GETAWAY NIGHTMARES: Race with the Devil (1975) + Who Can Kill a Child (1976) » The Colonial Theatre

GETAWAY NIGHTMARES: Race with the Devil (1975) + Who Can Kill a Child (1976)

16mm Double Feature
    Buy Tickets

    Sign-up to receive updates about this and other events and films.

    About

    “A near-exact cross between Rosemary’s Baby, Duel, and The Parallax View, Race With The Devil…gets by on engaging drive-in goofiness.” — Keith Phipps, The A.V. Club

    “[Who Can Kill a Child is] a completely unheralded classic of bleak 1970s horror cinema.” — Jeremiah Kipp, Slant Magazine

    RACE WITH THE DEVIL (dir. Jack Starrett, 1975)

    Made in the wake of Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry, director Jack Starrett’s Race with the Devil cross-pollinates several of the decade’s most reliable exploitation modes (carsploitation, Satanic paranoia, and the road movie) into one of the more delirious genre mashups of the 1970s. When two couples set out on vacation in a decked-out RV (a rolling symbol of domestic comfort and material excess) their all-American road trip takes a sharp turn after they witness a human sacrifice in the Texas wilderness. What follows is a high-speed descent into conspiracy, suspicion, and creeping dread, as every roadside stop, small-town detour, and passing stranger begins to feel like part of something larger…and far more sinister. Praised by film critic Robin Wood for its genre fusion and “efficient and exciting” execution, this sun-drenched drive-in classic transforms open roads and desert landscapes into sites of mounting paranoia, culminating in one of the decade’s most chilling finales.

    Format: 16mm

    Print Note: We present Race with the Devil in its original theatrical version on a rare Eastman print, still boasting nice color with only minimal fade. Print courtesy of Exhumed Films.

    WHO CAN KILL A CHILD (dir. Narciso Ibáñez Serrador , 1976)

    Woefully overlooked and a bona fide subject for further rediscovery, Spanish horror filmmaker Narciso Ibáñez Serrador directed only two major features across a career largely devoted to television, but each left a lasting mark. Made in the dying days of the Franco regime, Who Can Kill a Child? follows an English couple, expecting their first child, as they arrive on a sun-bleached Mediterranean island in search of rest, only to find the streets eerily deserted, save for clusters of children who seem to share some private, unspoken knowledge. Drawing from The Birds, Village of the Damned, and the sociological horrors of George A. Romero, Serrador transmutes childhood innocence into a source of mounting dread, building toward a conclusion where the film’s title ceases to be rhetorical and becomes a moral abyss. Widely regarded as one of the defining achievements of Spanish horror, it’s not hard to see why.

    Format: 16mm

    Print Note: We present Who Can Kill a Child? in the rarely screened American International Pictures U.S. release version, retitled Island of the Damned. While the original English export version features predominantly English-language dialogue with some Spanish, this AIP version dubs all dialogue into English. This rare Eastman print is faded, though it still retains traces of its original color. Print courtesy of Exhumed Films.

    SCHEDULE

    Introduction / Trailers: 7:30 PM

    Race With the Devil (1975): 7:45 PM

    Intermission (15 minutes): 9:15 PM

    Who Can Kill A Child (1976): 9:30 PM

    End of Show: 11:20 PM

    GOODIES

    Many thanks to graphic designer Chris Garofalo of Quiltface Studios for designing the event poster! Don’t forget to claim yours.

    Also, thank you to Rough Cut Fan Club for supplying Race with the Devil-themed shirts to be raffled off.

    TICKETS

    Adults: $20

    Senior/Student/Military/Veteran: $18

    Members: $16

    Designer/Director/Visionary Members: Free

    Sponsors

    Sponsor this program.

    Information

    • Genre Horror
    • Director Jack Starrett / Chicho Ibáñez Serrador
    • Released 1975 / 1976
    • Runtime 3h 50m
    • Rated R
    • Studio Disney-Fox / Video Mercury Films
    • CountryUSA / Spain

    Trailers

    Stills

    Buy Tickets
    Ticketing & Seating Accessibility Concessions Menu

    Plan Your Visit

    Please allow yourself enough time to get to the theatre. Phoenixville has limited parking! Click "Parking" below to find parking locations.

    Parking

    Member Benefits/Business Program

    To participate in the Colonial Theatre's new business benefits partnership program for members, please complete and submit this form. We will email to confirm receipt and with any questions.

    • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
    • Accepted file types: jpg, gif, png, pdf, , Max. file size: 128 MB.

    Screen Sponsorship Agreement

    • Tell Us About Yourself and Your Organization or Business

    • Slide Run

    • Max. file size: 128 MB.

    Film Sponsorship

    General Help / Info

    Need help with something? Use the form below to send us a message and someone from our staff will get back to you.

    Make a Donation

    Book A Private Film Screening

    Please fill out this form to rent the Berry Theatre.

    • Please enter the information of the person who will act as contact for this rental.

    • MM slash DD slash YYYY
      Please note: if only some of your guests would like popcorn, please submit the number of popcorns you would like in the "other" field.
    • Please note that when you book a private screening rental, you can choose to privately view one of the films screening at the Colonial that week.
    • MM slash DD slash YYYY
    • MM slash DD slash YYYY
      If your prefered date is unavailable, we will schedule your rental on this alternative date.

    Volunteer Application

    Become A Colonial Theatre Volunteer!

    • MM slash DD slash YYYY
    • Required for volunteering.

    Tell us about yourselves

    How would you like to help your clients access the arts or utilize the arts (film, live) to amplify your mission?

    Splatterfest X1 Lunch Order Form - 2023

    • Please list the order number associated with your Splatterfest XI (2023) Ticket(s).
    • Each of Dixie Picnic's Famous Box Lunches is scratch made and features one (1) sandwich of choice with salad of choice, a deviled egg, and an Upcake.