No, not Paris, France. This independent film tries to blend black comedy and horror together in a very weird way. The film opens in a very amusing sort of way- a happy young couple is going on a ride through the countryside. Corny early 70s jazzy electronic music is playing (the kind of stuff that would play on a high school informational video) and the couple look happy and in love. Then, all of a sudden, they reach Paris. Their car is run off the road by a booby trap, the couple is killed and then the townspeople move in to scavenge the parts and valuables the couple may have in tow.
I have to give the writers a lot of credit- the concept of an isolated community that kills passersby for their belongings is quite unique and chilling. The only problem is that The Cars That Ate Paris doesn’t go far enough beyond its concept to make a complete story.
A man named Arthur and his friend or brother (I don’t remember which) fall victim to the town’s nefarious plot, but Arthur survives. Instead of just killing him, the townspeople decide to try and assimilate him into their community. The more Arthur learns about the community, the less he wants to stay. The only problem is that the town goes to great lengths to prevent anyone from leaving (for very understandable reasons).
Arthur’s big problem is that he caused a fatal crash earlier in his life and has been afraid of driving ever since. The town exploits his fear and says that if he can summon the courage to get behind the wheel, they’ll let him drive away. It is only until he is pushed to the limit that he can accomplish this task and make his escape.
His escape is assisted by a vehicular rampage staged by the youth of the town. All throughout the movie we see them driving around in their wildly decorated cars, harassing and intimidating the older generation and Arthur. Very little is explained as to why they are so angry with the town elders. If it is freedom they seek, they certainly have every opportunity to drive off in their cars. They seem to be rebelling against something that is never explained, which is a major flaw for the film.
I also couldn’t really wrap my head around why they chose to spare Arthur’s life. I understand that the town will need to introduce new people from time to time or face the end of their existence, but why Arthur? After killing so many people, no reasoning is given for his attempted assimilation. It would seem that any rationally-minded person would want to leave the town as soon as they found out how the people make ends meet.
Speaking of making ends meet, it was never addressed how the town acquired enough food to get by. Do they have some kind of a bartering station or outpost closer to civilization? The film leaves you with no clear answers here.
The idea itself is really good, but The Cars That Ate Paris lacks a lot in the execution. Developing the story to occur in a dystopian post-apocalyptic setting would have made more sense. A few more rewrites would have served this picture well. As it stands, the blend of black comedy and what little horror exists left me feeling a bit bored and expecting something big to happen that would tie it all together.
No such resolution came my way, leaving me a little perturbed. The Cars That Ate Paris is a prime example of a neat idea falling apart at the hands of poor execution. I think a remake of this film could be quite good and possibly even quite popular.
No, not Paris, France. This independent film tries to blend black comedy and horror together in a very weird way. The film opens in a very amusing sort of way- a happy young couple is going on a ride through the countryside. Corny early 70s jazzy electronic music is playing (the kind of stuff that would play on a high school informational video) and the couple look happy and in love. Then, all of a sudden, they reach Paris. Their car is run off the road by a booby trap, the couple is killed and then the townspeople move in to scavenge the parts and valuables the couple may have in tow.
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