Abstract
This chapter argues that the mobility and culture of anonymity and individualism created by the highways makes them the ideal setting for films in which the serial killer takes centre stage. The importance of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) in dramatising this connection is discussed. Real-life instances in which serial killers have been connected with the highways are discussed. It is argued that that the serial killer can be considered an extreme version of the ‘outlaw’ figure found in both Westerns and the road film. The significance of the journey to California in these films is explored. The depiction of ‘vigilante’ justice in Kalifornia (1993), Freeway (1996) and Death Proof (2007) is considered.
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Notes
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© 2014 Bernice M. Murphy
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Murphy, B.M. (2014). ‘Let’s Go for a Ride, Otis’: Serial Killers in the Highway Horror Film. In: The Highway Horror Film. Palgrave Pivot, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137391209_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137391209_4
Publisher Name: Palgrave Pivot, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-48289-4
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