The night of Halloween is upon us! The perfect time of year to watch your favourite horror classics and binge on junk food like you’re that bright-eyed 12-year-old again. Blood-curdling screams, psychopaths in masks and teenagers being sexy for some reason have become staples in the horror genre.
However, cars can be pretty chilling too. Just look at those gas pricing skyrocketing at your local gas station. Whether operated by bloodthirsty maniacs or a cheerleader trying to escape pending doom, cars have become a trope for modern horror flicks.
Don’t think so? Well, see how many of these you can recognize:
Christine – 1958 Plymouth Fury
Dubbed cinema’s most haunted car, Christine is usually the first automobile that pops into anyone’s head when they think of cars in horror movies.
Based on the book of the same name by Stephen King, it reported that 23 1958 Plymouth Furys were purchased during filming. It was so expensive that it covered approximately 15% of the whole film’s budget. This means that more money was spent on the cars than the actors’ salaries.
By the time filming had wrapped, only three of the Furys were still in one piece. One was sold to a collector in 2004 for a whopping $167,000. Stephen King chose a 1958 Plymouth Fury because he thought it was a “forgotten car,” which wasn’t far from the truth.
Back in the early years of Plymouth (1956 – 1958), sales were failing due to issues of quality control and structural weaknesses. Chrysler would eventually bounce back from this in the later years, but those couple of years did a number on their sales.
Evil Dead - 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88
Upon tuning in to the first Evil Dead from 1981, we see Ash Williams and his friends drive up to their cabin in the woods in a 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 for a weekend of partying. What they don’t know is that evil resides in the basement of that cabin.
Evil Dead was arguably the film that started the trend of B-style horror flicks. Sam Raimi and his team made this movie with nothing more than peanuts, which extended to the Oldsmobile. According to Raimi, the car first belonged to his father but eventually passed it down to his son. However, when Raimi, his brother Ted and best friend Bruce Campbell were teenagers, they constantly borrowed it for their Super-8 films.
In Campbell’s autobiography If Chins Could Kill—Confessions of a B-Movie Actor, he explains, “This damn car has been in more movies than I have! For some reason, it became the all-purpose car that appeared in almost every Super-8 film we ever made. When Sam began to make feature films, he kept using it—starting with Evil Dead in 1979. Sam dubbed it ‘The Classic.'”
If you watch other Sam Raimi films, you might be able to spot if you look hard enough.
Duel – 1955 Peterbilt 281
Before Jaws, Steven Spielberg had another sleeper horror hit in Duel, the story of one man’s desperate attempt to escape a homicidal truck driver.
Despite not being manufactured anymore, the Peterbilt truck was a prevalent model from 1954 to 1976. Truckers especially appreciated the ease of engine access and superior visibility, earning the nickname “Needlenose” for its narrow and butterfly hood.
Throughout the entire film, we never see the face of the sadistic driver, and that was Spielberg’s intention. There was a casting call for the truck that would be used in the film because Steven wanted the audience to see the truck itself as the antagonist.
After screening several different types of trucks, the crew ultimately decided on the Peterbilt 281. When asked why that particular model, he stated that the split windshield, rounded lights, and elongated hood represented the menacing features of the truck’s “face.”
What do you think?
Maximum Overdrive – Western Star 4800
Honestly, does this vehicle need any introduction?
Maximum Overdrive got a lot of attention when it was first released because this was the Stephen King movie that was 100% under his control. That’s right, he not only wrote the film, but he also sat behind the camera.
King was so overconfident about the film, he actually filmed promos where he declared, “I just wanted something to do Stephen King right,” and “I’m gonna scare the hell out of you.” It might be important to mention that King had a severe cocaine addiction during filming.
The film did rather poorly with both critics and audiences because… well, just look at the truck meant to scare audiences. Suppose you’re thinking that the face on the truck looks a little familiar. In that case, that’s because it was modelled after Marvel supervillain Green Goblin.
While it’s unknown how the filmmakers didn’t anticipate audiences noticing this, the truck itself has become a famous icon at horror festivals. After the film’s completion, the goblin truck was pretty banged up, and it ended up in the garbage. That is until Movie memorabilia collector Tim Shockey discovered it, restored it, and began displaying it regularly at horror festivals.
You can actually follow his exploits on both Facebook and Twitter.
Cujo – 1978 Ford Pinto
Whoever said that dogs are man’s best friend has never met a dog like Cujo.
While visiting their local mechanic to get their Ford Pinto fixed, Donna and her son fail to realize that his friendly St. Bernard has contracted rabies and mauled him to death. Don’t worry though, because they can still drive away to safety, right?
Unfortunately, the Pinto’s alternator breaks, leaving the duo stranded at the mercy of the crazed hound. What’s truly funny about this movie now is that they chose a Ford Pinto for the shelter. If anyone knows the automobile’s history, they would probably advise against that.
In 1978, Ford had to issue a recall for the vehicle because it slightly tended to explode… no, seriously. Apparently, the engineers didn’t think ahead when positioning the car’s gas tank between the rear axle and bumper. So, in the case of a rear collision, there was a chance that the car would go kaboom.
Still feel safe there Donna?
Ghostbusters – ’59 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Ambulance/Hearse Conversion
This couldn’t be a complete list without mentioning the iconic Ecto-1 from the horror/comedy classic Ghostbusters.
Down on their luck after being booted from their cushy jobs at Columbia University, three scientists specializing in the paranormal make a last-ditch effort. They take what money they have left and start a “ghostbusting business,” including a new firehouse HQ and a service vehicle with their own logo printed on it.
What you may not know is that this iconic automobile is one-of-a-kind. While other films could just purchase more of the same vehicle to use in case of any “mistakes,” Ghostbusters was actually made on a limited budget. When most of the available money goes towards the effects, that doesn’t leave a lot for new cars.
Through a busy and rushed filming schedule, only one Ecto-1 was created during production. Thankfully the machine got through everything the Ghostbusters hurled at it.
