7 Best Cars in Horror Films

• Steven Symes

• February 24, 2016

When most people think about horror movies, they focus on the villains like Jason, Leatherface, and Freddy Krueger. When a car nut thinks about horror movies, the great vehicles are what come to mind. For most viewers, the machines are mostly set pieces, but that’s actually not really accurate.

Read on and you’ll see that a number of vehicles are key plot points in horror films, and sometimes even characters. Here are our 7 best cars in horror films:
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1. Jeep Gladiator – Tremors

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Everyone loves to play that Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon game. If you were to do that with cars, this awesome Jeep has a direct connection to the actor. It saved Val, played by Bacon, several times in this movie.

Giant subterranean worms were no match for this mighty Jeep pickup. It had already won the hearts of numerous owners for being able to tackle notoriously tough terrain and haul just about anything. In Tremors it was a real hero and even took one for the team as the worms finally targeted its only weak point: the tires.

If you’ve seen the second Tremors, you know that the Gladiator was back for a second round. What you might not know is that the producers were hard-pressed to find a working version of the truck, so they had to actually piece together three different Gladiators to make a single one for filming.

2. 1955 Peterbilt 281 – Duel

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This movie will make you think twice about cutting off semi-trucks on the freeway, so the trucking community would thank you for watching it. The machine makes David Mann’s life a living hell, trying to kill him over and over in a single nightmarish day. With no driver behind the steering wheel, it’s plainly obvious that the truck itself is the main villain.
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Filmmakers actually used three trucks, something that astute viewers have picked out. One was a 1955 Peterbilt 281, which is featured in most promotional photos and big scenes. The second was a 1960 281 and was the backup truck. It only appeared briefly in the film, mostly in the background. The third was a 1964 351 for the additional scenes that were added two years after the original film was released (the school bus and railroad scenes).

3. 1971 Chevy Nova – Death Proof

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How scary can a Nova be? Pretty scary when Kurt Russel’s behind the wheel! Russel plays a body double who has a weird hobby of taking women out for “deadly drives.” It’s a Quentin Tarantino film, so the plot has to be at least a little weird. Basically, the Chevy’s modified so the only safe seat is reserved for the driver.
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While I’m not much of a fan for flames and such on cars, the skull and lightning bolts on the hood of this Nova work surprisingly well for Death Proof. It might be that it’s a Tarantino story, but there’s something compelling about the look in this film.

Apparently the car was up for sale not too long ago. It was a chance to own a creepy modified Nova that would guarantee nobody would bug you for rides.

4. 1941 Chevy COE – Jeepers Creepers

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Before this movie came along, nobody had nightmares about this kind of truck. Now, the Creeper Truck (as it’s lovingly called) has a cult following and even its own website. Thanks to a number of modifications, like the cow catcher up front, the shop that worked on the Cab Over Engine truck transformed it from some old machine into something that just looks downright sinister. Even the rust adds to the effect.
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If you don’t remember or haven’t seen the films, this truck was used by Creeper to move dead and live bodies to a cave hideout under a church. The license plate alone is scary enough – BEATNGU or “Be Eating You” foreshadows what the driver is all about.

Three different trucks were built for filming. The original one was bought by some fans in California. There’s no word on if they drive around in it on Halloween, scaring the crap out of adults.

5. 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Hearse – Ghostbusters

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While Ghostbusters is as much a comedy as a horror film, there’s no denying that the Ecto-1 is one of the most beloved movie cars ever. Instead of striking fear in the hearts of everyone who see it, the machine makes people smile as they a reminded of the heroics of the ghost-busting team.
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So many groups have gone to great lengths to create accurate costumes and Ghostbusters equipment as part of their cosplay. The thing they don’t get is that without a real Ecto-1, they just look like posers. After all, nobody’s impressed when they pull up in a minivan or Chevy HHR with the Ghostbusters logo slapped on the doors. Going to the trouble of finding a Cadillac Miller-Meteor Hearse and adding all the custom equipment would be well worth the effort, because that would make for a real entrance.

6. Oldsmobile Delta 88 – Evil Dead

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There’s much to love about this classic film, especially the star vehicle. Thanks to its many modifications, like the armor and spinning blades, it quickly became an audience favorite. Plenty of people have fantasized about being behind the wheel of this car in rush hour traffic, because that would be epic on so many levels.
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What most people don’t know is that Sam Raimi actually was the owner of this Delta 88. The director had great automotive taste, and was willing to sacrifice his beloved ride to make the movie that much better.

7. Lincoln Continental Mark III – The Car

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Set in a small Utah town, the villain of this movie isn’t a horrifying creature but instead a sinister car. The Lincoln has the bad habit of mowing down anyone who’s unfortunate enough to get in its way, all without a driver behind the wheel. Were the filmmakers warning everyone about the peril of self-driving cars long ago?

Both of the original cars used in the film were destroyed. One was rolled and totaled, the other was set on fire and driven over a cliff.