Month: October 2020

Demon’s Souls Remake: Release Date, Story, Preorders, And Everything Else We Know

Since its release back in 2009, Demon’s Souls has had a major impact on the gaming industry. Though it’s overshadowed by its successor, Dark Souls, and the enormous influence that game and its sequels have had on developers all over the world, much of what made Dark Souls so interesting was first explored and made possible by Demon’s Souls. In November, players who missed out on Demon’s Souls when it came out on the PlayStation 3 will have a new chance to take a crack at it, with a full remake of the game among the launch titles for Sony’s next-generation console.

That means that the new Demon’s Souls is fast approaching, so it’s time to run down everything we’ve learned about one of the PlayStation 5‘s biggest launch titles. Here’s what you need to know about the return of the seminal entry in the Soulsborne genre.

Demon’s Souls Remake Release Date, Platforms

Demon’s Souls is launching alongside the PlayStation 5, which means it’ll release on November 12, when the console does. Right now, that’s the only platform to expect Demon’s Souls on–although there was a brief moment when it looked like we might get Demon’s Souls on PC as well. The trailer revealed during a recent PS5 game showcase listed the game for both PS5 and PC, but Sony corrected the record. That might mean a PC version is in the offing sometime in the future, but on November 12, you’ll need a PS5 to play the remake.

What Exactly Is Demon’s Souls?

Even if you’re familiar with Dark Souls and the games that came after it, you might have missed the bus on Demon’s Souls and find yourself wondering what it’s all about–and why you should care.

Demon’s Souls is the prototypical Souls game, so it carries a bunch of the hallmarks of the formula that has come to define From Software’s titles in the years since. You play a lone warrior venturing into a dark fantasy land dominated by monsters and demons, where your goal is to slay enemies to gain the souls they carry. Those souls can be spent on leveling your character up by adjusting your stats, which can alter the game by allowing you to use different weapons, speeding up your actions, or giving you access to magic. If you die, however, you lose what souls you’ve earned but haven’t spent, so planning and strategizing, playing carefully, and managing risk are all key to the experience.

Most of how you play the game is dictated by a stamina meter that determines how much you can run, swing your sword, or block incoming blows. In combat, Demon’s Souls is largely about managing your stamina meter and timing, making sure to block certain attacks, dodge others, and strike when you have an opening–without overcommitting and leaving yourself open. Like the other Souls games, part of the fun of Demon’s Souls is its difficulty–it’s a world where enemies can lay you out with just one or two hits, demanding that you be attentive and careful if you want to succeed.

Expect a lot more detail in the remade graphics of Demon's Souls, adding more depth to the world of the original.
Expect a lot more detail in the remade graphics of Demon’s Souls, adding more depth to the world of the original.

Gallery

Demon’s Souls takes place in the cursed land of Boletaria, where the king has made use of an ancient power called the Soul Arts, and in doing so, awakened a demon from the dawn of time called the Old One. As a result, the demon has blanketed Boletaria in a dense fog that unleashed all sorts of monsters. Those monsters want human souls, and they’ve hunted the people of Boletaria, ripping their souls free to feed on them–and leaving the soulless to fall to madness and attack any who’ve survived.

Your job as a lone warrior venturing into Boletaria is to free it from the curse of the Old One once and for all, but it isn’t going to be easy. As with Dark Souls, you should be prepared to die.

Like most of the other Souls games, Demon’s Souls also features a multiplayer component. It allows you to either summon other players to help you fight through the monsters and bosses you face, or invade the worlds of other players to add to their woes (and they can invade yours, too). Though you’ll need a PlayStation Plus subscription to access Demon’s Souls’ multiplayer, you will still be able to see the notes other players leave to either warn you of or trick you about incoming threats.

It’s A Remake From Bluepoint Games

Like Dark Souls, Demon’s Souls was originally developed by From Software, which has gone on to create a bunch of titles using pieces of the formula, including Bloodborne and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. The remake is retaining all the design of the original, with updated visuals and audio.

However, the developer behind the remake is Bluepoint Games, which was responsible for the gorgeous PS4 remake of Team ICO’s Shadow of the Colossus, a game originally released on PlayStation 2. That remake maintained everything from the original, with updated graphics and additional touches like a photo mode. It’s likely we can expect the same treatment here: the classic Demon’s Souls gameplay but with a much more impressive, modern presentation.

