DEATH CAR ON THE FREEWAY is one of those atmospheric US TV movies that were made throughout the 1970s and seemed to fizzle out around 1985 or so, when all TV films became safe, sanitised and terminally dull. Still, that's not the case with this film, which is a great little exercise in suspense as it tells the story of a crazed van driver who enjoys killing women drivers in car accidents.The film is low budget, sure, but it's a lot of fun and it contains all the right elements for a good thriller. The murderer is a spooky, Michael Myers-alike who we never really get to know or understand, which makes his actions all the creepier. The sound of a fiddle has never been so sinister as it is here.The film was directed by Hal Needham, a noted stuntman, so needless to say the car chase scenes are exemplary, with some pyrotechnic effects that beat the hell out of modern-day CGI ones. The intriguing cast list incorporates George Hamilton, Peter Graves, and Frank Gorshin, and there's a neat cameo from Sid Haig too. Shelley Hack is a likable heroine, fighting sexism in the workplace while tracking down the maniac. No, there's nothing to dislike about this film whatsoever...

A woman is badly shaken when she is run off the freeway and nearly killed by a crazy van-driver. Her story is not taken too seriously by TV or the police - until another woman is killed in similar circumstances, also by a dark van. The police seem to have no leads, so a TV reporter starts investigating the similarities between the cases. As the deaths mount, she takes hazard-driving lessons. When she finally locates the driver's whereabouts, he's missing, but chases her onto the freeway.This movie has some loud music. It's no a horrible movie, but it's directed like a TV movie which takes something away from the film. The print I saw was so bleached out the color was nearly gone and sometimes it seemed like I was watching a b&W movie.The verdict: 6.

Taught little tele-movie featuring a maniacal van driver bearing down on lone female motorists, causing mayhem, death and destruction. It's a serial killer movie with a twist; the van is the modus operandi and the signature is a frenetic bluegrass tune blaring from inside, earning the killer 'The Fiddler' nickname. Novice TV anchorwoman (Hack), desperate to emerge from beneath the shadow of her former husband (Hamilton), investigates the road rage attacks for the network news service, becoming not only an expert, but part of the story itself, which attracts attention from seedy individuals, who may be linked to the killer.Director and veteran stunt co-ordinator Hal Needham has crafted a tense mystery thriller on a TV budget, incorporating a raft of well-executed stunts, and some big names in the cast. The 'tanned one' plays his usual character (i.e. George Hamilton) and while Hack is a bit like her surname, there's good support from veterans Rush, Gorshin, Graves, Vigoda and co in the wings. Even pretty Morgan Brittany is realistic as an over-zealous, aspiring actress, keen to emphasise her near-fatal encounter with 'The Fiddler'.There seems to have been an attempt to convey the message of journalistic objectivity, and professional integrity in media, but neither Hack nor Hamilton are credible enough to carry that pretext. Their cheesy white dentures and auto-cue reading skills enough to convince you they're news mannequins, but nothing more. Despite this, Needham plays his aces at the right times, employing his experienced cast for scene fillers, and handing the rest of the movie over to the outstanding stuntwork to deliver the action sequences, which are superior to those employed in many feature films. The sense of hysteria that he builds in the narrative is well weighted for a fitting climax, and the audience isn't left disappointed. Worth a look.

Or so the killer in Death Car On The Freeway Was Called.I have a soft spot for good car chase movies and this one was as good as it gets. Directed by Hal Needham (ex stuntman who brought us Smokey And The Bandit and all of Burt Reynolds subsequent smash em up movies) this movie is dated in many ways.First of all, the movie has some definite you go girl I am female hear me roar undertones. The movie came out in 1979 and the feminist movement was in full swing. There isn't anything wrong with it, but because it is so obvious it dates the movie.Secondly, if you have ever seen an episode of CHiP's you should have an idea of what the stunts in this movie look like. Spectacular, if you ask me. The stunts are real (not CGI) performed by real stunt men, risking their lives not over paid actors sitting in front of a blue screen.Okay, so the acting is a little cheesy. The movie is over acted to say the least. Made for TV movies rarely satisfy on the same level as a big screen picture, but then again you don't have to pay for them. This one fires on all cylinders. But, perhaps that is because I have a taste for the tackiness that only the 70's could offer.The plot? A psycho in a van decides that women have over stepped their boundaries and begins stalking and killing them on the highways of California. Shelly Hack is a television news reporter willing to risk everything including her career and life following the story.We never see the killers face, just his hands and feet. When the movie ends we never learn who the killer is. Just who he could be. I think the movie does a good job of implying that it could be anyone. The movie also has a message that still holds true today. Automobile manufacturers advertise their products in a completely reckless fashion. In their commercials they show their cars being driven in a way that will either land you in court or in the hospital.This is one of my favorite movies of all time, probably because it reminds me of my childhood (I was 5 when it first aired). I would classify it as a guilty pleasure.