Top five horror cars for Halloween

The master of horror, Stephen King, always had a way of describing cars in a way that established a connection with the villains driving them. Cars that could 'walk and talk' and others with 'blasting powder under the hood' said much about their owners and drivers... in a way that would leave the reader chilled to the bone.

Few film makers have been able to capture King's car-savvy writing skills, but one who came close was John Carpenter, who released 'Christine', the film adaptation of King's novel of the same name in 1983. That film is one of five we've compiled to mark the occasion of Halloween. All feature cars that you don't want to mess with... cars that instil an eerie sense of fear at their mere sight.

Our top five movie cars here may remain at the forefront of your mind for one completely different reason, the fearful attitude they exude.

A 1955 Peterbuilt 281 is the villain in Steven Spielberg's film, Duel. Limited dialogue and vast desert highways set the scene for one of the most thrilling (and protracted) chase scenes to hit the big screen. A psychotic truck driver with an unfathomable case of road rage uses his rusty tanker truck to hunt a Californian business man who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. You never see the truck driver, so the truck itself takes the role of lead character in this 1970s classic.

Leave it to Stephen King to bring fear into our lives through a red 1958 Plymouth Fury. When geeky teenager Arnie Cunningham buys a run-down Plymouth ripe for restoration, his personality drastically changes, for the worse. The Plymouth, named Christine, has a mind of its own, killing anyone who comes between it and Arnie, who develops a short temper and uncharacteristic behaviour the more time spent with the car. Selecting and eliminating its victims one by one, killer Christine seems unstoppable.

The aggressive styling of the 1973 XB GT Falcon Coupe needed little help to see it transform into the hellish Mad Max Interceptor. Fuelled by revenge for his murdered family and friend, Mel Gibson's character loses the plot as he hunts the violent motorcycle gang responsible. The Falcon Coupe received some noted theatrical upgrades such as the Concorde front and a dummy supercharger that protrudes through the bonnet, for looks only. The popular Concorde front would later be available as an optional accessory. There was only one Mad Max Interceptor used for the filming Mad Max.

The 1971 Chevrolet Nova SS driven by Kurt Russell's character in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof is an automotive weapon of destruction. Seemingly indestructible, the beastly V8 is driven to its limits by a psychotic stuntman stalking a group of young women. Shown in a two-door couple style, the Nova was also available in a sedan body shape. Built from 1962 to 1979 and again in 1985 through to 1988 (a badge-engineered Toyota Corolla), the Nova would eventually be replaced by the Chevrolet Citation.

In John Murlowski's horror thriller Black Cadillac, it's a 1957 Cadillac Eldorado that leads a villainous car chase in pursuit of a red Saab 900. A somewhat more realistic plot, this chase is driven by betrayal and jealousy as the driver seeks his revenge. The most terrifying part of this story is that it was loosely based on the director's personal experience. There were two Cadillacs used for the filming, including a Limousine that was modified for certain scenes. The Eldorado was manufactured over several generations between 1952 and 2002, and it was Cadillac's largest and most luxurious offering of the time.

Image: Blacksign and Tarantino movies

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