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Death Car on the Freeway

  • TV Movie
  • 1979
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
540
YOUR RATING
Death Car on the Freeway (1979)
Death Car On The Freeway
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MysteryThriller

An unknown, psychotic driver uses his van to kill unsuspecting female drivers on the freeway.An unknown, psychotic driver uses his van to kill unsuspecting female drivers on the freeway.An unknown, psychotic driver uses his van to kill unsuspecting female drivers on the freeway.

  • Director
    • Hal Needham
  • Writer
    • William Wood
  • Stars
    • Shelley Hack
    • Frank Gorshin
    • Peter Graves
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.4/10
    540
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Hal Needham
    • Writer
      • William Wood
    • Stars
      • Shelley Hack
      • Frank Gorshin
      • Peter Graves
    • 19User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Death Car On The Freeway
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    Death Car On The Freeway

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    Top cast25

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    Shelley Hack
    Shelley Hack
    • Jan
    Frank Gorshin
    Frank Gorshin
    • Ralph Chandler
    Peter Graves
    Peter Graves
    • Lieutenant Haller
    Harriet Nelson
    Harriet Nelson
    • Mrs. Sheel
    Barbara Rush
    Barbara Rush
    • Rosemary
    Dinah Shore
    Dinah Shore
    • Lynn Bernheimer
    Abe Vigoda
    Abe Vigoda
    • Mr. Frisch
    Alfie Wise
    Alfie Wise
    • Ace Durham
    George Hamilton
    George Hamilton
    • Ray Jeffries
    Robert F. Lyons
    Robert F. Lyons
    • Barry Hill
    Tara Buckman
    Tara Buckman
    • Jane Guston
    Morgan Brittany
    Morgan Brittany
    • Becky Lyons
    Nancy Stephens
    Nancy Stephens
    • Christine
    Gloria Stroock
    Gloria Stroock
    • Dr. Rita Glass
    Hal Needham
    Hal Needham
    • Mr. Blanchard
    Jim Negele
    Jim Negele
    • Andy
    Sid Haig
    Sid Haig
    • Maurie
    Buddy Farmer
      • Director
        • Hal Needham
      • Writer
        • William Wood
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

      User reviews19

      5.4540
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      Featured reviews

      5Coventry

      Duel II: Rush Hour Rage!

      Who better than Hal Needham, notorious stunt driver and director of many good ol' boy car chase movies like "Smokey and the Bandit" and "Cannonball Run", could direct this modest but worthwhile TV-thriller with numerous crashes and exploding vehicles? The resemblance with Steven Spielberg's phenomenal "Duel" is unmistakable, but that doesn't necessarily makes this film a blatant rip-off. Both films center on a psychopath who, seemingly without much of a motive, uses his/her vehicle as a deadly murder weapon. In "Duel" it's a filthy old truck in the middle of nowhere, whereas in "Death Car on the Freeway" it's a Dodge van on the traffic-infested highways of California during rush hour (which is probably why he occasionally has to switch license plates and re-paint). William Wood's scenario also hints that the murderous van driver does have a motive, in fact. He exclusively targets attractive women alone in a car, so that must make him a misogynic and underdeveloped pig that can't stand that women grow stronger and more independent nowadays. So, symbolically, the person on his tail is a rather timid and initially insecure female journalist who just liberated herself from her self-centered husband and doesn't get taken seriously by her management, or the TV Company's management. The "freeway-incidents" are tense and spectacular, in spite of the obvious budget restrictions, which is a good thing because the rest of the film is overly talkative and somewhat dull. The crashing cars burst into flames illogically fast, if you ask me, but that only makes it more exciting. Although it's "just" a TV-movie, "Death Car on the Freeway" stars a fairly impressive number of familiar names, like Peter Graves, George Hamilton and Robert F. Lyons. Horror and cult fanatics should particularly keep an eye open for a brief appearance by Sid Haig.
      5Uriah43

      A Psychotic Solution to Rude Drivers

      This film essentially begins with a young woman by the name of "Becky Lyons" (Morgan Brittany) driving on one of the busy freeways in Los Angeles when she encounters another driver who won't let her get into the next lane. Frustrated that she has just missed her exit, she then tries to speed up in order to take the next offramp but, once again, that same driver prevents her from doing so. To make matters even worse, the harder she tries to distance herself from him, the more reckless he becomes--which eventually results in her having an accident that nearly kills her. Naturally, being the large city that it is, it isn't long before television reporters on the scene to question her about what happened with one particular journalist known simply as "Jan" (Shelley Hack) becoming convinced that there is more to this story than meets the eye. At first, her concerns are dismissed by a local detective named "Lieutenant Haller" (Peter Graves) who considers any possibility of it being a deliberate homicide attempt as absurd. Things change, however, when several more women experience the exact same thing--and as they inevitably turn fatal, it soon becomes clear that a serial killer is using the busy streets of Los Angeles as his hunting ground. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this film started off reasonably well but suffered somewhat when the scenes shifted from mystery to action. I say this because some of these action scenes were a bit over-the-top and not that realistic. Even so, this wasn't a bad made-for-television movie and I have rated it accordingly. Average.
      Titan_52001

      Action & Suspense Classic

      I was always impressed by this film's use of action and suspense. We see the killer's actions, but we don't know why he's going after these Women.

