Director: Paul Bartel
Written by: Ib Melchior (story), Robert Thom, Charles Griffith
Cast: David Carradine, Simone Griffeth, Sylvester Stallone, Mary Woronov

Year / Country: 1975, USA
Running Time: 84 mins.

A future race takes place annually whereby the contestants have to kill pedestrians to score points. This is the latest gladiator-like event to please the bloodthirsty crowd.

The main character Frankenstein (Carradine) is a great anti-hero. He’s the most popular driver due to winning a number of previous editions of the race. After losing a few limbs, he has mechanical parts fitted in him that make him an even more efficient racer. With his black cape and mask he looks like a pre-Star Wars Darth Vader. His arch rival Machine Gun Joe is portrayed by a young Sylvester Stallone, who got his name by unloading his machine gun in the audience.

This cult gem from the seventies is produced by Roger Corman, king of the B-movie cheapies. The carmageddon concept works well, and you get to enjoy the characters that go by names of Nero the Hero and Herman the German. The makers obviously had a lot of fun shooting this film, and they never forgot what they were making; a funny, violent action B-movie with some inventive dialogues and situations. Watch this film and you’ll have a great time for sure!

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Biography: Paul Bartel (1938, New York – 2000, New York) majored in theater arts at UCLA and studied film directing in Rome. After getting his first work experience with Roger Corman he directed a number of low budget cult films. He also worked as a writer and an actor. He died in 2000 from a heart attack.

Filmography: The Secret Cinema (1968, short), Naughty Nurse (1969, short), Private Parts (1972), Death Race 2000 (1975), Cannonball! (1976), Eating Raoul (1982), Not for Publication (1984), Lust in the Dust (1985), The Longshot (1986), Amazing Stories (1986/87, TV episodes), Shelf Life (1993), The Comic Strip Presents…(1993, TV episode), Clueless (1996, TV episode)