Editorials
Horror’s Most Devastating Car Crashes!
In action and drama films, the car crash is often used to bring shock, surprise, and intensity to otherwise light, entertaining fare. Horror, on the other hand, doesn’t need help in creating shock and surprise; when horror films do have a sizable budget, they frequently choose to spend it on makeup, monsters, and gore effects rather than the expensive set-ups required for physical stunts and car explosions.
But on those rare occasions when a horror film decides to portray a car crash, those scenes are infinitely more harrowing and effective than in other films. In honor of this weekend’s release of Cars 3 (which looks decidedly darker than its predecessors, by the way) we’ve put together a list of horror films with spectacular, disturbing car crash sequences…
THE DESCENT
Though it is remembered for many things, including great performances from an all-female lead cast, Neil Marshall’s claustrophobic survival film opened with (SPOILER ALERT) the tragic loss of one character’s husband and child. The scene is brief, horrifying, and the aftermath of it hangs over the entire film. Nearly a decade later, a car crash would be used for similar story purposes in 2014’s The Babadook.INSIDE
The opening of Inside echoes the tragedy of both The Descent and The Babadook, but directors Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury take it one horrifying step further by having the survivor of the opening car crash be a pregnant woman. The film is filled with a series of disturbingly memorable horror set pieces, and one of them is the uncomfortably quiet opening moments in the aftermath of a wreck – a single living person sitting in the totaled wreck of a vehicle next to her dead spouse.CRASH
There were several films whose car crashes would have put them on the list if not for the fact that they weren’t genuine horror films. John Frankenheimer’s work in Ronin is unmatched in its intensity, and Jonathan Mostow’s Breakdown is a brilliant post-Duel B-movie, but both fall more comfortably into thriller than horror. The only reason Crash received special consideration is because of its director, David Cronenberg, is an all-time horror great, and because the film itself borders on horror with its unflinching violence, haunting performances, and moody score.ROAD GAMES
While Richard Franklin’s Road Games is mostly a highway-bound reinvention of Hitchcock’s classic Rear Window, the few sequences of car action and impact leave a definite impression. There is no doubt that the film spills into horror with its seediness, its garrote wire killer, and its performance from newly dubbed scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis. The eighteen-wheeler landing atop the car it is pursuing is a particular highlight.DUEL
There is little left to be said about Steven Spielberg’s first directorial triumph, painstakingly crafted from a taut short story by Richard Matheson. Brilliant themes and skilled filmmaking aside, the whole film builds inexorably to one expectation: the car being pursued by an evil truck will finally turn around and face its pursuer. It does so, and in spectacular fashion, as the truck smashes through the flaming wreck of a car only to find itself teetering on the edge of a cliff… and there is nowhere to go but down.THE CAR
It is appropriate for Elliot Silverstein’s The Car to follow Duel on this list, because it takes every story beat from Spielberg’s mainstream breakthrough, Jaws, and sets it on land with a driverless black car instead of a shark. There are several attack sequences in the film and more than a few car wrecks, but it is the over-the-top end sequence that puts it on this list. The local deputy lures the car into a quarry, sends it over a cliff, and then blows up the quarry and the car in an explosion sequence that seems nearly never-ending.THE CARS THAT ATE PARIS
Before director Peter Weir became known in America for his lyrical horror films Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Last Wave, he made this offbeat, darkly comic film about a town whose livelihood is based on the intentional destruction of tourists’ cars. The plot and characters are outlandish, as is the car violence; there are only a handful of genuine car mayhem sequences, but those sequences are a wonder to behold.MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE
No list of films about car wrecks would be complete without the inclusion of Stephen King’s only directorial work. Based on his own short story, the film chronicles the growing war between people and the machines that have suddenly come to violent life. The film has its unique pleasures, from the AC/DC score to a committed performance from character actor Pat Hingle, but its vehicle carnage is what makes it most memorable.
