear via a medicine dropper. My point is everyone has had at least one vacation that didn't turn out as expected, but I think few could top the nightmare encountered by the two couples in the film Race with the Devil (1975), when they inadvertently incurred the wraith of a backwoods cult of Satanic devil worshippers. Co-written by Wes Bishop (Chain Gang Women, The Thing with Two Heads) and Lee Frost (Policewomen, Dixie Dynamite), the film was directed by Jack Starrett, who also appearing in a number of films, but many may remember him from is role as the purposely stereotypical western curmudgeon Gabby Johnson from Mel Brooks 1974 film Blazing Saddles. Starring in Race with the Devil is Warren `Quaker' Oates (Dillinger, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia) along with Peter `One Toke Over the Line' Fonda, who, by the way, is set to appear in the new Ghost Rider film as the character of Mephisto. Also appearing is Loretta `Hot Lips' Swit ("M*A*S*H", Freebie and the Bean), Lara Parker ("Dark Shadows"), R.G. Armstrong (Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, White Lightning), along with co-writer Bishop (he plays the character of Deputy Dave), and director Starrett, in his seminal role as `Gas Station Attendant'.

It seems two married couples, Frank (Oates) and Alice (Swit) Stewart and Roger (Fonda) and Kelly (Parker) March are finally taking a vacation, after five, long years building up a now successful motorcycle dealership. For the occasion Frank has gone balls to the walls and popped for a brand new, 32-foot motor home with all the modern conveniences, at least modern in 1975 terms. Their plan is to drive from Texas to Aspen and enjoy some snow skiing, but events conspire to make this a trip they'll never forget beginning with Frank deciding to find a secluded area to park the RV and rest for the night. It's around this time Frank and Roger witness a strange gathering or robed individuals dancing around a fire, performing some sort of ritual that culminates in the sacrifice of a young woman. The men, deciding it's time to leave (uh, yeah, I think so), accidentally arouse the attention of the group, and thus begins a nightmarish journey of escape and survival as the deadly cabal are determined to keep their secrets, even if it means following this RV to hell and back...

One thing I learned while watching this movie is that Satanists are an extremely persistent bunch...they really don't know when to quit, that, and one should watch out for low bridges, especially if you're perched on top of an RV...anyway, I've been looking forward to this film being released onto DVD for quite some time, as I think it is an excellent example of, despite a low budget, a film can still be entertaining and really well done given the talent and crew involved. The story is pretty straightforward with a few surprises (and some plot holes), but what elevates this beyond its means are the characters of Oates and Fonda, who play surprisingly well off each other, this being their 3rd film together, the other two being The Hired Hand (1971) and 92 in the Shade (1975). There is chemistry there, as the two complement each other. The one thing I didn't understand is if this group was as encompassing and organized as we were led to believe, I didn't understand why they didn't just get the couples during one of their stops for gas or something...it would have been so much easier to take care of business then rather than chasing them down the highway at 60+ miles per hour, but then that would have taken away some of the excitement in removing some of the strongest action sequences. As far as the female leads, well, they really didn't have much to work with, as Ms. Swit's character was just there more or less to flesh out Oates' character, but Ms. Parker had a bit more (not much), as she was of the more sensitive type, picking up on sinister vibes before the rest of the group. In terms of direction I thought Starrett did very well, considering he was brought in early in the production as the original director was let go due to the powers that be feeling he up for the job. The film has a consistently creepy vibe throughout, as the unknown of who may be involved is a persistent factor. Starrett builds the momentum early, and keeps it going until the end. There are some scary moments, but I really wouldn't consider this so much a horror film, but more of one to give you the creeps. One of my favorite scenes is when Frank and Roger are witnessing the ritual and Frank's interested is piqued when the females begin disrobing and the distinct possibility of group intercourse is apparent...which is about the time the girl is killed and the two decide they're in the wrong place at the wrong time and decide to sneak away without drawing attention, only to have Frank's wife Alice unknowingly wake up the entire county with her annoying bray, calling her husband back to the RV...another sequence I really liked was later in the film, as the group is speeding down the road being chased by various vehicles filled with cult members. They cultists begin jumping on the RV Road Warrior style, and Frank has to fend them off, getting jiggy with a 12-gauge shotgun....woohoo! One thing I thought odd was during the sacrifice scene the girl to be offered up is stripped nekkid, but her nekkidness is blurred out...we see her behind the fire pit, so one could say perhaps the heat emanating from the fire caused this, but I'd wondering if this was how it was during the original release...it didn't really bother me, but I do prefer the content of films on DVD to be as close to how they were originally released as possible.

The widescreen (1.85:1) picture, enhanced for 16 X 9 TVs, looks really sharp and clean on this Anchor Bay Entertainment DVD release. The audio is only available in Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, but comes through clearly. There are some very worthwhile special features including a newly made featurette titled `Hell on Wheels' (17:51) with Peter Fonda relating a lot of interesting information about the film and his co-stars. Also included is a commentary track with producer Paul Maslansky, actress Lara Parker, moderated by DVD producer Perry Martin, an original theatrical trailer, three radio spots, a poster & still gallery, a behind-the-scenes photo gallery, previews for other Anchor Bay DVD releases like The Entity (1981), Quicksilver Highway (1997), Ghost in the Machine (1993), and a reproduction of an original poster of the film on a card inside the DVD case.

