Narrative technique · used in 3 films
Making a machine or object the main threat, with no face and no explained motive. You can't bargain with it or understand it, so the danger feels relentless.
Examples
Steven Spielberg · 1971
The driver appears only in brief shots of his arms and boots. Spielberg has said the truck itself becomes the enemy. You never learn why, so the threat is a machine you can't reason with.
Where to see it: The gas station. The truck parks beside Mann's car, and he realizes it has been following him.
John Carpenter · 1983
Christine never speaks and has no face, yet she acts like a jealous lover. She locks her doors, repairs herself and hunts the people who hurt her owner. You cannot bargain with a car, which makes her feel relentless.
Where to see it: The self-repair: after vandals wreck her, Christine repairs herself in front of Arnie. Over 2 evenings, the car goes after Buddy and his gang.
Dan Gilroy · 2019
The threats have no faces or reasons. A painting, a robot and an interactive sculpture go after their victims and cannot be argued with. Each death is cruel and a little absurd.
Where to see it: Gretchen and the Sphere. The night before an exhibit she reaches into the interactive piece, and it malfunctions and takes her arm.
Questions
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