reelscum
a field guide to disreputable cinema
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Carsploitation

1971–1981 · 13 films catalogued

Real cars, real speed, real crashes, no computers.

A brief American and Australian cycle where the car is the subject rather than the transport.

The serious end

Vanishing Point and Two-Lane Blacktop, both 1971, are road films where the driving carries the whole argument.

The other end

Gone in 60 Seconds (1974), made by insurance-adjuster-turned-director H.B. Halicki, is a 40-minute continuous chase. Ninety-three cars were destroyed. Halicki broke both his ankles.

Why it cannot be remade

Everything on screen is a real vehicle at a real speed, driven by somebody who could die. Insurance and workplace safety caught up around 1981 and that was the end of it.

Where to start

All 13 →