The Interstate Serial Killer Collection
This is a collection of films that combine two basic themes, highway travel and murder. Some of these titles would be categorized as "Highway Noir". There are many older films from the 50's and 60's that I've intentionally left out trying to keep the list more appealing to the modern movie viewer. The top two films are the work of Robert Harmon; a director who's style and ability have defined the art of illustrating the creepiness and mystery of this film genre. I give similar praise to John Dahl, and appreciation to author Ginger Strand for the inspiration to compose the list.
List activity
5K views
• 3 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
37 titles
- DirectorRobert HarmonStarsRutger HauerC. Thomas HowellJennifer Jason LeighA young man who escapes the clutches of a murderous hitchhiker is subsequently stalked by the hitcher and framed for his crimes.
- DirectorRobert HarmonStarsJim CaviezelRhona MitraFrankie FaisonRennie Cray (Caviezel) embarks on a bloodthirsty rampage to avenge the death of his wife who was struck down by a serial killer - a man who hunts and kills women using his '72 El Dorado.
- DirectorTerrence MalickStarsMartin SheenSissy SpacekWarren OatesAn impressionable teenage girl from a dead-end town, and her older greaser boyfriend, embark on a killing spree in the South Dakota Badlands.
- DirectorNorman Gregory McGuireStarsBurton GilliamJesse JamesMariana Paola VicenteA young charismatic preacher and his hot Latina girlfriend travel Route 66 scamming the small churches along the way only to find that the bogus healing powers he portrays become real. The healing powers serve as a blessing and a curse.
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsJohn CusackRay LiottaAmanda PeetStranded at a desolate Nevada motel during a nasty rain storm, ten strangers become acquainted with each other when they realize that they're being killed off one by one.
- DirectorJonathan MostowStarsKurt RussellJ.T. WalshKathleen QuinlanA man searches for his missing wife after his car breaks down in the middle of the desert.
- DirectorJennifer LynchStarsJulia OrmondBill PullmanPell JamesTwo FBI agents attempt to clarify the murders occurring in a desolate region. They approach the witnesses of the latest incident with the help of the local police. All of them hide something and all have wildly different stories to tell.
- DirectorMarcus AdamsStarsMadeleine StoweNorman ReedusBijou PhillipsWhile on a late night road trip home, a woman must save her rebellious teenage daughter who runs off with a bizarre group of blood-letting psychos.
- DirectorEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsTommy Lee JonesJavier BardemJosh BrolinViolence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and over two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsWoody HarrelsonJuliette LewisTom SizemoreTwo victims of traumatized childhoods become lovers and psychopathic serial murderers irresponsibly glorified by the mass media.
- DirectorWilliam MonahanStarsOscar IsaacGarrett HedlundLouise BourgoinA suicidal artist goes into the desert, where he finds his doppelgänger, a homicidal drifter.
- DirectorDavid GrovicStarsJohn CusackRebecca Da CostaRobert De NiroA criminal bides his time at a seedy motel, waiting for his boss after killing several men and making away with a mystery bag.
- DirectorMatthew BrightStarsReese WitherspoonKiefer SutherlandBokeem WoodbineA twisted take on "Little Red Riding Hood", with a teenage juvenile delinquent on the run from a social worker travelling to her grandmother's house and being hounded by a charming, but sadistic, serial killer and pedophile.
- DirectorMarc-Andre SamsonStarsShiloh FernandezChase MallenJoseph BenzA Montreal DJ, following his girlfriend to Los Angeles, falls into a deadly relationship with a couple of female hitchhikers.
- DirectorAntonio NegretStarsJim CaviezelJames FrainElisabeth RöhmA gang of bank robbers hide their loot in the car of a family going camping. They chase down the family to kill them and get the loot back, but run into a fight.