RACE WITH THE DEVIL
This film has an impressive road movie pedigree: directed by Jack Starrett (who made biker film Run, Angel, Run and episodes of Dukes of Hazzard) and starring Easy Rider’s Peter Fonda and Two-Lane Blacktop’s Warren Oates, Race with the Devil combines the road film with the cult film to great and creepy effect. The final act of the film is a prolonged chase scene where two couples are trying to escape a group of backwoods Satanists, and there are a number of fantastic crashes along the way.STUCK
It is a remarkable enough feat to create a devastating car crash whose impact is felt emotionally through the whole film. More impressive than that is the film whose entire story is about the painful physical aftermath of an accident, played nearly in real time. Stuck is real-world horror from Stuart Gordon, known primarily for his decidedly unreal H.P. Lovecraft adaptations. Stephen Rea’s performance conveys deep suffering, and there are moments of body trauma that rival the best and creepiest of Cronenberg.THE HITCHER
Everything in crazed hitchhiker John Ryder’s wake is left in ruins. That includes lives, souls, and more than a few cars and helicopters. Robert Harmon’s direction of the relentless script by Eric Red strips the horror film down to its bare essentials, but still somehow manages to paint on a massive canvas. The wide-open deserts isolate the protagonist and antagonist in an eternal struggle, and the explosions of the vehicles are just more fire in their own personal hell.DEATH PROOF
For the first half hour of Quentin Tarantino’s half of Grindhouse, a viewer would be forgiven for being confused and possibly a little frustrated with the pace of the story about a group of young ladies laughing, talking, and drinking over a fairly uneventful night. But at the end of the night, the drive home spins the film in a new direction with breakneck speed. Stuntman Mike offers one young lady a ride home in his “death proof” car, and it leads to one of the most spectacularly executed sequences of action in a major theatrical release of the last two decades. Watching the crash multiple times from various angles, the brief moment of impact echoes numerous times on the screen, imprinting itself in the viewer’s mind forever.FINAL DESTINATION 2
Based on sheer carnage alone, Final Destination 2 is one of the most devastating car crashes of any film, horror or otherwise. Seeking to top the brilliant action of the original film’s airplane accident, director and stunt coordinator took advantage of his first major feature opportunity to create a Rube Goldberg machine of violence and mayhem. A loose tree log and a cup of hot coffee lead to one of the deadliest event chains in film history. The highway sequence alone was enough to secure Ellis (who we sadly lost in 2013) another directing gig later in the franchise with 2009’s The Final Destination.
No conversation about cartoons based on live-action movies is ever complete without mentioning The Real Ghostbusters.
This animated continuation is, warts and all, a notable example of turning a hit movie into a hit series. And although the new target demographic skewed a little younger, even kids-at-heart could partake in the further adventures of Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore and Egon Spengler.
For a good part of its run, the show required fans to wait at least a week for more Ghostbustin’. That’s torture for a kiddo. Luckily, though, the entire series, or at least most of it, is now available for streaming.
So, as you revisit The Real Ghostbusters on Tubi—for now it’s just the first five seasons there—use this guide to help prioritize some must-see episodes.
The Boogieman Cometh
“The Boogieman Cometh” (Season 1)
Season One’s “The Boogieman Cometh” is a classic episode featuring one of the show’s more iconic villains. It’s hard to forget the unique character design used for the Boogieman (whose creepy voice was provided by Ray and Slimer’s actor, Frank Welker). In this story, Egon is reunited with that bump-in-the-night entity who haunted his own childhood, all while trying to keep him away from his latest targets: the brother and sister claiming to have the Boogieman in their closet. Although the Ghostbusters do save the day here, the Boogieman eventually returns (“The Bogeyman Is Back“). That same episode also features the love-’em-or-hate-’em Junior Ghostbusters.
Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream
“Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream” (Season 1)
You could say the namesake of “Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream” had good intentions for putting mankind to sleep for the next few centuries—he wanted to end war and keep everyone dreaming. Sounds nice until you remember that whole free will business. But when it seems like the Ghostbusters have lost to their latest foe, the last one standing, Winston, gains a sudden ally. Janine’s dream of becoming a Ghostbuster is manifested, and she helps put this rogue spirit to bed.
