It seems that anyone who ventures near the town of Paris (Australia) ends up the victim of an auto accident; this, it turns out, is good for Business in the town of Paris. Coincidence? When Arthur Waldo's brother is killed in an auto accident which Arthur himself survives, the town decides to "keep" him. Arthur, it turns out, has a phobia about driving: a manslaughter charge resulted in the loss his license, and he's been unable to get behind the wheel of a car ever since. Meanwhile, other "accidents" have been occurring and the survivors given over to the local doctor, who conducts experiments on them. Among the townsfolk is the dim-witted Charlie (Bruce Spence, who played the gyro pilot in THE ROAD WARRIOR), who's eager to blow away anybody who wanders into his line of fire. He has a ghoulish collection of hood ornaments taken from the cars of his victims. When Arthur tries to leave the town, a pair of cars with engines revving menacingly bar his way. He returns to town and is told that he has "brain damage" and "a fear of cars... But that's the world we live in- the world of the motor car." If THE CARS THAT ATE Paris has one major failing, it's the lack of characterization(s): we never really get to know or care about anyone, especially our hero, Arthur. The climax deserves mention, wherein a group of ROAD WARRIORs engage in a DEATH RACE 2000 type of all-out automotive mayhem in which entire buildings are run into the ground.
Review of The Cars That Ate Paris
