Rollercoaster is a 1977 American disaster-suspense film directed by James Goldstone and starring George Segal, Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda and Timothy Bottoms.

It was one of the few films to be shown in Sensurround, which used extended-range bass frequencies to give a sense of vibration to the viewers during the coaster rides.

Calder suspects the incidents might be linked, and learns that the executives of companies running the largest amusement parks in America are holding a meeting in Chicago.

The FBI rejects Calder's hypothesis but decides to investigate anyway because the ride is scheduled to debut on July 4, when park attendance will be at its highest for the season.

Agents disguised as park maintenance men eventually find a bomb attached to the tracks and disarm it.

The bomber is eventually cornered and threatens to blow up the ride, holding the detonator in his hand while the agents try to jam the signal.

Sensurround was employed in only three other films released by Universal: Earthquake (1974), Midway (1976) and the theatrical version of Battlestar Galactica (1978).

"Sensurround is as big a star as there is in movies today," said Sidney Sheinberg, head of MCA, who attributed the better-than-expected success of Earthquake and Midway at the box office to the device.

Steve Guttenberg, in his first film role, has an uncredited bit part as a messenger[10] at Magic Mountain who brings the plans for the Revolution to Calder and Hoyt.

Some of the rides featured in the film, such as the Shenandoah Lumber Company and Rebel Yell wooden roller coaster (renamed Racer 75), still exist today.

But after the park's owners declined their participation, the producers of the film ended up shooting the "Wonder World" segment at Kings Dominion instead.

Despite having been released in the late spring of 1977 and being overshadowed by the smash hit Star Wars, it went on to be a moderate success at the box office.

Vincent Canby of The New York Times called the film "effective pop entertainment that, like an amusement-park ride, deals in the sensation of suspense for the foolish fun of it".

[14] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film 1½ stars out of 4 and called it "a traffic accident masquerading as a movie" with "one of the dullest villains imaginable".

[15] Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times wrote in a positive review that the film "is not so much a disaster story as an unexpectedly articulate and well-polished piece of cat-and-mouse suspense whose derivation is more from Hitchcock than, say, Irwin Allen".

[16] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post wrote, "The Sensurround process, fundamentally unnecessary as it is, supplements the subjective visual thrills effectively."

"[17] Kenneth Turan, then also of The Washington Post, stated, "I was going take the high road, be the Father Flanigan of film criticism, and say there is no such thing as a bad movie, that standards are relative, tastes differ.

'Rollercoaster,' slambang title notwithstanding, is a singularly tepid piece of work, so dull not even Sensurround can keep you fully awake.