Giant enemies are a staple of the Soulsborne games, and Demon's Souls has no shortage of them.
Giant enemies are a staple of the Soulsborne games, and Demon’s Souls has no shortage of them.

The Original Was Phenomenal

Demon’s Souls might be the lesser-known Souls title, but among those who have played it, it’s extremely well-regarded. GameSpot gave the original Demon’s Souls a 9 when we reviewed it, and named it 2009’s Game of the Year. As GameSpot reviewer Kevin VanOrd put it 11 years ago: “Perhaps the game’s greatest triumph, however, is that it takes qualities normally associated with frustration and discomfort–constant trial and error, slow progression, harsh enemies–and makes them virtues. It may have an unusual and unforgiving set of rules, but it stays true to them and, in the process, draws you in like few RPGs can. Demon’s Souls is a stark and sulky beauty and is one of the finest games of 2009.”

So if you’re wondering why you should care about the remake of Demon’s Souls in 2020, its past performance, coupled with the huge impact of the Souls titles on the gaming landscape in the years since, are pretty good reasons.

Reveal Trailer

Our first look at the remade Demon’s Souls came with the PS5 announcement event. You can check out the trailer below.

Gameplay Trailer

Later, when Sony showed off a bunch of upcoming PS5 games during its showcase event, we got a closer look at Demon’s Souls.

What Does The Remake Entail?

On its official webpage for the game, Sony has run down what you can expect from the improvements to Demon’s Souls when you fire it up on your next-gen console. It’ll sport two graphical modes: the high-resolution 4K mode, and a high-frame rate mode. We’re not exactly sure what frame rate to expect in either mode just yet, however.

The PS5 sports a few technological advancements over the PS4 and PS3 that are getting worked into Demon’s Souls as well. If you’ve got headphones that support it, you can take advantage of the consoles Tempest 3D AudioTech, which should make Demon’s Souls sound even more immersive. Another big push for the console is the haptic feedback baked into the new DualSense controller, although we don’t know exactly how that’ll amplify Demon’s Souls just yet.

Demon’s Souls Remake Versions And Price

There are two versions of Demon’s Souls that will be available on release day. The first is the usual standard edition, which gets you only the base game for $70. There’s also a second version, called the Demon’s Souls Digital Deluxe edition, which comes with some additional in-game items. That version will run you $90.

The items in the Demon’s Souls Digital Deluxe edition seem likely to make it a bit easier to survive the game’s opening hours. You’ll get some armor, weapons, and items to use, as well as the Demon’s Souls original soundtrack. Here’s the full list of in-game items:

  • Red-Eye Knight Amor
  • Boletarian Royalty Armor
  • Ritual Blade
  • Hoplite Shield
  • Ring of Longevity
  • Preservation Grains
  • Phosphorescent Grains
  • Bearbug Grains
  • A Legendary Hero Soul
  • A Renowned Warrior Soul
  • A Storied Warrior Soul
  • A Large Hardstone Shard
  • A Moonlightstone Shard

The $70 price tag for the standard version of Demon’s Souls is a notable change from the usual price for AAA games. For more than a decade, games have been coming in at $60, but most of the games coming to PS5 will cost $10 more. That seems to be an increasing trend among all next-gen games, in fact. For more details, see our Demon’s Souls preorder guide.

Compared To The PS3 Version

The upgrade of Demon’s Souls from the PS3 is pretty substantial, as one might guess, but it’s tough to really picture until you see the two games stacked against one another. To make it very clear, GameSpot created a video that shows the two side by side. Check it out below.

There Might Be Something Called “Fractured Mode”

We don’t know much about new features Demon’s Souls might include, but we do know there might be some new things added to the remake not present in the original. Like the mentioned-but-deleted PC version, an early description of the Demon’s Souls remake mentioned something called “Fractured Mode,” but there were no clues as to what that actually was. Subsequent descriptions of the game, including the official PlayStation store preorder page, don’t mention Fractured Mode, so who knows what it is–or whether it’ll actually be part of the Demon’s Souls remake.

