Jill Gevargizian: Top Sixx: Backwoods Crazies

This “genre” is definitely my favorite. Taking a road trip is one of my favorite things to do and I always try to plan a less traveled route. I like to take my time, stopping whenever something sparks my interest and taking photos. I love to drive through areas just like in these films, so I've included my personal photography from trips I've been on. This 'Top Sixx' is just one installment of this project with many more to come. I hope you enjoy my film selections. Let the countdown begin!

The typical setup:
First we stop at a creepy gas station, then the car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, and on our mission for help we walk right into the house of the killer.

6. Misery (1990)

Location: Sidewinder, Colorado

Stranded by: Blizzard

Crush: Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates)

Crazy: Biggest fan; Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates)

Brutal Moment: Annie realizes Paul (James Caan) had been out of his room, so she puts a piece of wood between his feet and smashes them with a sledgehammer, or better know as the 'hobbling'.

Kill Count: 2

(Photo: Olympic National Forest, Washington)

5. Wolf Creek (2005)

Location: Wolf Creek, Australian Outback

Stranded by: Car was sabotaged.

Crush: Nathan Phillips (Ben Mitchell)

Crazy: Mick Taylor (John Jaratt)

Brutal Moment: Mick severs Liz's (Cassandra Magrath) spine and turns her into a 'head on a stick'.

Kill Count: 3

(Photo: Mark Twain National Forest, Missouri)

4. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)

Location: Texas

Stranded by: Totaling their jeep by crashing into a cow that was standing in the middle of the road.

Crush: Eric (Matt Bomer)

Crazies: The Hewitt Family; Uncle Charlie/Sheriff Hoyt (R. Lee Ermey), Leatherface/Thomas (Andrew Bryniarski), Monty (Terrence Evans), and Luda Mae (Marietta Marich).

Brutal Moment: Leatherface beats the owner of the slaughterhouse to death with a sledgehammer.

Kill Count: 11

(Photo: Waco, TX)

3. Wrong Turn (2003)

Location: Greenbrier Backcountry, West Virginia, Appalachian Mountains

Stranded by: Spike chain in the road pops their tires, then along comes Chris (Desmond Harrington), who has gotten wrong directions (another set-up), isn't paying attention and crashes into them.

Crush: Scott (Jeremy Sisto)

Crazies: Trio of inbred cannibalistic mountain men; Three Fingers (Julian Richings), Saw-Tooth (Gary Robbins), and One-Eye (Ted Clark).

Brutal Moment: The 3 remaining survivors are up in the trees and Carly (Emmanuelle Chriqui) gets an axe to the face. The top half of her head stays there, but the rest of her body falls, hitting each branch on the way down.

Kill Count: 10

(Photo: Hoosier National Forest, Indiana)

2. The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

Location: New Mexico Desert

Stranded by: Short cut directions, which leads to a booby trap that blows all their tires and causes them to wreck.

Crush: Brenda Carter (Emilie de Ravin)

Crazies: Hill people disfigured by nuclear testing; Pluto (Michael Bailey Smith), Lizard (Rober Joy), Goggle (Ezra Buzzington), Big Brain (Desmond Askew), and Big Mama (Ivana Turchetto).

Brutal Moment: The opening sequence, 3 people are testing the radioactive levels and are killed very quickly with a pickaxe, one is slammed repeatedly against the rocks.

Kill Count: 15