- DirectorNimród AntalStarsKate BeckinsaleLuke WilsonFrank WhaleyStranded in an isolated motel, a couple become the unsuspecting subjects of a snuff film.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsSean PennJennifer LopezNick NolteA man heading to Vegas to pay off his gambling debt before the Russian mafia kills him is forced to stop in an Arizona town where everything that can go wrong does go wrong.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsNicolas CageLaura DernWillem DafoeYoung lovers Sailor and Lula run from the variety of weirdos that Lula's mom has hired to kill Sailor.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsBill PullmanPatricia ArquetteJohn RoseliusAnonymous videotapes presage a musician's murder conviction, and a gangster's girlfriend leads a mechanic astray.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsKurt RussellZoë BellRosario DawsonTwo separate sets of voluptuous women are stalked at different times by a scarred stuntman who uses his "death proof" cars to execute his murderous plans.
- DirectorJohn DahlStarsSteve ZahnPaul WalkerLeelee SobieskiThree young people on a road trip from Colorado to New Jersey talk to a trucker on their CB radio, then must escape when he turns out to be a psychopathic killer.
- DirectorThomas JaneStarsThomas JaneLauren GermanRon PerlmanA couple en route from Las Vegas are forced to deal with a body in the desert, making their honeymoon one hellish ride.
- DirectorJohn MurlowskiStarsScott Anthony LeetCole WilliamsDusty SorgThe true story of William Bonin a California serial killer.
- DirectorJeff BeesleyStarsChristian SlaterEmmanuelle VaugierWes BentleyA young man attempts to seek to avenge his wife's death after she is murdered by a Las Vegas mobster.
- DirectorDominic SenaStarsBrad PittJuliette LewisKathy LarsonA journalist duo goes on a tour of serial-killer murder sites with two companions, unaware that one of them is a serial killer himself.
- DirectorRoxanne BenjaminMatt Bettinelli-OlpinDavid BrucknerStarsChad VillellaMatt Bettinelli-OlpinKristina PesicFive interlocking tales of terror follow the fates of a group of weary travellers who confront their worst nightmares - and darkest secrets - over one long night on a desolate stretch of desert highway.
- DirectorDeran SarafianStarsChristopher LambertCraig ShefferDavid ArquetteAt a desert truck stop, a gang of joyriders kidnaps a man's family and kills his brother. The local sheriff is of no help, so the man goes after them himself.
- DirectorJohn DahlStarsNicolas CageDennis HopperLara Flynn BoyleUpon arriving to a small town, a drifter is mistaken for a hitman, but when the real hitman arrives, complications ensue.
- DirectorJohn DahlStarsVal KilmerJoanne WhalleyPat MulliganA young detective becomes involved with a beautiful woman on the run from the mob and her psychopath boyfriend.
- DirectorMichael CovertStarsScott PlankMelora WaltersJohn SavageThe film is three stories about one story, featuring an exciting and quirky cast of characters living on the edge.
- DirectorJean-Baptiste AndreaFabrice CanepaStarsRay WiseLin ShayeMick CainChristmas Eve. On his way to his in-laws with his family, Frank Harrington decides to try a shortcut, for the first time in 20 years. It turns out to be the biggest mistake of his life.
- DirectorJ.S. CardoneStarsRobert ForsterKevin PollakSherilyn FennA drama revolving around a group of strangers brought together by a common occurrence as well as listening to the same radio station.
- DirectorChad FeehanStarsJosh StewartJamie-Lynn SiglerChris BrowningDriving to a wedding in Los Angeles through the Mojave Desert, Paul and his girlfriend Adrienne pull off the highway and into a Motel-Cafe. This roadside artifact proves to be a strange and surreal place with an unsettling mix of travelers, who force our couple to discover the secret hidden between.
- DirectorRichard BrandesStarsRachel MinerMimi RogersLucy Rogers-CiaffaYoung Penny goes on a retreat with her psychologist; the intention is to help her overcome her phobia, an intense fear of cars. Unexpected events find her in a nightmarish situation where her worst fears come true.
- DirectorJohn ShibanStarsJaimie AlexanderMichael ChildersJennifer CormackThe film follows Nicole Carrow, a young woman who is threatened by a maniac serial killer, after her boyfriend Jess, is abducted in a rest stop.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDennis WeaverJacqueline ScottEddie FirestoneA business commuter is pursued and terrorized by the malevolent driver of a massive tractor-trailer.
- DirectorDave MeyersStarsSean BeanSophia BushZachary KnightonA couple from college get caught in a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a psychopathic hitchhiker and the police after witnessing a murder and being framed.