      We feel the helplessness of the victim's and the powerlessness of the police to do anything. This is not just another car chase/crash movie. There's Hitchcock like suspense and action that helps the story line, not muddle it into an idiot film like most car chase flicks.

      I sure miss this movie and I wish there were plans to put it on video soon. A good film like this needs to be viewed often because it also has a sobering socio-political message to it.

      It is also a pity that such outstanding film making has passed away. Too many TV and theatrical film makers are making boring hyper violent films that make no sense and give us car chases and crashes that have no real visual impact other than mindless destruction and sheer stupidity.
      Victor Field

      The TV equivalent of a drive-in version of "Duel," and okay for what it is.

      With Hal Needham behind the camera and Shelley Hack - one of the last of "Charlie's Angels" - in the main role, you've probably guessed that "Death Car on the Freeway" won't be of Spielberg standards. It isn't, but I remember getting some low-brow entertainment out of this TV movie way back when.

      Women drivers are being run off the road and killed by a strange man who a TV reporter (S. Hack) dubs the "Freeway Fiddler" because he always plays fiddle music before going into action; she can't finger the misogynist van driver (and indeed we never see the driver, but the resemblance between this and "Duel" pretty much ends there) but she plots to catch him before he can continue his reign of terror. The result: It's (wo)man vs. machine in a race to the death.

      Writer William Wood and director Needham don't deliver a great feminist tract, nor is this an actors' showcase; but they do keep the automotive action coming, and it's not a message TV movie by any means. It's basically a pulp novel on the screen, and it's not bad - something that certainly can't be said for some of the director's bigscreen movies ("Megaforce," anyone)?
      6kidlopo-1

      Fun but absurd

      You really have to suspend your disbelief. Its like a world where California Highway Patrol doesn't exist and no one can read a license plate. But if you like an over the top potboiler with 70s TV all star cast it's worth the watch

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      Related interests

      Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
      Mystery
      Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
      Thriller

      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        Shelley Hack's TV debut.
      • Goofs
        The hubcaps on Jan's Datsun disappear and reappear at random times throughout the movie, sometimes this happens within the same scene.
      • Quotes

        Jan: Who is the Freeway Fiddler? Well of course, no one knows yet, but tonight we at least have an educated guess on that answer from Dr. Rita Glass, chief of psychiatric services at Los Angeles General Hospital, and a frequent consultant in police matters. Thank you for being with us tonight, Doctor, what can you tell us about the Fiddler?

        Dr. Rita Glass: Well Jan, of course I don't know anymore about what the Fiddler looks like than anyone else, but what I can offer tonight is a sort of psychological profile based on what we already know about the killer. Let's take the attacks themselves. We already know that the victims are all women traveling the freeway alone. We also know that they were all reasonably attractive, and there is strong evidence to suggest that in each case the driver of the car performed some sort of maneuver which was perceived by the killer as an act of aggression, causing the killer to say in effect 'Hey, you women are just getting too big for your britches'.

        Jan: Judging from what you just said then, what can we theorize about the Fiddler's psychological profile?

        Dr. Rita Glass: He is a severely repressed personality, easily threatened, unsure of his masculinity. That he may have been dominated as a child by his mother or some other female authority figures. That he is emotionally stunted, and in a very deep sense, feels like a child. I would also have to guess that he has a strong death wish, a need to be hurt, or killed, perhaps as a punishment for being such a bad boy. After all, he cannot attack these women in such a way without placing himself in extreme danger.

        Jan: Thank you, Doctor. Drawing on the doctor's profile then, we can make the following suggestions to women: Don't travel the freeway unless absolutely necessary, and don't travel alone. And if you do find yourself on the freeway, drive defensively, particularly if there is a van in the area. Remember, the Freeway Fiddler has already killed 9 women, and will almost surely, kill again.

      • Connections
        Referenced in Penny Dreadful (2005)

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      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • September 25, 1979 (United States)
      • Country of origin
        • United States
      • Language
        • English
      • Also known as
        • Todesfalle auf dem Highway
      • Filming locations
        • Los Angeles, California, USA
      • Production company
        • The Shpetner Company
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Tech specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        • 1h 31m(91 min)
      • Color
        • Color
      • Sound mix
        • Mono
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.33 : 1

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