Damnation Alley * (1977, Jan-Michael Vincent, George Peppard, Dominique Sanda, Paul Winfield, Jackie Earle Haley, Kip Niven) – Classic Movie Review 6738

Director Jack Smight’s ambitious but trashy 1977 sci-fi thriller is based on the intriguing cult novel by Roger Zalazny.

Jan-Michael Vincent and George Peppard star as young hero Tanner and army major Denton, who lead a group of post-apocalyptic holocaust survivors across America in an armoured vehicle in the hope of finding intelligent life.

The promising situation is turned on screen into a slice of appalling, cheap schlock sci-fi nonsense as Vincent and Peppard come up against monstrous mountain men (Seamon Glass, Roger Creed, James R Parkes), giant scorpions and giant cockroaches, as well as amateur special effects work and some lamentable acting. To be fair, the always commendable and likeable Vincent and Peppard keep their dignity and keep on in there trying to make it work.

Also in the cast are Paul Winfield, Jackie Earle Haley, Kip Niven, Robert Donner, Murray Hamilton, Trent Dolan, Mark L Taylor, Bob Hackman, Terence Locke, Marcia Holley and Erik Cord.

For close-ups, the film-makers used relatively benign live Madagascar hissing cockroaches, but rubber roaches were used in group or multi-roach shots, pulled across the floor like a sheet!

It cost a fair amount – $17 million – and flopped – with a $8,720,000 US gross.

Damnation Alley is directed by Jack Smight, runs 91 minutes, is made by Zeitman-Landers-Roberts Productions and 20th Century Fox, is written by Alan Sharp and Lukas Heller, is shot by Harry Stradling Jr, is produced by Hal Landers, Bobby Roberts, Jerome M Zeitman and Paul Maslansky, is scored by Jerry Goldsmith and designed by E Preston Ames.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6738

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