Devil at Your Heels
The story of a daredevil…
Ken Carter wants to jump a car a mile
Devil at Your Heels (1981)
Seasoned stunt driver Ken Carter has spent the past 20 years risking his life jumping cars three times a week. Feeling the pain from decades of injuries, he recognizes the end of his career is near. But before he calls it a day, he’s determined to achieve legend status – by jumping a car a mile over the St. Lawrence Seaway. After spending his life savings building a rocket car, he joins forces with ABC’s Wide World of Sports to build a massive ramp and put all the pieces in place to make his dream a reality. When the network sends Evel Knievel to inspect, he’s shocked by the danger involved and concludes this is the “daredevil stunt that might end all daredevil stunts.”
An epic journey to the heart of one man’s dangerous obsession, The Devil at Your Heels is one of the most beloved films ever to emerge from The National Film Board of Canada. Playfully narrated by celebrated Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent, this immersion in the mind of an inspired – if overly ambitious – dreamer is often described as a forerunner to American Movie. CIP is proud to present this timeless cult classic alongside four shorts by director Robert Fortier, including his earlier Ken Carter film, The Mad Canadian.
Special features
• Scanned and restored in 2K from the 16mm interpositive by the National Film Board of Canada
• Selected-scene commentary featuring director Robert Fortier
• Daredevil Director (2025, 18 min.) – New interview with Fortier
• New audio interview with Gloria DeMario (2025, 8 min.), who dated Ken Carter during the shoot
• Keller on Carter (2025, 10 min.) – Rocket car designer Richard Keller on his collaboration with Carter
• Long John Baldry interview (1989, 4 min.) – Archival interview with the musician who created “Ken’s Theme”
• Someone Else’s Movie episode on the film featuring Becky Shrimpton and host Norm Wilner
• Pure Cinema Podcast excerpt (2018, 9 min.) – Elric Kane and Brian Saur discuss the film
• Pure Cinema Podcast introduction (2024, 8 min.) – Kane and Saur introduce the film at The American Cinematheque
• The Movies That Made Me excerpt (2020, 7 min.) – Kier-La Janisse and Caelum Vatnsdal discuss the film
• Ken Carter: World Record (1982, 25 min.) – Archival footage of Carter’s ramp-to-ramp rocket car jump on August 19, 1982
• Aim for the Roses clip (2016, 6 min.) – Excerpt from John Bolton’s documentary chronicling a musical tribute to Ken Carter
• Four short films directed by Fortier: The Myth and the Reality (1973, 5 min.), Metal Workers (1975, 10 min.), The Mad Canadian (1976, 10 min.), and Harmonium in California (1979, 29 min.)
• New introductions to all four shorts by Fortier
• Image gallery
• Theatrical trailer
• Double-sided poster
• Reversible cover artwork
• English SDH subtitles
Canadian International Pictures
From arthouse to Canuxploitation, Canadian International Pictures (CIP) is devoted to resurrecting vital, distinctive, and overlooked triumphs of Canadian and Québécois cinema. We are focused on the country’s original cinematic boom years – spanning the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s – occasionally venturing past that period (and the country’s borders) to highlight the films of Canada’s most inspired actors and filmmakers.
