By For years, cinema treated the road as a place of fun and adventure. There was cheerful competition in The Great Race (1965), family frolics in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), and magic in The Love Bug (1969). Meanwhile, Cliff Richard was off on his “Summer Holiday” in a converted London bus in Peter Yates’ musical from 1963.
When George Lucas considered how the “road” played a role in his upbringing, he gave us the nostalgic American Graffiti. And when Charlie Croker decided to pull off the “Italian Job” in 1969, he did it with the balletic choreography of colour-coded Minis to the sounds of “The Self Preservation Society”.
Journey further back and the road was a place of screwball comedy for Frank Capra in It Happened One Night in 1934, amusing misadventure for Preston Sturges in 1941’s Sullivan’s Travels, and a platform for the perfect comedy double act in 1946’s Road To Utopia with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.
Terror on the highway: the road bites back
Alfred Hitchcock had hinted at its dangers when Janet Leigh chose the wrong motel to stop at in Psycho but the road really began to grow fangs after audiences saw the bullet-riddled car of Bonnie and Clyde in 1967. It was the turn of the American New Wave and the road was looking decidedly different.
By 1973, innocent teenagers were having car trouble and enduring a Texas Chainsaw Massacre, families were being stricken in the desert and seeing “hills with eyes”, and road users were, in 1975, taking part in the murderous Death Race.
Now filmmakers were seeing the road as a place of danger, isolation and death. It is a place that can harbour the monstrous and consume the unassuming traveller, who is just “passing through”.
15. Speed
Dir. de Bont (1994)
Jan de Bont’s box office smash hit from 1994 boasts a simple premise: a bus carrying several commuters must travel at 50mph or above to avoid a bomb remotely detonating. It’s a thrilling action film as stars Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves try to keep the bus travelling at speed on a busy highway while the cops try to figure out how to disarm the bomb.
14. Jeeper Creepers
Dir. Salva (2001)
Victor Salva’s malevolent road user The Creeper and “its” unrelenting pursuit of siblings Trish (Gina Philips) and Darry (Justin Long) across the Floridian countryside is pulsating entertainment of the horrific kind. Part Duel, part The Hitcher, part Christine, Jeepers Creepers unapologetically wallows in the tropes that its writer-director has clearly loved as a fan-turned-filmmaker.
There’s nothing wrong with this. Audiences well-versed in the conventions of the “monster movie” will enjoy Salva’s obvious earnestness to roll out the red carpet for them; the joy of watching in the expectation of jolts to the senses. Jeepers Creepers certainly fulfils that demand, helped by Salva’s clever horror beats that often elongate the tension before the payoff.
13. Highwaymen
Dir. Harmon (2004)
Director Robert Harmon (the man who was previously at the helm of 1986’s The Hitcher) returns to the place he knows so well: the road. Here, Jim Caviezel plays a widower determined to track down the psychotic man responsible for killing his wife in a deliberate hit and run.
Rhona Mitra plays the unwitting woman caught in the diesel fumes of Caviezel’s 1968 super-stock 426 Hemi Head Plymouth muscle car and the deranged killer’s adapted 1972 Cadillac Eldorado.
12. The Car
Dir. Silverstein (1977)
One of the post-Jaws knock-offs, The Car is everything you want from a b-movie. Swapping the sea for the desert dust of Utah, a driverless black car takes over from the shark on killing duties, terrorising the inhabitants of a small town, its motives remaining mysteriously and unnervingly ambiguous.
11. The Wraith
Dir. Marvin (1986)
To describe writer-director Mike Marvin’s film as a road-revenge thriller would do it a disservice. Not only is it far more than the sum of its generic tropes, it’s also a sensationally eccentric piece of 1980s camp with such monumental plot holes it’s only by sheer luck it isn’t consumed by its own glue-sniffing hubris.
It’s also hugely entertaining. As if spat out of MTV, the appeal of music videos is applied to low budget car chases as the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue, Bonnie Tyler and Billy Idol tickle the eardrums with recognisable chorus. They form the accompaniment to the grunting of internal combustion engines and, from time to time, the crunch of metal as another disposable vehicle – and its equally disposable character – is dispatched in a burst of flames.