That said, there’s some speculation about what Fractured Mode may be if it does appear in the remake. Mods for the original Demon’s Souls randomize the placement of enemies, items, weapons, and more, in order to create a fresh experience–and including something similar in the remake would make sense to make the game appealing to hardcore veterans. But there’s still no real information to go on about Fractured Mode, and it’s very possible it was never a feature in the game at all. We’ll have to wait until November 12 to find out.

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising Blu-Ray Release Date And Where To Buy

Back in February, My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising released in US theaters right before movie-going became a thing we just can’t do right now. If you missed seeing the anime in theaters, don’t worry because it’s coming to a TV screen near you on October 27.

There are plenty of places to pick up My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising on Blu-ray. However, depending on where you buy it, you can get some pretty cool packaging or some extra fun things, which we have highlighted below.

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising is directed by Kenji Nagasaki with a script from Yosuke Kuroda, both are regulars on the main MHA anime. The home release lacks exciting special features. There’s a behind-the-scenes featurette with the cast and some promo videos, but nothing else. However, the film does come with Blu-ray, DVD, and a digital copies, so you have multiple ways to watch it.

$25

If you pre-order at Amazon, you’ll get a free My Hero Academia digital comic from Comixology.

$28

Best Buy has an exclusive steelbook edition of the film for $28. It also comes with Blu-ray, DVD, and digital editions.

$29 (was $35)

Walmart also has an exclusive edition of My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising that comes with a Deku Figpin. Unfortunately, it’s currently sold out, but you can sign up for in-stock alerts.

Now Playing: My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising Exclusive Clip: Endeavor Takes On The League Of Villains

PS5 Accessories Might Start Shipping Early, Before The Console’s Launch

Some PlayStation 5 buyers may soon open their doors to an unexpected surprise–a preordered accessory absent from the next-gen system. Sony’s website currently indicates that it plans to ship certain PlayStation 5 accessories early, dating them for October 30.

According to the PlayStation website, the DualSense controller, HD Camera, Media Remote, DualSense Charging Station, and Pulse 3D Wireless Headset all release on October 30. This is two weeks before the PlayStation 5 launches on November 12.

A Twitter user named Mike Y. screenshot an email from PlayStation. The email said the company is excited to ship the accessories early. It’s unclear what accessories Mike will receive in the coming weeks, as the email simply says “PS5 Digital.”

Some retailers like Target also confirm the October 30 release date. Other stores, such as Best Buy and Walmart, still display a November 12 launch for accessories.

This comes not long after Sony finally unveiled the user interface for PlayStation 5, which looks to be snappier and more intuitive than previous iterations. There’s a new feature called Game Help that offers hints and tips baked right into the system’s interface. However, this feature is exclusive to PlayStation Plus subscribers, who also get access to the vault of classic PlayStation 4 games through the PS Plus Collection.

PlayStation 5 comes in two variants, the Digital Edition for $400 and standard edition for $500, both launching on November 12. Check out our PlayStation 5 preorder guide to find out which stores have available stock.

Now Playing: First Look At The PlayStation 5 User Experience

Pokemon Go Is Partnering With GrubHub For An Event

Pokemon Go developer Niantic has partnered with GrubHub for an exclusive in-game event. Next month, GrubHub+ members will be able to participate in a Special Weekend event that features exclusive Timed Research tasks, increased spawn rates of certain Pokemon, and more.

To participate in the Special Weekend, you’ll need to be a GrubHub+ member and sign up on the Pokemon Go website to receive an event ticket. Niantic says these tickets are limited to one per Pokemon Go account and will be available until October 28, while the event itself takes place on Sunday, November 2, from 11 AM to 2 PM local time.

Throughout the event, you’ll be able to complete new Timed Research tasks that net you various rewards, including three Incense, a Star Piece, and 100 Charizard Mega Energy, a new resource that’s used to Mega Evolve Pokemon. You’ll also be able to encounter the following Pokemon when you use Incense during the event:

  • Bulbasaur
  • Charizard
  • Squirtle
  • Pikachu
  • Unown G
  • Unown H
  • Sableye
  • Patrat
  • Minccino
  • Ferroseed
  • Shiny Ferroseed

Finally, any Incense that you use during the Special Weekend will last for one hour. You can read more details about the event on the Pokemon Go website.

