A Masterpiece!

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Blistering performances.

A couple of dudes on vacation with their wives run afoul of satanists when they accidentally witness a ritual sacrifice. It's one of those movies where EVERY SINGLE PERSON they come across is in on a vast conspiracy to kill them and it all becomes way too corny and unbelievable. Then it throws the 70's bleak downer ending on top of that and you're left with a whole bag of meh. Not awful, but not great either.

I saw this movie in a walk-in theater with my dad when it came out. I really liked it, and I was always a horror movie fan since then. Lara Parker, from Dark Shadows, was a face I really didn't recognize until years later, after watching the movie again. Loretta Swit, from "MASH"? I think this was before "MASH", if not at the very beginning. Peter Fonda was already a star, and my dad thought the man was shitting gold bricks! If they ever did a remake, I'd suggest the actor (hell...he's Goldburg, Goldblum, or something like that) as the Warren Oates character. But, I don't think there's even a remake working for this one yet. As simply done as this movie was, I think "they" might want to use too many special effects, CGI, etc....If they do, I suggest something: Keep It Simple, Stupid!

Race with the Devil is one of those anxiety provoking and unnerving films that takes place on Texas highways in the 70's. These films have a very straightforward and simple story and script and almost no gore. There is a thread of innocence running through them and even though they are low budget they are enjoyable to watch.I think of Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry and The Great Texas Dynamite Chase which I believe were made around the same time although the script and acting here are better. Most of the time this film holds up well. The chase scenes of course are a bit dated and tame by today's standards but there are some truly unsettling if predictable scenes in this film. The film does have a slight movie-of-the-week feel to it but the chemistry between the actors and the story I believe will hold a person's interest and I think most will find it entertaining. It's fun to see these films now. They really did a good job with this stuff before CGI.

En route to Colorado in a top-of-the-range RV, two married couples (Peter Fonda & Kelly Marsh and Warren Oates & Loretta Swit) decide to spend the night parked up by a tranquil stretch of river that offers an unobstructed view of the beautiful surrounding countryside. Unfortunately, it also offers a pretty good view of the Satanic human sacrifice that takes place on the opposite bank of the river; when the devil worshippers conducting the ritual realise that their activities have been observed, they set off in pursuit of the terrified foursome, who waste no time in fleeing the scene.The rest of the film is a masterful exercise in suspense, paranoia and excitement as the horrified holiday-makers attempt to make it to the safety of civilisation, unable to trust anyone they meet along the way. Director Jack Starret ignores the fact that the plot is occasionally rather preposterous (we are supposed to believe that almost everyone in the area is in league with the devil and that the antagonists are able to set up elaborate traps at a moments notice) and instead wisely concentrates on delivering the requisite thrills and spills; this he does brilliantly, slowly but surely cranking up the tension until the frantic action-packed final act in which our beleaguered friends are forced to fight back, with spectacular results.The cast are uniformly excellent, with Fonda and Oates ably playing the stoic and resourceful heroes, who cope manfully with everything from rattlers in the RV to all-out road war, whilst Marsh and Swit are totally convincing as their ineffectual wives who handle their predicament by screaming hysterically at every available opportunity. Seasoned character actor R.G. Armstrong also puts in a fine performance as the local sheriff who is just a little too blasé about the possibility of Satanists in his backyard.From the creepy-as-hell sacrifice scene to the unforgettable 'shock' ending, Race With The Devil is top-notch 70s movie-making and really deserves greater recognition than it currently seems to get. Let's hope that the upcoming remake (due in 2011) will inspire more people to seek out the original.