New Jersey Stage 2016: Issue 1 | Page 91

behind one of their gang after he succumbs to a gunshot wound, the remaining trio hijack a car driven by a nervous father (Lambert Wilson), whose four year old daughter is onboard and in need of an operation within hours to save her life. Bava’s original film attained cult status chiefly due to its being out of circulation until 1998, thanks to a court case that resulted in its originally planned 1974 release being shelved. It’s an average “years of lead” thriller, best remembered for a typically sleazy performance by Luigi Montefiori (aka George Eastman, one of the seediest actors to ever appear on film) and a twist ending that ranks as one of the best in any genre of cinema. My first question going into his remake was in regard to this twist. Would it be repeated verbatim, or like Gone Girl, would it be revised to keep it fresh for those of us familiar with Bava’s version? I won’t reveal the Watch the trailer for the original Rabid Dogs NewJerseyStage.com 2016 - ISSUE 1 Table of Contents 91