5DayDeals' Rocky Carror Show

Written by: 5daydeals.co.za

We love cars around here, but even we can admit that, in the right light, a roaring automotive beast can be a scary thing. Maybe that’s why there’s a surprising amount of horror media out there that’s centred around cars. In fact, of all the genres out there, horror is probably the one most likely to prominently feature cars while not being expressly marketed at car enthusiasts like us. It’s a funny thing, but “car horror” actually is a pretty underappreciated subgenre, once you look into it a bit.

And as a result, since today is Halloween, we’ve decided that now is as good a time as any to highlight some underappreciated examples of horror media that give our cars a chance to take on a villainous role, or to just get some significant screentime.

From A Buick 8

When it comes to “horror media about a car created by Stephen King”, most people’s minds go straight to Christine, that classic about a murderous 1958 Plymouth Fury. But – perhaps unsurprisingly, given the sheer volume of stuff King produced – that wasn’t his only instance of car-centric horror. In 2002, he put out From A Buick 8, a lesser-known novel that, unlike Christine, hasn’t yet made it to the big screen. This one centres around another handsome classic automotive from the 50s – this time a 1953 Buick Roadmaster – but is otherwise pretty different in tone. For the most part, the car becomes a source of horror not by causing terror on the tarmac, but by being a portal of some sort to an alien world. Creatures beyond description frequently emerge from the vehicle, and the protagonists spend much of the story attempting, and failing, to understand this piece of alien technology that clearly isn’t meant to be comprehensible to humans. It’s the sort of surreal, Lovecraft-inspired horror that King frequently dabbles in, and it might well be one of the most unconventional examples of using a car as a source of horror in the entire genre. Either way, it’s unique as can be.

Duel

And on the subject of horror produced by one of the most iconic fiction creators of the late 20th century, let’s talk about Duel, one of the earliest directorial efforts in Stephen Spielberg’s very respectable career. Made in 1971 and based on Richard Matheson’s short story of the same name, the simple narrative follows an unremarkable businessman named David Mann, who, while driving his Plymouth Valiant through the Mohave Desert, finds himself pursued by a rusty and roaring old Peterbilt 281 tanker truck. Unlike many examples of car horror, this one has no supernatural elements, which arguably makes it all the more effective. The driver of the truck is never shown, meaning that the truck itself becomes the film’s antagonist; and seeing this enormous, hulking machine bearing down on the protagonist’s low-set car, looking ready to crush him into dust at any moment, awakens a certain primal fear that chills you to the core. The dry, hot, isolated setting also greatly enhances the horror – many of us who’ve had to take long drives have experienced some level of paranoia at the notion of finding ourselves wrecked or broken down out in such a remote location, where help is scarce and travelling on foot is not feasible. Plus, the truck at the centre of the horror might well be one of the best examples of a grungy, rickety, run-down vehicle nonetheless being strikingly cool.

The Cars That Ate Paris

Another 70s film, The Cars That Ate Paris is pretty different from what the title might make you expect. For one thing, the Paris of the title isn’t the capital of France, but an isolated township in the Australian desert, and while cars do feature prominently in the film, they don’t literally eat anything. The inhabitants of Paris sustain themselves by causing cars that pass through their town to have accidents and scavage the wrecks. Much of the film’s plot concerns itself with a clash between the town elders and the unruly young Greasers, but cars nonetheless feature prominently, and there’s plenty of eye candy for gearheads. In fact, if you have any interest in unconventional car modification, this film might well find a place on your top ten list – it preceded the Mad Max films by several years in being a film about rusty old vehicles modified for destruction tearing up the Australian desert. A particularly iconic image – a Volkswagen Beetle covered entirely in massive spikes – is probably one of the coolest things you’re likely to see in any car-centric film. You really owe it to yourself to check this one out, just to see how striking low-budget practical car modifications can get.