Top 10 Killer Car Movies
When you hear "killer car," you might think of a vehicle with a ruthless GPS or lackluster gas mileage. But no, we're not talking about a navigation system that wants to take over the world—though that would be an interesting plot twist. Instead, we're diving into the world of cinema, where cars have developed a taste for destruction and a knack for creative road rage.
Get ready to shift into hilarity mode as we dive headfirst into the wild world of killer car movies. We've gone back through the last five decades of killer vehicle films to pick ten must-sees for fans of automotive mayhem. These films all take a different approach to the genre, and while not all are great movies, they all deliver where it counts.
Buckle up and prepare for a tireless night of cinematic carnage! These killer car movies will have you checking under your hood for any signs of murderous intentions. Remember, the next time your car revs its engine a little too eagerly, it might just be plotting world domination!
10. Killdozer! (1974)
Killdozer! was a 1974 ABC network television movie which aired on February 2, 1974. The film itself doesn't quite deliver on the promise of that name, but its overall absurdity warrants the film with the special honor of kicking off our list.
It was based on Theodore Sturgeon's short story that focuses on a small construction crew, alone on an island, that becomes terrorized when some strange spirit-like being takes over a large bulldozer and goes on a killing rampage. Of course, bulldozers aren't very fast, so director Jerry London had to invent reasons to have his victims (a construction crew) stand around while the giant glowing vehicle catches up to them, but it's still a massive and imposing "villain."
Believe it or not, a real-life "Killdozer" incident occurred in the city of Granby, Colorado in June, 2004. Marvin Heemeyer, feeling that he was treated unfairly by the government, bought a bulldozer at auction and converted it into a tank and destroyed thirteen buildings simply because he lost a zoning dispute. Nobody was killed during the rampage except for Heemeyer, who was armed, fired at propane tanks, and destroyed buildings that were occupied in the moments before the attack.
9. The Wraith (1986)
A young Charile Sheen stars as The Wraith, who rides into town in his mysterious "Turbo Interceptor" and takes revenge on a gang of no good road pirates. What a storyline! Sheen's character returns from the dead as a supernatural, or possibly alien-created, street-racer intent on taking revenge on the gang who murdered him.
The Wraith has an absurd script and all the cheesiness you'd expect from this B-Movie staple. The movie’s plot is predictable and is filled with glaring holes (primarily limited to The Mystery Racer’s ability to resurrect himself after crashes), but it crafted some of the 80's most memorable scenes in that department.
If you're a fan of revenge fantasies, The Wraith will likely feed your appetite even if it isn't the smartest or best film out there.
8. The Hearse (1980)
This film fits comfortably into the haunted house film bracket, which by 1980 was firmly a popular sub-genre of the horror film. "The Hearse" contains all the best clichés from recent, more successful horror movies, but its clichés exist in a vacuum. The events in this movie happen because they have happened in other horror movies and seemed like a good idea at the time. We know better.
This movie center around a schoolteacher who moves into her deceased aunt's home in a small town, only to find herself plagued by supernatural occurrences and unexplained hostility from the local townspeople connected to her aunt's past. One of the real cheats of the movie is that it never provides a consistent framework for all the terrible things that take place.
As soon as she moves in, she is haunted by an old black hearse and its creepy driver. Is she going insane or is she truly being menaced? She meets a friendly young man and becomes involved with him, but is he and the creepy driver one and the same? Oddly, after going on a killing spree, the evil spirit comes after her and it all ends in a car chase, which is kind of weird considering it's a ghost.
7. Joyride (2001)
John Dahl's Joy Ride is just what you're looking for if you're searching for a B-Movie thriller that throws intelligence out the window in favor of mindless entertainment. The cast includes Lewis (Paul Walker) and his brother Fuller (Steve Zahn) who embark on a cross-country road trip from Colorado to New Jersey and end up talking to a trucker on their CB radio (Rusty Nail), then must escape when he turns out to be a psychopathic killer.
Joy Ride is diverting as long as you don't expect more from it than it promises to deliver. This is essentially a popcorn movie that knows how to generate suspense and build tension. And that's what this is all about. Any dramatic moments are simply there to give the audience a breather between action sequences.
6. The Car (1977)
The Car is a good example of how restraint in the horror genre can work. It honors the tradition of real suspense movies by hinting at more than it shows, and inferring more than it explains.
The Car initially plays with the possibility that its death-dealing Lincoln has a murderous driver behind its blacked-out windows. In the end it doesn't--and ironically given the movie's tagline "what evil drives this car?".
We never get a reason for all the mayhem and murder The Car causes. But this driverless vehicle appears out of nowhere and starts running down random citizens. And frankly nobody knows why?
