During the course of the "ABC Movie of the Week" the series brought us alien impregnation ("The Stranger Within"), Witches reincarnated from the colonial period ("Crowhaven Farm"), Monsters living in the chimney ("Don't Be Afraid of the Dark") and Hauntings ("The House That Would Not Die")...among other weird topics. Sure, many of the films were more mundane...but the network has got to be commended for approving pretty much any strange idea the writers came up with during the course of the series! And, I would have to say that the strangest and silliest plot they ever came up with was in "Killdozer". And, when I describe the film to you, you might think I am making the whole thing up or I've suffered a psychotic episode!When the film begins, a meteorite lands on an island off the African coast. Some American workers are there building something and when their bulldozer hits this meteorite it begins to glow and somehow possesses this piece of equipment! Later, this bulldozer with a mind of its own begins killing and it's a contest between men and possessed machinery!! While the idea of this film is totally stupid, before you laugh remember that Stephen King made a fortune with his book "Christine" as well as the movie rights!!The film happens to have a pretty decent cast, so I can only assume that the network was holding the actors' families hostage to get them to make the film. Carl Betz, Clint Walker, Neville Brand and Robert Urich are there to become, or possibly become, bulldozer chow! As for the film itself...it's exactly what you expect...and that really isn't a good thing. Dumb, silly and a bit boring because how can you stretch all this out to full-length?!

I remember seeing this as a kid nearly 40 years ago. Other boys and I were captivated by it, we discussed it at school for a week! Recently I saw it on YouTube and I felt compelled to comment. The story centers around six construction workers on some digging project on "an island 200 miles off the coast of Africa". They hit a strange meteorite which is possessed by an electromagnetic alien lifeform (?) which transfers its energy lifeforce to the D9 bulldozer which struck it. Now possessed, the D9 emits a faint hum as it storms around the island killing off the men one by one.The story is a decent one for the sci-fi/horror genre. There are a few silly moments, like when one man sits stoically in the jeep as the D9 trundles toward him to flatten him. Why not jump out and run away? Sure he was drunk but even inebriated I think he could have outrun a bulldozer whose top speed is 4 miles an hour.The special effects are minimal so instead the movie focuses on its story, something which I wish more movies did so these days, rather than relaying on special effects exclusively. it's worth watching if you stumble across it.

An alien lifeforce imprisoned in a meteorite gets transferred into a bulldozer at a remote island construction site. It then begins picking off the construction workers one by one.Even at a scant 74 minutes, this silly TV movie feels about as slow as the bulldozer itself. It's also slightly amusing how the dozer is able to sneak up on the characters considering how much noise it makes. One also has to wonder what the thing was hoping to accomplish. It's stuck in a bulldozer, and on a remote island at that. That's not exactly a good position to be in. Perhaps that's it. It was angry about it's situation and decided to take it out on the construction crew.The cast does fine work with what they're given, but it's not enough to keep this thing afloat. Basic premise aside, there's no unintentional humor either, which would have helped considerably. I suppose this movie would be an okay time waster if you're really bored. Me? I'll stick with the far more entertaining Maximum Overdrive if I want to see an evil bulldozer in action.

A seldom-seen, made-for-television-movie that belies its modest budget and limited circulation.Here's that familiar old plot; a group of people go somewhere isolated and find something unpleasant that they don't know how to deal with. It's served up terror and suspense from 'The Thing' to 'The Blair Witch Project'.In this case, a group of blue-collar types seconded to a desert island, ram a strange boulder with their excavator. Some entity in the rock relocates to the machine and - presumably now regarding humans as a threat - decides to sort 'em out. It's a very Stephen King premise. Machines assuming a malevolent will are just his ticket. Think of 'Christine', or 'Trucks' - the latter released as a mediocre effort called 'Maximum Overdrive'.The rest of the movie is dedicated to a battle of wits between the excavator trying to kill them off, and the mens' attempts to stay alive long enough to outfox it somehow.There are some sly little moments of tension. The nocturnal confrontations are particularly hairy as the machine has its headlights on, giving it the appearance of two great big eyes. Of course, the problem of being pursued by a bulldozer is similar to that of being pursued by Daleks. In the latter case, before they discovered levitation, you simply bade them goodnight and went upstairs. With the 'dozer, you just needed to keep well ahead of it, because it could barely manage walking-speed on the soft sand. Alternatively; one could just walk down to the water's edge. It would very quickly sink-in. And in any case; its diesel must run out. A big piece of plant would have enormous fuel-consumption.These little quibbles aside, it ain't half bad for what it is. Short and simple, no frills, mid-1970's TV movie. Not remarkable, but certainly not bad.The cast are largely C-list, headed by Clint Walker. He pulls off a surprisingly good turn in most of the movies that have featured him. He's a very big bloke in the natural way, rather than the muscle-bound sculpturesque excess of Schwartzenegger. He's also a much more expressive actor, too. Directing, lighting, editing are all up to the job and workman-like. Sound effects are simple but interesting.As a comparison; I recently watched the modern teen-flick 'Cabin Fever'. Same premise again; people go somewhere isolated etc, etc. Well, despite its greater age, smaller budget and simplicity; 'Killdozer' could shovel earth all over it.Give it a whizz, if you get the chance. It ain't a classic, but at the right price it shouldn't disappoint.