In the meantime, a new Team Go Rocket event is underway right now in Pokemon Go. From now through October 19, Rocket grunts will appear more frequently than normal, and they’ll have new Shadow Pokemon in tow. On top of that, you’ll receive new “strange eggs” when you defeat Rocket leaders; these will hatch into certain Poison- or Dark-type Pokemon. Finally, there’s a new Rocket-focused Special Research questline that leads to a battle with Giovanni and a chance to capture his Shadow Mewtwo.

That’s not all that’s happening in the game this week. October’s Community Day takes place this Saturday, October 17, and features the popular Gen 1 starter Charmander. Origin Forme Giratina is also appearing again in five-star Raids until October 23.

Now Playing: Pokemon Sword & Shield DLC, EA Play On Game Pass, & Torchlight 3 Release Date | Save State

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Jackbox Party Pack 7 Is Here To Fuel Your Zoom Parties

Jackbox Party Pack 7 launches today. It’s a fantastic way to make Zoom calls with your friends and family less awkward.

Chicago-bases studio Jackbox Games is streaming the new party pack all day to celebrate, letting you tune in to get a peek at what the new games look like before trying them yourself.

Quiplash 3, the follow up to Quiplash and Quiplash 2, brings the battle of funny sayings back with new prompts and finale modes. The pack is available on Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC for $30 and comes with four new party games in addition to Quiplash 3, including:

  • Quiplash 3 – a sequel to the fan favorite quip battle with new prompts.
  • The Devils and The Details – you play as a demon family trying to fit in an underworld neighborhood by completing mundane chores.
  • Champ’d Up – a drawing game wear player creations go head to head.
  • Talking Points – players have to give improvised speeches that go with random slide shows.
  • Blather ‘Round – players have to describe a prompt with a limited vocabulary.

Here’s a deeper breakdown of each game if you want to know more before jumping in, but it’s often best to learn while playing.

Jackbox Games calls its party packs the “unofficial party game of quarantine” (even though Among Us has probably stolen that title) as it’s easy to hop into a game from anywhere. One player can stream their copy on Twitch while up to 8 players can hop in and play from their phones from anywhere. Games can have up to 10,000 audience members as well.

Now Playing: The Jackbox Party Pack 7 – Launch Trailer

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PS4 Halloween Sale Is Live Now, Includes Resident Evil 2, Days Gone, And More

With Halloween right around the corner, now’s the perfect time to play some unsettling games. If you’re a PS4 owner looking to get in the holiday spirit, the PlayStation Store is hosting its annual Halloween Sale right now. Not every game in the sale is a pure horror game, which means you can grab titles like Death Stranding and Days Gone for cheap, too. The Halloween Sale runs until November 3, so you have a few weeks to make your picks. There’s also a new Games Under $20 promotion filled with lots of bargains.

There are a handful of solid horror games in the sale. Resident Evil 2‘s stellar 2019 remake is discounted to $16, Little Nightmares is down to $5, and both Evil Within games are 50% off; the first entry is $10, while The Evil Within 2 is $30. You can also grab the atmospheric first-person shooter Alien: Isolation, and all of its DLC, for only $8.

Other games that somewhat touch on the horror genre are heavily featured in the sale, too. Death Stranding is on sale for $30, Days Gone is down to $20, and Doom Eternal is $30. You can also snag The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s Complete edition for $15 and Nioh for $10. Though not a huge discount, it’s worth noting that the recently released Souls-like Mortal Shell is on sale for $25.49.

The Games Under $20 sale runs until October 29 and features deals on a variety of popular franchises. Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection is discounted to $10, which is quite the bargain considering it comes with three great remastered adventures. Multiple Far Cry games are heavily discounted: Far Cry 4 is $6.59, Far Cry Primal is $9.89, and Far Cry 3 Classic edition is $9.89.

PlayStation Plus deal

12-month digital code

$31 at Ebay

You can even snag some worthwhile games for $5 or less, including the charming couch co-op adventure Unravel Two, Tomb Raider: Definitive edition, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, and Mirror’s Edge Catalyst.

You can browse both sales at the PlayStation Store and see our picks below.