10. Mad Max: Fury Road
Dir. Miller (2015)
It is here where the reconstruction of social structure has discovered a profound simplicity, the test of your dignity is judged by the accelerator pedal at your feet. This is the land of dirt roads and anti-heroes, endless horizons and a burning sun, and greasy, blood-riddled fingers gripping steering wheels adorn with baby skulls.
In this part-sequel, part reboot of the original Mad Max trilogy, Tom Hardy fills the dusty charcoal boots of Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky, a drifter who prefers to let his actions do most of his talking. Having being captured by Immortan Joe’s War Boys and taken to the fanatical monarch’s citadel, Max is assigned as an enslaved blood donor to be used by Nicolas Holt’s Nux.
When a chief lieutenant – Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) – decides to lead Joe’s wives to freedom in the armoured truck the “War Rig”, he sends his entire army in pursuit. Nux, eager to rise the ranks of the tyrannical regime, joins the pursuit with Max reluctantly by his side.
Built essentially as one action sequence broken up into various chapters, it’s penetrative, adrenaline-fuelled genre entertainment that thrillingly gives its audience little respite.
9. Mad Max 2
Dir. Miller (1981)
Mad Max lives life on the desolate roads of a post-apocalyptic Australia scavenging for food, water and gas. In the best film of the series, he must battle a crazed motor cycle gang while helping a group of innocents escape their clutches. There’s some brilliant action set-pieces while Vernon Wells’ Mohawked Wez is a great villain.
8. Dead End
Dir. Andrea/Canepa (2003)
The road gets a distinctly paranormal feel in this horror about a family seemingly trapped on the same stretch of highway. After Dad, Frank Harrington (Ray Wise) narrowly misses a head on collision things begin to go bump in the night as a series of strange occurrences befall him and his passengers.
7. Death Proof
Dir. Tarantino (2007)
Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof was originally supposed to be featured as a double-bill with Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror but after the concept largely passed audiences by, each film was extended to become a standalone feature. Thus, Death Proof suffers from an overly verbose first half but when Kurt Russell’s psycho stunt driver with the reinforced 1971 Chevrolet Nova SS 396 starts driving into people, the film really heats up.
6. Christine
Dir. Carpenter (1983)
King of the haunted car movie, John Carpenter’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novel mixes high school angst and teenage bullying (a la Carrie) with carnage on the roads as a murderous Plymouth Fury possesses the heart and mind of social outcast Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon).
5. Joy Ride (aka Road Rage)
Dir. Dahl (2001)
Pranksters get their comeuppance when their juvenile use of a CB radio gets the attention of a psychopathic truck driver. As friends Lewis (Paul Walker), Fuller (Steve Zahn) and Venna (Leelee Sobieski) desperately try to escape the clutches of the road-raged driver known only by his handle Rusty Nail, the chief villain appears increasingly supernatural as his vengeance holds no bars.
4. The Vanishing
Dir. Sluizer (1988)
Boasting one of the greatest twist endings of all time, George Sluizer’s 1988 film The Vanishing, which was poorly remade by Hollywood in 1993, is drenched in dread as a man obsessively searches for his missing girlfriend.
A young couple from Holland, Rex and Saskia, are travelling through France when they stop at a rest stop. Saskia goes inside the shop to buy drinks but never returns. It begins a long and desperate journey for Rex who cannot accept that Saskia is dead.
What sets The Vanishing apart is its depiction of the man who, we’re led to believe, brought Saskia to harm. There is no sense of “whodunit” rather the ambiguity lies in the “why” and “what”. As Rex’s search turns up only dead ends, he must ultimately confide in the man who claims to know exactly what happened because it was he who made it happen.
3. Breakdown
Dir. Mostow (1997)
After the wife of Jeff Taylor (Kurt Russell) hitches a ride to get help for their stricken car, he discovers their car had been sabotaged to breakdown and sets off to find her. But no one has seen her and when he finally catches up with the trucker who supposedly gave her a ride to the nearby gas station, the driver claims he’s never seen either her or him before.
