Highway thriller movies create fear and thrill in the hearts of the audience. These movies make us think that maybe road trips are not as safe as we think. Surprisingly, some movie studios themselves have experienced mysterious and accidental incidents while shooting these movies, like a gas tank actually exploding on the set of “No Country for Old Men”!
Here we will review ten highway thriller movies that make us stay away from the road.
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Duel – 1971
Directed by Steven Spielberg, this movie is the story of a salesman David Mannion, who is pursued by a mysterious truck driver on the road. The truck driver’s face is never shown in the movie, which makes the story even more terrifying. Interestingly, the film was inspired by a true story, where a man was scared by an unknown truck driver on the highway.
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The Hitch-Hiker – 1953
Directed by Ida Lupino, this film is about two friends who give a lift to a killer while traveling. Later, they learn that the man is actually a serial killer named Emmett Myers, who used to kill travelers and steal their cars. Surprisingly, the film was based on the events of the real-life killer Billy Cook, who killed several travelers on American highways in the 1950s.
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The Hitcher – 1986
Starring Rutger Hauer and C. Thomas Howell, this film is about a young man who gives a lift to a hitchhiker on the road, and this decision leads to terrible consequences for him. In the film, Rutger Hauer plays a murderer who is not ready to spare any passerby.
This film was discussed for many years due to the mysterious crimes that happened to hitchhikers on the highway, and many people stopped giving hitchhikers a lift after this film.
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Breakdown – 1997
This film, starring Kurt Russell, is the story of a couple whose car breaks down on the road and the wife mysteriously disappears. The search for the husband and the suspenseful film keep the audience in constant tension.
This film was inspired by real kidnapping cases that occurred on American highways, where many couples had disappeared while traveling.
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Joy Ride – 2001
This film, starring Paul Walker, is the story of two brothers who prank a truck driver during a road trip. This prank later leads to terrible consequences for them, when the truck driver starts to burn in the fire of revenge.
This film is also inspired by several true incidents based on road rage.
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The Vanishing – 1993
This film, starring Kiefer Sutherland and Jeff Bridges, is the story of a man whose girlfriend mysteriously disappears during a road trip. He tries to find her, but is shocked to learn the truth.
This film was based on a true case, where several women went missing on highways in Europe in the 1980s, and no trace of them has been found to this day.
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The Collector – 2009
This film depicts a killer who targets road travelers and puts them in a state of mental anguish.
The film was inspired by real-life killers like the “Zodiac Killer” and the “BTK Strangler,” who terrorized America’s highways for decades.
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Rest Stop – 2006
This film is about a couple who stop at a rest stop during a road trip, where they encounter a killer.
Interestingly, this film was also based on several true incidents, where passengers were kidnapped and murdered in deserted areas of the highway.
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Highwaymen – 2004
This film, starring Jim Caviezel, is about a man who searches for his wife’s killer on the roads. The killer is a ruthless driver who runs people over with his car.
The film was inspired by real-life killer Paul Johnson, who used his car as a weapon to kill people for decades.
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No Country for Old Men – 2007
Directed by the Coon brothers, this film is the story of a man who finds a bag full of money during a road trip, which later causes problems for him.
Not only is this film a classic thriller, but it was inspired by real criminal incidents that took place on the US-Mexico border highways.
Conclusion
All these highway thriller movies teach us a lesson that road trips are not always safe, and we should always be careful. Surprisingly, many highway thrillers are inspired by reality, which is even more frightening.
And if you think that all these are just movie stories, remember: sometimes, behind the scenes of a movie, there are mysterious and accidental stories that are no less than any horror movie!
