North Florida Lincoln

The Most Murderous Vehicles In Cinema History

The Most Murderous Vehicles In Cinema History

As the seasons change and the air gets a little cooler, thoughts of Halloween creep in. One of my favorite things about this time of year is the increasing number of horror movies to watch on TV. I love them all. Jason, Freddie, and Michael from the newer generation and Dracula, The Wolf Man, and just about every Vincent Price movie from the older take up a lot of my time from now until November. Of all of the movies to choose from, though, some of the most chilling involve evil or possessed vehicles. There's just something about a piece of cold machinery with dark intent that runs a chill up my spine. Here are a few of the best in cinema history brought to you by our partners at North Florida Lincoln here in Jacksonville, FL.

Duel (1971) 
Although is was originally a TV movie, Duel was released in theaters in 1983. It's the story of a salesman who has runs afoul of a rusted tanker truck on a stretch of desert highway. For a good portion of the movie I was convinced that the driver was the evil one, but during the course of the movie it becomes apparent that the truck itself is the culprit. The sheer size of the truck and its horrific behavior toward the hapless salesman are really frightening .

The Car (1977)
Okay, this one is a little cheesy, but not every movie has to be of the same quality as psycho. It's about a black sedan that terrorizes the small town of Saint Ynez. It plows down pedestrians and bike riders relentlessly. It is definitely the car itself that is the source of the evil, as it can't pursue its victims onto holy ground. Fun to watch, but not particularly well done. 

Maximum Overdrive (1986)
I have a lot of love for this one. It was the first movie directed by Stephen King and it really set the tone for the rest of his career. The plot is simple: a comet's tail passes over the Earth, causing various pieces of machinery across the planet to come to life. One of these is a Happy Toys truck, which has a Green Goblin-like face on the front. The sentience inside the truck takes over the other vehicles in the area, making the residents of the nearly town's gas station its slave. The movie builds tension in just the right places and hits a lot of notes in the right order to make it one of the best Halloween movies in my book. 

Christine (1983) 
This should come as no surprise. It's one of the most popular car movies of all time, and for good reason. Christine is a car that rolled off the assembly line evil. No real reason for it is given. It's just a murderous car that hunts those it doesn't like and kills them. It communicates a little through its radio, playing songs that tie into its thoughts and actions. It bonds with one of its owners, Arnie, and begins to affect his behavior. It's a horror movie, but in a way it's also a love story. Oh, and the car can repair itself, making it nearly indestructible. The special effects were fantastic for the time, and the story as a whole holds up.

There are several more that could make the list, but these are a great primer to get you started for the Halloween season. Don't skip the classics such as A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)  or House On Haunted Hill (the original 1959 B&W,) but give at least one of these a try!

Written By: Todd Hendrickson
Source: flashbak.com