Cookieman108

This just in...I heard a remake of this film is in the works, scheduled for a 2006 release, with Drew McWeeny (who should really think about changing his name) and Scott Swan as the writers (their previous credit includes Mortal Kombat: Devastation), and producer Chris Moore (American Pie, Reindeer Games) set as the director.

Highly watchable flick on a Satanist kick
There's always been something disarming about the presence of Peter Fonda in a picture. Perhaps it's his 'nice guy' presence and you'd be right to assume that his starring in a horror movie would work against it. Not so in this case. Together with Oates and their stage wives, Fonda's presence is a good way of making of the terror strike home. The two couples are all-American high-end middle class types and they love living life to the fullest extent. And so they make a china shop ready for the horror bull to enter. The movie isn't as slow-moving as it may seem by the clock, it's just that there is a great deal of momentum being pent up in the early portions. When the scares actually do start, they are powerful and genuinely chilling. Let it be known that Satanist-bashing horror pictures were fairly common in the first half of the Seventies and here we find a whole string of Texan communities hard at it. The film is just the right length and its delivery is augmented tremendously by the dark conclusion. Despite the content, this film is watchable at all levels. I saw it when I was 10 years old and found it delightfully chilling. The direction is top rate and first class performances are extracted from Fonda and Oates. Truly an overlooked classic from a particularly adventurous era of fright cinema.

One of the great drive-in classics of all time....
The 1975 film "Race With the Devil" begins innocently enough. Two couples on vacation in an RV decide to take a turn on a dirt road to spend the night away from the bustle. They park their rocking vehicle out in the wilds of south central Texas. They inspect the beauty of the desolate land, have a candle-lit dinner and a glass of wine, and toast the first night of a needed vacation. The sun sets and a full moon rises. But a funny thing happens.

Across the river they hear an eerie howl and suddenly, a mysterious bonfire roars to life. They grab a pair of binoculars and notice a group of people in black robes dancing around this huge fire. There's weird chanting, a man in a mask with a sword, and nude women at his feet. The dancing becomes more intense, and a woman is stabbed to death in an apparent sacrifice. At that moment, the wife of one of the stunned men turns on the RV light and screams at her husband to come inside. The Satanic cult realizes they are not alone, and furiously charge across the river. Thus begins one long and very creepy chase across the back roads of a Texas landscape.

We've been here before, whether it be with a cannibalistic family in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" or Georgia hillbillies in "Deliverance." The setup is usually the same - a group of innocents, semi-lost, encountering horrid miscreants without a shred of help anywhere in sight. I don't think "Race With the Devil" is as good as either of the two previous films mentioned, but I will say in all honesty this flick scared me as a child.

"Race With the Devil" taps a primal fear we have of being stranded in unknown lands pursued by people with murderous intentions. The inspirations for this little 1975 horror opus are many, as Satan was quite the villain back in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Where to begin? Perhaps Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby," one of the most chilling films ever made. And then you have "The Exorcist," "The Devil's Rain" and such TV flicks as "Crowhaven Farm." Which brings us to "Race With the Devil," where you have robed Lucifer hippies clawing at an agonizingly slow RV rolling for the nearest stretch of cement. Peter Fonda and Warren Oates do their best to fight off this beer-bellied horde (I suppose with the exception of the occasional dancing, they get little exercise), using everything from vacuum cleaners to ski poles to hold off the possessed crew.

For a kid growing up in the suburbs of Texas (that would be me), Satanic cults existed out there, and they were waiting in the dark. Out there is an uneducated wilderness, and it's scary. To this day, I have moments of fear when camping alone, remembering that cult from "Race With the Devil." As our society grows each day into an urban setting with farming communities disappearing, what is rural becomes alien and evil. It's out there man! Who knows what shenanigans they're up to!

The Texas-born Jack Starrett directed this little drive-in horror/action hybrid, and he really didn't create much else. A few episodes of "Hill Street Blues," a couple of other B-movie excursions. He's probably best known as the tough cop with a billy club who drives Sylvester Stallone over the edge in "First Blood." He sadly passed on in 1989. Starrett has a funny cameo in Race With the Devil as a nosy gas station attendant.

Warren Oates, the greatest character actor in motion picture history, stars as the unlucky sod who makes the fateful choice to camp in the Texas boonies. He was really too good to be starring in this fare, but he does deliver the best line when the sheriff mentions a local hippie cult that kills cats. With a straight face, Oates replies, "Well, I guess they ran out of cats." By most accounts Oates tilted beers with film director Sam Peckinpah while they made such films as "The Wild Bunch" and "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia." A huge Warren Oates cult has grown since his death in 1983, and this film is as good as any learn the greatness of this brilliant actor.

In "Race With the Devil," Peter Fonda has a good time shaking martinis while firing shotguns at hillbilly Satanists. And you even have "Hotlips" Loretta Swit as a perplexed wife. She likes to scream a lot and wear colorful bathrobes.

I suppose we could obsess over the stupid decisions our protagonists make before Satan closes in on the RV. We could laugh at the dialog as they marvel over the newfangled microwave and color TV. We could even snicker as by the end of "Race With the Devil," the trashed RV resembles Steve Martin's and John Candy's car in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." But our laughs are uneasy. When we travel to unknown lands, we are terrified of being preyed upon. In "Race With the Devil," these country folks are out there man, creepy and evil. Part horror, car chase and action, this film is one of the greatest drive-in flicks ever made.