Best deals at PlayStation Store

  • Alien: Isolation – The Collection — $8 ($40)
  • Blair Witch — $15 ($30)
  • Darkest Dungeon — $7.49 ($25)
  • Days Gone — $20 ($40)
  • Death Stranding — $30 ($40)
  • Deus Ex: Mankind Divided — $4.49 ($30)
  • Devil May Cry HD Collection — $15 ($30)
  • Devil May Cry 5 — $20 ($25)
  • Diablo 3: Eternal Collection — $19.79 ($60)
  • Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive edition — $24 ($60)
  • Doom Eternal — $30 ($60)
  • Dragon Age: Inquisition Deluxe edition — $5 ($20)
  • The Evil Within — $10 ($20)
  • The Evil Within 2 — $30 ($60)
  • Far Cry 3 Classic edition — $9.89 ($30)
  • Far Cry 4 — $6.59 ($20)
  • Far Cry Primal — $9.89 ($30)
  • Little Nightmares — $5 ($20)
  • MediEvil — $15 ($30)
  • Mirror’s Edge Catalyst — $5 ($20)
  • Mortal Shell — $25.49 ($30)
  • Nioh — $10 ($20)
  • Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville Deluxe edition — $15 ($50)
  • Resident Evil 2 — $16 ($40)
  • Tomb Raider: Definitive edition — $4 ($20)
  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete edition — $15 ($50)
  • Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 — $10 ($25)
  • Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection — $10 ($20)
  • Unravel Two — $5 ($20)
  • Wolfenstein: Alt History Collection — $48 ($80)

Now Playing: Top New Video Games Releasing On Switch, PS4, Xbox One, And PC This Month — October 2020

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AEW’s Sonny Kiss, Wrestlers On Boy Meets World, Horror Video games, And More | Wrestle Buddies Episode 24

This week on Wrestle Buddies, GameSpot’s professional wrestling podcast, Chris E. Hayner and Mat Elfring are hanging out with friends, old and new. And, naturally, there are so many things to talk about–from the rise of AEW to horror video games to, of all things, Boy Meets World.

First, TV Guide’s Keisha Hatchet is back. The third Wrestle Buddy is here to talk about all of the times Boy Meets World features wrestlers on guest stars. Do you remember how Vader’s kid went to the same high school as Cory, Shawn, and Topanga? We sure do.

Then, we welcome AEW star Sonny Kiss to the show to celebrate the one year anniversary of AEW Dynamite. It’s been a wild year for Kiss, and we’re discussing the best moments. We also find out what video games the “Concrete Rose” is playing and talk horror movies. After all, it is spooky season.

All that plus we answer your questions! New episodes of Wrestle Buddies are released every Thursday on the podcast platform or app of your choice, including Spotify, Stitcher, and Apple Podcasts.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater Players Recreate Spyro, Smash Bros In Park Creator

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 has been getting some wild fan-made skate parks. Everything from Delfino Plaza to the opening level from Spyro: Year of the Dragon has been recreated so players can shred the gnar in these iconic levels.

Redditor SonicDagan765’s first custom skate park was a recreation of one of the most memorable levels in Spyro: Year of the Dragon. They kept videos of the game open on the side as they crafted purple ramps and rails to replicate the sassy dragon’s playground in concrete. “I just paused it and tried to replicate the feel for [the levels],” they said in a Reddit thread of them sharing their Spyro-inspired park. “But it took many edits.”

“Spyro 3 Skate Parks”

This recreation is just one example of the wild skate parks players have come up with in the pro skater remake. Players have built levels from other platformers, like Bomb-Omb Battlefield from Super Mario 64. The creator of that map, Gunderstank16, also recreated Super Mario Sunshine’s Delfino Plaza.

Players can take these fan-made parks for a spin by searching the park creator database by keyword. You can find the Spyro park by searching for ‘Spyro 3 Skate Parks.’ There are a ton of wild creations available to play and they are only getting better as these amateur level designers learn the ins and outs of the park creator.

“I found that [storage fills up] real quick,” Gunderstank16 said. Creators have struggled to fit everything they want into parks due to memory limitations and have opted for less detail. “I usually end up making the majority of my parks out of basic geometry first, then after adding objects the complexity meter just gets eaten up immediately.”

Recreations of Mario and Spyro levels are only the tip of the iceberg. Players have recreated multiple levels from the Call of Duty series, including Rust and Nuketown, and others have remade Super Smash Bros. levels platform-for-platform.

