This spooky time of year, scary movies and television shows creep into our living rooms and theaters — whether we are ready for them or not. Many film producers over the years have cast haunted cars as the main characters in horror films. KSL Cars highlights a few iconic films featuring Halloween movie cars worthy of a viewing party.
The Car
credit: IMDB.com
Released in 1977, “The Car” has local significance — it was filmed primarily in southern Utah. The opening scene, in fact, takes place at the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel in Zion National Park. The plot revolves around a one-off 1971 Lincoln Continental, customized for the film by George Barris. Among the modifications to the Lincoln’s body were a lowered roofline and altered fenders. A satin black paint job and dark tinted windows added to the sinister look. Keen eyes will recognize some of the backdrops as this haunted car wreaks havoc on Washington County. You may need to be a bit older, though. In the last 45-plus years, the infrastructure of that area has changed a great deal.
credit: IMDB.com
Christine
credit: IMDB.com
No talk about horror movie cars is complete without mentioning “Christine.” This film was directed by John Carpenter and based on the 1983 Stephen King novel about a 1958 Plymouth Fury — an aptly-named model for a Halloween movie. Christine was “born” in Detroit with evil in her personality. The opening scene is set to the song “Bad to the Bone,” and for good reason. Christine terrorizes the streets and manages to possess her two owners. Along the way, she exhibits emotions like jealousy and rage as she targets her victims. There were 24 Chrysler and Plymouth models used during filming. Today, just two cars from this scary film live on.
credit: IMDB.com
Duel
credit: IMDB.com
Taking it all the way back to 1971, the antagonist in “Duel” is a murderous semi-truck. This classic action-adventure movie was directed by Steven Spielberg when he was only 25 years old. It follows a traveling salesman after he becomes a target of the tanker truck and fears for his life. This horror film has very little dialogue — in fact, a large part of the audio soundtrack merely consists of the main character’s inner thoughts as he strategizes how to save his life. The villain in this case is a haunted 1955 Peterbilt 281 model that chases an orange 1970 Plymouth Valiant — for nearly the entire 91 minutes of the film. Even though the plot is simple and the budget was relatively small, this thriller packs plenty of suspense.
credit: IMDB.com
Explore KSL Cars to see if your iconic halloween movie car is available for sale. With any luck, fellow drivers will steer clear and give you the open road.
KSL Cars does not endorse any vehicles. The views or opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer and do not reflect the views or opinions of KSL.com or its employees.