This stylish thriller from director Jonathan Mostow keeps the the tension high throughout as a desperate husband tries to discover what happened to his wife and why no one wants to help him. There’s a whole lot of Roman Polanski’s Frantic in this nail-biting road trip movie that boasts some genuinely unexpected twists.
2. The Hitcher
Dir. Harmon (1986)
Rutger Hauer delivers a chilling performance as John Ryder, a drifter who is offered a ride by well-meaning young man Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) while journeying along the desolate desert roads of America’s south-west.
What transpires is a nail-biting cat and mouse battle to the death with Jennifer Jason Leigh’s waitress unwittingly becoming caught in the middle. This leads to one of American cinema’s most devastating climaxes.
1. Duel
Dir. Spielberg (1971)
Steven Spielberg’s film laid the groundwork for other terrific “road rage” films with The Hitcher and Joy Ride owing a great debt to this 1971 thriller. When Dennis Weaver’s David Mann overtakes a rusty, smoke-expelling truck in his Plymouth Valiant, little does he know he’s just set into motion a chilling battle to the death.
The truck, its driver unseen, becomes the inanimate villain with a twisted motive to bring terror to this mild-mannered electronics salesman’s day. What begins as a series of inflammatory driving manoeuvres spirals into merciless car versus truck fight.
The film features some terrific visuals (the dusty wilderness of the desert highway evoking a sense of desolation while the grill-mounted camera thrusts the viewer into the action sequences) in addition to an intriguingly enigmatic villain, the monster personified in the weathered metal and groaning engine of a 1955 Peterbilt 281 tanker truck.
Discover More
10 Movie Bus Rides To Avoid
Should bus rides be this traumatic! Mark Fraser buys his ticket and jumps on board to experience 10 bus journeys he’d really rather forget.
Okay, I’ll admit to not having seen Black Cadillac but since when has Randy Quaid done a decent movie?! 🙂 I’ll take your word for it, but I sense a guarded recommendation there!
As for the rest of your choices – can’t fault them as usual. Duel is incredible, set Spielberg up perfectly for Jaws, and Joy Ride (aka Road Rage) needs to be seen by more people.
The Hitcher is very scary thanks to Rutger Hauer’s brilliant performance. Another “b-movie” worth seeing.
Totally agree about Rutger Hauer’s performance – spine-tingling.
Joy Ride = Roadkill (UK title on original release) not “Road Rage”! 😉
Whoopsie! 😉
Ah, some strangely very “good” drivers on this list. I mean, without David Mann’s skill or endeavour in Spielberg’s Duel he’d surely be a dead man. Meanwhile, Cunningham’s ability to do things with “Christine” while sat at home in bed is truly miraculous.
Nice list, sir.
Haha – yes, some “skilled” drivers on show – definitely.
You know Christine was possessed – right? 😉 🙂 😉
Love Joy Ride. One of the best modern thrillers ever made and totally frightening.
Joy Ride – a dark and scary celebration of the fading light of CB radios! 🙂
Good to see Dead End. A good, little-seen indie horror with a great cast and some nice humour.
That was my left-field choice in some ways. A small independent horror with a very basic idea and execution, but very well made in my opinion.
There’s plenty of road rage in Cannonball Run but I understand why you wouldn’t put it on ANY top 10! 🙂
Cannonball Run 2, one of the few times a sequel is better than the original, might have made the list if I could have included 20, or maybe 30!
I’m quite glad that ‘Speed’ didn’t make it into the top 10. Duel is one of my favourites, I’ll throw in Death Race 2000, I was only 12 or so when I first saw it, so of course it’s now rose-tinted awesome.
Nice addition Michael, I think Death Race 2000 would complement the list quite nicely. But like you, Duel is one of my favourite thrillers – I love its simplicity.
Great list. No argument about Duel at number one. Also, great to see Joy Ride and The Hitcher.