All these parks look somewhat blank due to the memory issues, but the layout and geometry for many of them is spot on. That’s because many of these creators, just like SonicDagan765 with Spyro, had the games they were trying to replicate open alongside Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2.

“It helps to pre-plan everything using flat smart blocks of various sizes, and mapping everything out first before building it up,” Gunderstank16 said. “That way I don’t have to worry about it being slightly off. That and I had Super Mario Sunshine running at the same time so I could keep going back and forth for reference.”

Tony Hawk pro Skater 1 + 2 has smashed sales records for the franchise after becoming the fastest game in the series to reach 1 million sales. It helps that the game celebrates a more diverse skating culture by introducing players to a new generation of skaters.

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10 Craziest Killer Vehicle Movies Ever, Ranked

10 Craziest Killer Vehicle Movies Ever, Ranked – GameSpot

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The late 1960s and early 1970s was a watershed period for many aspects of American cinema, and one big change was how cars were portrayed onscreen. Previously they had usually been seen in movies purely to get characters from one place to another, and often involved actors sitting in front of fake-looking projected backgrounds. But movies such as Bullitt and The French Connection showcased a thrilling new approach to filming cars. The modern car chase was born, as directors strapped cameras onto hoods and risked life and limb to get some amazingly exciting automotive action.

High-speed car mayhem wasn’t just the domain of action movies. It started to be used by thriller and horror directors, who saw the vehicle as not just a tool, but as a threat in and of itself. And not just cars–huge thundering trucks, with their imposing height and size, became a genre favourite. Sometimes these vehicles had crazy drivers, and sometimes they were controlled by supernatural forces.

Of course, there’s only so much you can do with a car or truck chasing innocent people down the road, and eventually many of the movies inspired by classics such as Duel and Christine became familiar retreads of what had gone before. And some vehicles will never be scary, as anyone who sat through the woeful British movie I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle will tell you. But at its best, the killer vehicle movie can be as effective as sharks, demons, or masked pyschos.

We’ve gone back through the last five decades of killer vehicle films to pick ten must-sees for fans of automotive mayhem. These films all take a different approach to the genre, and while not all are great movies, they all deliver where it counts–ie. scary cars and trucks out to maim and terrify their human creators. Hit it!

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10. Killdozer! (1974)

10. Killdozer! (1974)

Killer vehicle: Caterpillar D9

Killdozer! is surely a contender for one of the greatest movie titles of all time. Inevitably the film itself doesn’t quite deliver on the promise of that name, but it’s still good, silly fun. It was based on Theodore Sturgeon’s short story and made for TV, and focuses on a bulldozer that becomes a metallic killing machine when it is used to shift a crashed meteorite. Of course, bulldozers aren’t very fast, so director Jerry London has to invent reasons to have his victims (a construction crew) stand around while the giant glowing vehicle catches up to them, but it’s still a massive and imposing “villain.” The movie was subsequently adapted into a Marvel comic book and inspired the ’80s rock band of the same name.

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9. The Wraith (1986)

9. The Wraith (1986)

Killer vehicle: Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor

This VHS favorite features two iconic ’80s stars of the era (Charlie Sheen and Sherilyn Fenn) and a super-fast Dodge Interceptor that takes out a criminal gang one-by-one. The car is driven by the ghost of a teenager (Sheen) who was killed by the gang, and is back for revenge with a helmet, leather jacket, and badass attitude. Sadly, while the car action is exciting, the movie’s production was marred by the death of camera operator Bruce Ingram and the serious injury of seven others when an overloaded camera car crashed.

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8. The Hearse (1980)

8. The Hearse (1980)

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7. Joyride (2001)

7. Joyride (2001)

Killer vehicle: Peterbilt 359 truck

Joyride was clearly influenced by Spieberg’s Duel–even down to the Peterbilt truck–but while the driver in that earlier film was just a relentless psychopath, Joyride’s villain “Rusty Nail” is given some motivation. He’s a lonely long-distance truck driver who is the victim of a cruel prank played by a trio of kids (Paul Walker, Steve Zahn, and Leelee Sobieski) so decides that hunting down the trio in his massive vehicle is an appropriate response. We never see Rusty Nail, but an uncredited Ted Levine (Silence of the Lambs’ Buffalo Bill) gives the character plenty of menace over the crackly radio.

