Jetlag: 10 Best Horror Movies That Take Place On Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Travel. Escape. Freedom. Transportation normally brings a sense of excitement and wonder. The feeling of adventure on the horizon. Knowing that these memories will last a lifetime…

But then again, these spaces do tend to be quite small. And once in them, there’s really no way out. And if someone were to start causing trouble, there’s really nowhere to go. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide… Maybe that’s why transport makes such a great setting for horror films. They have a natural claustrophobic effect to them, and tensions are already high. All a filmmaker needs to do is add a little disaster to the mix. Here are 10 great horror movies that take place on planes, trains, and automobiles.

10 Train to Busan (2016)

Shortly before a train is set to depart Seoul Station in Korea, a zombie pandemic breaks out. After the train departs, it becomes obvious that one has made it onto the train. One by one, passengers are attacked, turning into zombies themselves.

The movie chose the “fast zombie” approach and combined that with the confined space of a moving train. The film received rave reviews and has gone on to become one of the highest-grossing Korean films ever made.

9 Christine (1983)

John Carpenter’s horror classic Christine is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. When nerdy student Arnie discovers an old 1958 Plymouth Fury for sale, he jumps on the opportunity. It turns out that his new car, Christine, isn’t exactly a standard model… The car has a mind of its own and will kill anyone who threatens her and Arnie. As the car gets worse, so does Arnie’s personality.

8 Red Eye (2005)

Red Eye was seen as the return of Wes Craven. After a few duds that followed Scream 2 in the late 90s and early 2000s, fans loved seeing Craven get back to what he did best – creating terror and tension that challenged horror norms. In the film, Lisa boards a plane. A man sits down next to her and quietly tells her that he works for a terrorist organization, and if she doesn’t cooperate with him, he will have her father killed. The movie turns into a classic cat-and-mouse chase with a twist…they’re both stuck on an airplane 35,000 feet above the ground.

7 Howl (2015)

An overnight train departs London headed for Eastborough, just as a full moon begins to rise in the night sky. About an hour into the journey, the train is deep in the woods of the English countryside. Suddenly, a deer jumps onto the tracks, colliding with the train. The conductor has to step outside to make sure there’s no damage. That’s when he discovers that something is lurking in the woods. With the train in a dead zone and something outside, the passengers are forced to take refuge inside the train until help can arrive.

6 Cujo (1983)

Another 1983 horror film based on a King novel, Cujo tells the story of Donna and her young son, Tad. The two head out to the rural farmhouse of Joe Camber, the town’s auto mechanic. There, Donna and Tad stumble upon the Camber family’s dog, Cujo, who has been infected with rabies and is now bloodthirsty.

Trapped inside their car, the mother and son must fight the scorching heat and dehydration as a rabid 180 lb. St. Bernhard stalks them.

5 Quarantine 2: Terminal (2011)

After the breakout success of the 2008 found footage horror movie Quarantine (which was actually based on the Spanish film •REC) a sequel was sure to follow. This time, the story focused on an airplane heading from LAX to Atlanta. Suddenly, a passenger begins violently attacking crewmembers and tries to enter the cockpit. Soon, more and more passengers begin to turn, and it’s up to the group to figure out how to survive.

4 Midnight Meat Train (2008)

Based on one of Clive Barker’s many short stories, the film centers around numerous murders that take place late at night on the subway. A photographer becomes obsessed with capturing “real” and “raw” moments and begins following the man he believes to be responsible for the killings.

The movie starred Bradley Cooper, Leslie Bibb, and Brooke Shields, and had a surprise ending that audiences didn’t see coming. Despite flying under the radar upon release, the movie has become a cult classic.

3 Joy Ride (2001)

When three college kids (Paul Walker, Steve Zahn, Leelee Sobieski) pretend to be a sexy woman over a CB radio to mess with a lonely truck driver…they end up getting more than they bargained for. The truck driver turns out to be a madman and seeks revenge against the three, chasing them throughout the American west. The movie was an odd combination of a road trip film and a chase movie, but it ended up working out perfectly. The movie received mostly positive reviews and turned out to be a box office success.

2 Terror Train (1980)

When a group of fraternity and sorority members hold a costumed New Years party aboard a train, a killer sneaks onboard, and one by one, partygoers go missing. In the film, Jamie Lee Curtis plays the lead role and is a lot more self-reliant than in some of her other movies. On top of that, the film plays with a lot of themes, like bullying, gender, disguise, and even magic, making it one of the most unique slasher movies to come out of the 80s.

1 Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)

After a school bus carrying football players and cheerleaders breaks down in the middle of the countryside, the coaches and bus driver head out, looking for help. But after finding a homemade dagger made of bone lodged in the wheel, it becomes apparent that the bus didn’t break down, but was sabotaged. Like the first movie, the Creeper begins selecting his victims by smelling their fear, and chaos ensues. With the bus being the only form of shelter, the kids must band together to fight off the bloodthirsty monster.

About The Author

Keith Langston
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Keith Langston is a writer for ScreenRant, as well as Travel Channel and Passport Magazine. He holds a deep passion for film, travel, and adventure. He fully believes that ‘The Faculty’ is the greatest movie ever made.

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