Introduction: Bumps in the Road: Defining the Highway Horror Film

Abstract

This introduction defines Highway Horror. It discusses the sub-genre’s relationship to the road movie. It argues that while Highway Horror films often have elements in common with the road movie, their focus on the highway as a specific cultural landscape and upon the negative effects of mass automobility distinguishes them. Highway Horror’s connections to the wider American horror tradition are also explored. The chapter discusses the impact of the post-1956 establishment of the Interstate Highway System (IHS) and the significance of ‘mobility’ and ‘restlessness’ in the national psyche. It concludes by briefly outlining the topics considered in each chapter that follows.