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6. The Car (1977)

6. The Car (1977)

Killer vehicle: Lincoln Continental

Unlike Stephen King’s similarly-themed Christine, which makes it clear straight away that the vehicle is the source of evil, The Car initially plays with the possibility that its death-dealing Lincoln has a murderous driver behind its blacked-out windows. In the end it doesn’t–and ironically given the movie’s tagline (“what evil drives this car?”), no explanation is given for the Lincoln’s habit of mowing down anyone who gets in its way. The Car was panned at the time, but has since become a cult favorite. One of its biggest fans is Guillermo del Toro, who was inspired to build his own amazing life-sized replica of the vehicle.

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5. Repo Man (1984)

5. Repo Man (1984)

Killer vehicle: 1964 Chevrolet Malibu

This wild cult sci-fi classic centers around Otto (Emilio Estevez) and Bud (Harry Dean Stanton), a pair of repo men in Los Angeles who are on the trail of a Chevy Malibu driven by an insane lobotomized scientist named Frank Parnell. While the car itself isn’t dangerous, whatever Parnell has hidden in the trunk causes instant disintegration when it is opened. The contents of the trunk are never shown, but we learn that it might be alien bodies that Parnell stole from the government, and Bud and Otto must outwit rival repo men, UFO conspiracy nuts, and CIA agents to retrieve the increasingly-radioactive car without being painfully atomized.

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4. Maximum Overdrive (1986)

4. Maximum Overdrive (1986)

Killer vehicle: Western Star 4800

Stephen King only directed one movie, and while few would argue that Maximum Overdrive is a particularly good film, it does have some highly memorable killer vehicles brought to “life” by a passing comet. The most famous is the Western Star 4800, better known as a “Green Goblin truck,” which has a huge face of the iconic Spider-Man villain on its front grill. The Goblin face is “explained” by the fact that the truck is owned by the fictional Happy Toyz company (and approved by Marvel), but clearly it’s just to give this thundering multi-wheeled menace a recognisable and scary personality.

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3. Death Proof (2007)

3. Death Proof (2007)

Killer vehicles: 1970 Chevrolet Chevy II Nova and a 1969 Dodge Charger

Tarantino’s contribution to 2007’s Grindhouse double-feature features an insane former stuntman, played deliciously by Kurt Russell, causing loads of gory automotive mayhem in a pair of modified cars. These cars–a Chevy Nova and a Dodge Charger–were specifically altered to protect the driver when filming action scenes, and allow Stuntman Mike to hit his victims at extremely high speeds without risking his own life. That is until he meets a team of female stunt performers who are themselves experts at driving very, very fast.

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2. Christine (1983)

2. Christine (1983)

Killer vehicle: 1958 Plymouth Fury

Perhaps the most famous killer car in horror, Christine is the vengeful Plymouth Fury from Stephen King’s classic 1983 novel and John Carpenter’s adaptation, which was released later the same year. While Christine’s murderous deeds remain the same in both–killing the various bullies and cops that make the life of her new owner (nerdy teen Arnie Cunningham) a misery, the source of her evil differs. In King’s novel, Christine is possessed by the spirit of her previous owner, the now-deceased Roland D. LeBay, who murdered his family and killed himself in the car. Christine in the movie is shown as evil from the very day it rolls off the lot, and it is the car itself that possesses both LeBay and subsequently Arnie. Either way, the scenes of Christine emerging from the darkness to pursue her hapless victims, as Carpenter’s ominous synth score pulses on the soundtrack, are some of the scariest of the director’s career.

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1. Duel (1971)

1. Duel (1971)

Killer vehicle: Peterbilt 281 truck

Wildly considered one of the best made-for-TV movies, Duel introduced America to young director Steven Spielberg and delivered some of the scariest killer vehicle thrills of all time. In this case, it’s a thundering Peterbilt 281 truck that relentlessly pursues a businessman played by Dennis Weaver in a Plymouth Valiant across the Mojave Desert, after it is overtaken by the Plymouth. Even though the rusty old Peterbilt is not supernaturally controlled, Spielberg stated that he wanted the vehicle to be seen as the movie’s true villain, so deliberately avoided showing the driver beyond a few fleeting shots. “The unseen is always more frightening than what you throw in the audience’s face,” he said in the movie’s DVD documentary.

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