Rollercoaster (1977 film)

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Rollercoaster is a 1977 American disaster-suspense film directed by James Goldstone. It stars George Segal as Harry Calder, a safety inspector who must stop a mysterious bomber who plants bombs on roller coasters at several amusement parks. The cast also includes Richard Widmark, Timothy Bottoms, Harry Guardino, Susan Strasberg, and Henry Fonda.

Plot in brief
An unknown bomber places a small radio-controlled bomb on the tracks of The Rocket, a wooden roller coaster at Ocean View Amusement Park, causing a deadly derailment. Safety inspector Harry Calder is brought in to investigate and learns the bomber may be connected to other park incidents. As multiple parks become targets, Calder travels to Chicago to deal with extortion threats and to track the mastermind.

The bomber later targets Kings Dominion in Virginia and then Magic Mountain in California, where a new roller coaster, The Revolution, is about to debut. The bomber uses a “Gold Ticket” to ride the inaugural launch and hides a bomb on the train. Calder and FBI agents race to stop him as the ride opens and reopens. In the climax, Calder corners the bomber on the track; the bomber is shot and killed when a roller coaster train hits him as he clutches a detonator.

Sensurround and production
Rollercoaster was released in Sensurround, a system that used low-frequency bass to make the ride feel more real. It was one of only a few Universal Pictures films to use the effect, following Earthquake and Midway.

Filming and settings
The movie used several real parks:
- Ocean View Park in Norfolk, Virginia (rebranded in the film as a West Coast park)
- Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia
- Magic Mountain (Six Flags Magic Mountain) in Valencia, California
Other scenes were shot at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

Music and release
The score was composed by Lalo Schifrin. Rollercoaster opened on June 10, 1977, with a budget of about $9 million and grossing around $8.2 million. The ride-heavy spectacle was released to mixed reviews and was overshadowed at the box office by Star Wars, which dampened enthusiasm for Sensurround projects.

Reception
critics were mixed. Some praised the suspense and exciting roller coaster sequences, while others found the film uneven or the villain underwhelming. It holds about 53% on Rotten Tomatoes based on a small number of reviews.