No One Really Drives Away from Anything in Horror Films
I. Taking to the Open Road Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road, Healthy, free, the world before me, The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose. These words of Walt Whitman’s—from his poem “Song of
The open road has long been a symbol of freedom and adventure in American culture. Walt Whitman's poem "Song of the Open Road" first published in 1856, three decades before Karl Benz invented the modern automobile, already evokes the allure and promise of car culture. The image of a car speeding down a winding highway, windows down, and the distant mountains looming on the horizon has become a cinematic icon.
In horror films, however, the open road takes on a sinister meaning. The same roads that represent freedom and escape become highways to hell, exposing the terror that lurks within us. The automobile in these films shines its bright lights on the occulted world that exists in the shadows of our own, forever un-understandable but always looming.
Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is a prime example of this theme. The film begins with Janet Leigh's character, Marion Crane, leaving her hotel room in a white bra, which immediately signals her vulnerability. The viewer is shown a glimpse of her breasts in the beginning, setting a tone of unease. Marion is an unmarried woman in 1959, and her desire for freedom is limited by societal norms. She sees marriage as a means of gaining more freedom, but ultimately, her choice leads to her hellish highway.
Once she sets out to steal $40,000, her mind is consumed with the reactions people will have to her crime. Hitchcock uses close-ups, point-of-view shots, and voiceovers to create a sense of paranoia and claustrophobia. The road itself becomes a character, with Hitchcock imbuing it with an uncanny presence. Marion's thoughts are constantly returning to her past crime, her guilt, and the trap she has unknowingly created for herself.
No matter how far she drives, she cannot escape herself, as the road in horror films is a mere mirage, exposing the terror that is always already present.
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