Review of The Cars That Ate Paris (1974) by Sebastian H — 04 Mar 2013

I don't think I am happier than when I'm watching Aussie movies from the 70s and 80s. 'The Cars That Ate Paris' is a misleading title for a number of reasons and yet it suits the film perfectly.

Just a few years after 'Wake In Fright' presented a nightmare story of an out-of-towner trapped in a small community unable to escape, Peter Weir elaborated on that concept to create a creepy horror film about a small country town which orchestrates car accidents to fuel it's local economy.

The only way into town is a small and treacherous road and anyone travelling in their direction is forced off into a steep ravine. If the travellers survive they are either lobotomised and locked up in a sanatorium for the local doctor to experiment on or they are selected to become new residents, at which point they are brainwashed.

I love the movie. The stunt work is great, the performances are effective and the concept is totally surreal. We stopped making these types of movies midway through the 90s and it's really sad. We had such a distinctive approach to genre filmmaking and it's something we should celebrate and reclaim.

Something that occurred to me when watching the movie was how often I drive through small country towns and see entire paddocks full of old wrecked and abandoned cars... it makes you wonder!! LOL.