It’s fair to say that horror movies don’t typically choose spooky cars as their leading character. But it’s not unheard of either. Wicked wheels and demonic drivers have graced our screens since the early 70s, frightening us on lonely roads at night.

Breaking down on a lonely road at night, or losing charge in your EV may be your worst nightmare. But these famous movies starring creepy cars raise that fear factor a few notches. It’s not just the car, it’s the intention behind its mad manoeuvres.

These 10 movies with creepy cars are sure to make you think twice about the unusual headlights coming up behind you on the motorway at night…

Duel (1971)

Kicking off our list of movies with spooky cars is the 1971 movie that launched Steven Spielberg’s career as a movie director.

A middle-aged electronics salesman (Denise Weaver) crosses the desert to meet a client. He encounters a rusty 1955 Peterbilt 281 tanker truck that takes a disliking to his Plymouth Valiant saloon. The truck tailgates, stalks and actively tries to kill the salesman as he tries to escape its terrifying tactics. You’ll never look at an old truck the same way again.

The Car (1977)

Six years after Speilberg’s terrifying trucker tale, The Car starred a sinister Lincoln Continental Mark III.

One of the spookiest cars in movie history, the Lincoln Continental has no driver and a taste for death. The car terrifies road users near the town of Santa Thea, murdering unwitting motorists at every turn. The car-slasher movie used six different customised Continentals and a seventh was made and sold to a private collector.

The Hearse (1980)

This 1980 horror movie stars Trish Van Devere and a haunted hearse that will keep you glancing in your rear vision mirror when driving at night.

Jane Hardy (Trish Van Devere) decided to go stay in her late aunt’s house in Blackford after divorcing her husband. As time goes by she learns her aunt was involved in witchcraft and a possessed black hearse begins stalking her. The eerie plot will give you chills.

Christine (1983) — The ultimate of spooky cars

Christine may be the best-known spooky car movie of all time. Based on a novel by Stephen King, the movie stars a 1958 Plymouth Fury. This is possibly the best model name for spooky cars we’ve ever come across!

Christine is the first car of newly licenced driver, Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon). As he restores the car, he changes, taking on a new confidently evil personality. Things get even weirder when he refuses to be separated from his car. When Arnie and Christine are together, they become homicidal and bad things happen.

Maximum Overdrive (1986)

This horror comedy was written and directed by Stephen King.

A comet causes a radiation storm on earth, activating machines and turning vehicles against humans. A black semi-truck leads a pack of spooky cars and lorries against a group of survivors holed up in a North Carolina truck stop. The small group need to find a way to escape the homicidal vehicles without getting blown to bits.

Crash (1996)

Based on J.G. Ballard’s controversial book ‘Crash’ this psychological thriller is more about the people than the totalled spooky cars they enjoy watching and riding in.

The story follows a TV director who discovers a sub-culture of scarred car crash victims after being involved in a serious accident. The broken victims derive sexual pleasure from car accidents. He tries to use his experience of his accident to rejuvenate his sex life with his wife.

Jeepers Creepers (2001)

Following the typical teen-horror template, Jeepers Creepers is the story of two teens followed by one of the creepiest cars movie-land has ever dreamed up.

A giant, fortified Chevy is driven by a demonic driver. The Creeper is intent on feeding off the bodies of the brother and sister driving home from college for their spring break. The same song always precedes the arrival of the Creeper and his spooky car. Starring Victor Salva as the Creeper, Justin Long and Gina Philips as the teenage brother and sister trying to escape his clutches.

Joy Ride (2001)

After playing a trick on a trucker, two brothers end up driving for their lives.

Two brothers drive across America to visit the youngest brother’s girlfriend. Along the way they play a prank on a truck driver. Using the CB radio, they entice him to call on a make-believe woman at a highway motel. The prank backfires and the truck driver stalks them across the country, forcing them to do things they don’t want to in a bid to protect their friends and the girlfriend they were planning to visit.

Death Proof (2007) — spooky cars and an equally creepy driver

Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof stars Kurt Russell in an unforgettable story about a stunt car and its demented driver.

A Chevy Nova plays the role of a spooky car. Mike (Kurt Russell) modifies his car to be death-proof for the stunts he stages. Unfortunately, the modifications only protect him from the accidents he stages and not the women he entices to join him for a ride in his car.

Spree (2020)

More about the perils of accepting rides from strangers than spooky cars, Spree will have you thinking twice about calling an Uber.

Desperate for a massive online following, Kurt Kunkle (Joe Keery) hatches a terrible plan to become a social media star and go viral on the internet. He live streams the murders of his rideshare passengers along with all the preparation for each of his kills.

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