Killdozer

My favourite film by a mile as a small child. I remember watching this with my sister when I was about 6 and she was 2 and it scared the pants off us!!.

Its a great tale of a group of construction workers on a remote island who accidentally drive a bulldozer into a very strange rock - having very strange effects, giving the bulldozer a killer streak!! - Sound naff?, well maybe - enjoyable and still a little scary? - you bet!! I haven't seen the film for about 10 years and I don't think its on video but I recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone who likes such better known films as "Duel" and "The Car"

When I saw the vote record for this title on this site, I was dumbfounded. 32 (the largest number) out of 198 people gave it only a 1!

I remember this film from when it first aired. It was one of the ABC MOVIE OF THE WEEK projects. These were short (2 hours with commercials) films produced with TV series level budgets. This film was based on Theodore Sturgeon's short story about a machine that becomes "possessed" by an electromagnetic alien life-form and turns on its operators.

Because of the budget restraints, these films had to rely more on story than showmanship.

Young Orson Wells would have been right at home working on a project like this. Filmed entirely on location. This film was a thriller where an ordinary object we can take for granted becomes an object of fear – a twist Edgar Allen Poe often used in his works. The film is heavily altered from TS's original because of the low budget. The background story of his version of the fall of Atlantis was unnecessary to the plot, so a different and simpler opening sequence was filmed: a meteor crashing into the Earth 100,000 years ago. John Carpenter would use a similar conceptual opening again years later in his remake of THE THING. This film is a story – not a masterpiece – just a story. And I felt it was a good one.

For that matter, so did most of my friends at the time felt the same way -- it was a popular movie.

How I wish wish wish this was released on DVD!

KILLDOZER, progenitor of more collegiate howls of laughter than even the 1974 Wisconsin Badger football team, and that was a bad, bad team.

Two big stars, Clint Walker (movies) and Carl Betz (TV) peeking out from hiding, trying to figure out how to kill KILLDOZER -- "Too heavy to hang..won't fit in a gas chamber." (!!!) When it came up for rerun the entire student lounge was jammed full.

A construction crew on a tiny island, a huge bulldozer (sorry, KILLDOZER) with a roaring diesel engine. And yet, eerily silent as it maneuvers around hills to spring, well crawl, out at its next victim.

KILLDOZER!!! The two-mile-an-hour menace no one could escape.

"Killdozer" is a very entertaining TV movie from 1974, telling the story of a construction crew on a remote island (that looks a lot like southern California). The men must fight for their lives against a huge bulldozer controlled by a murderous alien force. The silly premise is made watchable by a good cast, lots and lots of action, an intelligent screenplay, and fine (if TV-style) direction.

A D9 bulldozer strikes a strange-looking rock, whereupon a mysterious alien force (shown as a blue light) is transferred to the 'dozer. The big machine soon has a mind of its own, destroying the construction workers' camp and proceeding on an orgy of killing and destruction. Good acting work by Clint Walker, Carl Betz, and Neville Brand help uplift the proceedings. Watch for a very young (and skinny) Robert Urich, who only survives the first few minutes of the movie before being scorched by alien radiation. The other workers are methodically wiped out until only two are left.

The Killdozer does its homicidal work with much enthusiasm, revving its engine, emitting black diesel fumes, waving its huge blade, frantically moving its control levers, and flashing its lights. The climactic "Killdozer death scene" is pretty good, as Walker lures the violent 'dozer to its death—or at least the death of the alien force.

In summary, I think this film is very good but I have a few other items to discuss. I saw this movie 31 years ago, and I'm still wondering how a 50-ton machine with a roaring diesel engine which belches huge clouds of black smoke could possibly sneak up on and surprise anyone. But the Killdozer manages to do just that, much to the detriment of the workers. Another issue is the one lesson I learned from this movie: If a maniacal bulldozer controlled by an alien force is lurking about—don't get drunk.

Here's another title that's on the MIA list. "Killdozer" is an interesting little tale based a short story of late sci-fi writer Theodore Sturgeon. Very unusual that the setting of the story where this bulldozer runs amok is an island somewhere in South Africa. Too bad the movie doesn't go into detail about the strange force that possesses the machine and starts it on a murderous rampage. But watch for a very young Robert Urich - way before his stint on 'S.W.A.T.', 'Vegas' and 'Spenser; for Hire'. My mother and I enjoyed this movie along with others such as 'Duel'. There's a sub-plot to Clint Walker's character: trying to overcome his battle with the bottle which led to a certain fall from grace in the company he works for. One gets the impression that he was sent on this construction job as a sort of punishment. Much as I'd like to think all the vintage ABC programming is seared into my memory, it has been so long since I've seen this movie, I could be mistaken about one or two points.

Additional note: Clint Walker fans should also see another ABC movie title the actor did called 'Scream of The Wolf'.