When Halloween Was Forever
“When Halloween Was Forever” (Season 1)
Before the show’s execs capitalized on Slimer’s popularity by making him the focus of later episodes, early stories like “When Halloween Was Forever” better utilized that gooey ghost. Here, the spirit of Halloween itself, Samhain, hopes to make the holiday a permanent thing by stopping time. And who does the embodiment of All Hallows’ Eve use in his nefarious plot? Slimer, of course. Thankfully, the lil’ green bud knows where he really belongs, and Samhain is banished (at least until Season 3’s “Halloween II 1/2“).
Night Game
“Night Game” (Season 2)
Because Season Two was rather long, in comparison to other seasons, it accumulated quite a few solid episodes. One of the most beloved, though, is that ultimate good-versus-evil story, “Night Game“. Winston gets to shine here as he participates in a battle that was 500 years in the making. Except this time, the fighting is done on the baseball field. The other-dimensional settings in The Real Ghostbusters are always great, but the one here is particularly memorable.
Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin
“Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin” (Season 2)
Not all ghosts and whatnot were bad in The Real Ghostbusters. As “Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin” showed, some were actually benevolent. Sadly, it took a lot of convincing, and one very heroic act, for Peter and the others to see past this goblin’s grotesque appearance. The heroes find more than one shapeshifter at a sideshow carnival in the Poconos; a sinister Class-4er called the Metamorph does a swell job of menacing the Ghostbusters before they finally realize Drool’s not their culprit. The good guys indeed win here, but that victory is a bittersweet one.
The Collect Call of Cathulhu
“The Collect Call of Cathulhu” (Season 2)
While “The Collect Call of Cathulhu” does misspell “Cthulhu” in the title (probably to avoid legal issues), it is clearly the Old One in this Lovecraft-inspired episode. The story kicks off with the Necronomicon being stolen by the deity’s modern-day cult, who then raise their ancient god at Coney Island. From there, the Ghostbusters’ typical methods don’t work on the big guy, so they seek advice from an old issue of Weird Tales (or “Wierd Tales”, as it’s spelled on screen). That build-up to the finale comes with a decent amount of dread before the Ghostbusters, as well as a scholar named Alice, face off with one of the show’s most powerful entities.
Knock, Knock
“Knock, Knock” (Season 2)
A number of Real Ghostbusters episodes could be reworked into big-screen features, but perhaps “Knock, Knock” is the most hopeful. It helps that this story feels in step with the first two movies. Here, some ignorant construction workers accidentally uncover and open an ancient door in the subway. What’s behind said door is none other than those unspeakable evils that only the Ghostbusters can quell. A good deal of the imagery here is prime for adaptation.
The Grundel
“The Grundel” (Season 3)
One of the darker episodes, which was written by the prominent J. Michael Straczynski, is “The Grundel“. Here, a boy is being influenced by the titular entity, a type of ghost who ultimately turns his targets into new Grundels. The episode does have something of an after-school special quality to it, but that doesn’t take away from the eerier moments. For more Grundel lore, be sure to check out the episode “Grundelesque” from the sequel series, Extreme Ghostbusters.
Standing Room Only
“Standing Room Only” (Season 4)
It’s no secret that The Real Ghostbusters experienced multiple changes after the second season. Out of all of them, though, retooling the show so that Slimer would get more of the spotlight is maybe the most egregious. Thankfully, Season Four (the first to be called Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters) didn’t completely obey that new directive; episodes like “Standing Room Only” felt more like the old days. The focus here was on the well-being of the city and its people, rather than on the series’ green mascot (or the Junior Ghostbusters). In the episode, Peter’s new ghost attractor isn’t to blame for the ensuing chaos; the ghost-eating Mee-Krah is what’s really imperiling everyone. And the Ghostbusters must dish out everything they have to avoid a doomsday situation.
The Halloween Door
“The Halloween Door” (Season 5)
While many fans will skip the later seasons in their rewatches, episodes like “The Halloween Door” are still worth checking out. This colorful helping of Halloween pandemonium premiered on primetime, so the animation is better than usual. And save for a random musical moment, it’s an enjoyable event. Here, a group of anti-Halloweeners tries to cancel the holiday, but they only end up making things worse by unleashing a baddie named Boogaloo.
The first five seasons of The Real Ghostbusters are available on Tubi, starting on July 15.
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