5. Repo Man (1984)
Sometimes something comes along that defies our sense of order and reality. "Repo Man" may be known as a cult movie, but it deserves more recognition than that. Aside from being a window into the early-'80s punk culture, it shows the disintegration of American society.
This film is filled with funny moments and a plot that goes nowhere. That's why it is so much fun. I will never look at an old Chevy Malibu the same again. This wild cult sci-fi classic centers around Otto (Emilio Estevez) and Bud (Harry Dean Stanton), a pair of repo men in Los Angeles who are on the trail of a Chevy Malibu driven by an insane lobotomized scientist. While the car itself isn't dangerous, whatever is hidden in the trunk causes instant disintegration when it is opened.
The contents of the trunk are never shown, but we learn that it might be alien bodies stolen from the government. Estevez is perfect in his role, stumbling into a world of wackiness as a result.
4. Maximum Overdrive (1986)
Stephen King made his directorial debut here and he hasn't yet gone back to the chair, which is a real shame. Not because he's got tremendous talent behind the camera but instead because he could have delivered us so many more, exaggerated, non-sense movies.
Maximum Overdrive is as bad as its reputation would have you believe but at the same time it enters the "so bad it's good" range because of how silly it all is. Based on King's short story 'Trucks,' what basically happens is a group of people are stranded inside a truck stop as the trucks outside start to take over the world and go on a killing rampage.
Maximum Overdrive is totally absurd, yet cool enough to be a blast to watch. It features an awesome soundtrack by AC/DC and aforementioned Emilio Estevez in all his 80's glory.
3. Death Proof (2007)
I consider myself a Tarantino fan. I've seen all of his movies now, and I loved most of them. Okay, but Death Proof, is undoubtedly Tarantino's worst film and a hulking colossal misfire of a movie. Originally conceived as part of "GRINDHOUSE", a '70s-throwback collaboration.
Thank God then for Kurt Russell, the only decent performer in the entire movie. Russell is excellent in this movie, giving a great performance, not just as the bad guy (a former stuntman) but overall. He causes loads of gory automotive mayhem in a pair of modified car specifically altered to protect the driver when filming action scenes, this allows Russell to hit his victims at extremely high speeds without risking his own life.
That is until he meets a team of female stunt performers who are themselves experts at driving very, very fast. What are the odds?
2. Christine (1983)
This film is a modern horror classic. Whether you think "Christine" is a 1957 or 1958 Plymouth Fury (there is room for debate), we all know she is deadly. Perhaps the most famous killer car in horror, Christine is the vengeful Plymouth Fury from Stephen King's classic 1983 novel and John Carpenter's adaptation, which was released later the same year.
"Christine" introduces us to Arnie Cunningham, an awkward high school student who stumbles upon a seemingly innocuous 1958 Plymouth Fury named Christine. Little does he know, this vintage car has an insatiable appetite for mayhem and murder.
As Arnie becomes increasingly obsessed with the car, it undergoes a supernatural transformation, repairing itself after every act of destruction. This killer ride isn't just out for a joyride; it's hell-bent on leaving a trail of chaos in its wake.
At its core, "Christine" explores the darker facets of obsession, possession, and the destructive power of unchecked desire. The film's standout performance comes from Christine herself—or itself, depending on your perspective—as the car takes on a menacing personality of its own. The vehicular vendetta plays out like a high-octane thriller with a side of supernatural horror, and it keeps viewers gripping the edge of their seats until the fiery climax. "Christine" is a cult classic that reminds us that sometimes, the deadliest monsters don't have fangs or claws; they have four wheels and a V8 engine.
1. Rubber (2010)
In the world of cinema, where storytelling conventions are often taken for granted, "Rubber" boldly drives down a different road—or should we say, "rolls" down a different road. Directed by Quentin Dupieux, this film is a true outlier in the realm of absurdity. At its core, "Rubber" presents a seemingly inanimate object as the protagonist—an old tire.
Yes, you read that right. Meet Robert, a telekinetic tire with a penchant for destruction. As Robert the Tire embarks on a surreal and absurd killing spree in a small desert town, the film dares its audience to suspend disbelief and embrace the bizarre.
"Rubber" is less concerned with offering a conventional narrative and more interested in challenging our expectations of storytelling itself. It satirizes the very concept of audience expectations and questions why we, as viewers, often seek meaning where there may be none.
By elevating an everyday object to the status of a murderous anti-hero, "Rubber" is a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the arbitrary nature of storytelling and the often absurd narratives we willingly accept. It's a film that revels in its own strangeness and serves as a surreal reminder that sometimes, the most unconventional paths can lead to cinematic brilliance.