Duel, a Different Kind of Horror Movie

It’s entirely plausible, ordinary guy driving out in the middle of nowhere gets harassed by some hillbilly trucker. Like Deliverance it taps into certain fears, that city folk have of rural people, that nerds have of bullies, and the intimidating awesomeness of trucks when you are driving a car. 

The desert atmosphere makes stories like this even more terrifying. Those wide expanses of inhospitable nothing increase the sense of desolation, of being trapped by the outdoors. Note how Wes Craven used a similar setting for the Hills Have Eyes, I believe this movie was what inspired his vision. It was to have the same effect, to convey the pure mercilessness of the hunter hunting prey that has no place to hide. 

The fact that you never see the driver, that the truck is old and utilitarian seems to signify a ruthlessness and brutality that you would not have gotten otherwise. This greasy, dirty hulk seems to have come out of the bowels of hell to chase Dennis Weaver through the desert. He is confused, as all victims are initially, he has no idea why this is happening to him. Usually, that’s what gets you killed, the belief in justice, that life is just. They sit around wondering and waiting for the situation to right itself. They hesitate because they expect their attackers to come to their senses, or to have remorse, to feel pity. 

Spielberg uses a few of the tricks you get to see later on in his career. The visuals were a little murky, but it gives you feel of having a much bigger budget than it did. It feels surprisingly contemporary, none of the watered down corny thrills of that era, just stripped down, hard suspense. Weaver acts like a man literally fearing for his life, not like an actor pretending. There are no love scenes, no real comic relief, just fear and driving and more fear. The audience does not have a whole lot of work to do here. 

Duel, technically, is not a horror movie as we currently define it. No gore, nothing literally ugly except for maybe that truck. No ghosts, no dismemberment, none of those “boo moments”. It is, however, scary. Weaver presents such an everyman blank slate that any of us who have ever driven alone through empty places can identify with him. Psychopathic, murderous truckers are real, Jason Voorhees is not.