Good to see so many fans of Joy Ride (which was called RoadKill in the UK folks). I’ve always known it as Joy Ride hence why I’ve used that name here.
Haven’t seen Black Cadillac in years, do they still show that on TV. Is there even a DVD out there? That Randy Quaid – what a menace2
Great list – I do echo Michael’s comment about Death Race 2000, probably in place of Black Cadillac.
Looks like it’ss a region 1 DVD purchase for me then…
There certainly is a DVD out there – and it’s available in the UK on region 2 as well. Just search on Amazon.co.uk.
Only an honorable mention for Jeepers Creepers – it’s ace!
And Number 2 is good too! Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a place for either in my top 10.
It’s a shame 60% of Death Proof doesn’t need to be there otherwise it’d be a great film – maybe a 30min version could be cut? Good list though.
It’s my biggest criticism of the film but somehow Tarantino makes it work with some terrific action sequences (indeed, some of the best work he’s ever done).
nice list dan, Duel is one of Spielberg’s best.
Thanks Lemony.
Haven’t seen as many films from this list as I’d like. Duel is one of them I’m sad to say. I did however see Joy Ride a few years ago and thought it was a tense thriller that lost its edge towards its finale. I really like Jeepers Creepers though.
Joy Ride is an excellent film – it uses the “unseen” villain motif really well.
Popeye’s street race in The French Connection might nudge its way onto this list given his obvious “rage”. Nice top 10 though.
Yeah, great sequence. Definitely unforgettable.
Cheers, Dan:
Great list and thumbnails!
Having owned a 1957 black Caddy with bullet bumpers and chrome everywhere. There’s no way to describe the feeling of invincibility when driving. Kind of like blaring Wagner’s ‘Ride of The Valkyrie’ while putting an Abrams tank or Bradley Fighting Vehicle through its paces at Maryland’s Aberdeen Proving Grounds.
So, great choice with ‘Black Cadillac’. Also got a kick out of clean cut, flawless outlined hole ‘The Car’ made when plowing through a trailer home!
‘Christine’ rocks! But, I expect no less from John Carpenter. While ‘Death Proof’ is an all over the made ode to ‘Faster, Pussycat. Kill! Kill!’ and ‘Switchblade Sisters’.
Thank you Jack.
What a wonderful possession it must have been to have a Caddy! In the UK, you only see them in specialist museums or car shoes! They are a thing of legend for me!
Yes, that hole in the house from The Car! It does stretch your ability to suspend disbelief but it’s pure exploitation and, for me, that’s it charm.
Lol, The Car, that’s a pure 70s “horror” fun flick. Definitely love the inclusion of Duel and The Hitcher on the top 2. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, that’s just pure action masterpiece and it will always be #1 on my list of car chases.
Thanks Ted. Mad Max 2 tops your list of car chases ahead of that amazing sequence in William Friedkin’s To Live and Die In L.A.?
I enjoyed To Live and Die in LA’s chase but I didn’t think it’s that memorable compare Friedkin’s other chase in The French Connection. To me The Road Warrior sets the standard for spectacle big car chases. For example, Cameron pretty much modeled his chases in The Terminator films after what Miller did.
Big soft spot for Duel. In my opinion, it’s one of Spielberg’s finest pieces of work – up there with Close Encounters, Jaws, ET, etc. The Hitcher and Joy Ride are both excellent but I’d push Mad Max 2 and Jeepers Creepers further up the list. Shame there wasn’t a spot available for Jeepers Creepers 2!
I’d suggest Spielberg learned a lot from the production of Duel. It was a big chance for him, albeit initially made only for TV. Importantly he grasped the opportunity to make something very cinematic out of limited production means. It also showed him how he could make a villain exceptionally scary without giving him/it a face, personality or reason. Many of things that made Jaws so terrific.
yayy.. Black Cadillac and Joy Ride are on the list! I love these movies very much. I think I m gonna watch Dead End and Duel. I haven’t watched it yet lol. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Duel was so on the edge, faceless scary truck driver!