History Main / GasStationOfDoom

It's a foggy, winter day in the middle of nowhere. And on the long, curving highway is a gas station. A generic, everyday, normal gas station. The perfect place to be haunted by a ghost, stalked by a serial killer, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking or realize how ridiculously expensive the fuel is there.]]

For a number of reasons, writers like to use lonely gas stations as a setting for horror. Much of this is perhaps that gas stations are a place that almost anyone who's been in or driven a car needs to visit at least once in a while. As such, it is bound to attract some weird and even dangerous people, both in real life and in fiction.

Combine this with their sometimes dingy, run-down look and feel, as well as the fact that they can be found in all but the most remote parts of the world, and you have the recipe for a decent horror setting.

Combine this with their sometimes dingy and run-down look and feel, as well as the fact that they can be found in even the most remote parts of the world, and you have the recipe for a decent horror setting.

For a number of reasons, writers like to use lonely gas stations as a setting for horror. Much of this is perhaps that gas stations are a place that almost anyone who's been in or driven a car needs to visit at least once in a while. As such, it is bound to attract some weird and even dangerous people, both in real life and in fiction. Combine this with their sometimes dingy and run-down look and feel, and the fact that they can be found in even the most remote parts of the world, and you have the recipe for a decent setting for a decent horror setting.

It's a foggy, winter day in the middle of nowhere. And on the long, curving highway is a gas station. A generic, everyday, normal gas station. The perfect place to be haunted by a ghost, stalked by a serial killer, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking or realize how]] [[FauxHorror ridiculously expensive the fuel is there.]]

It's a foggy, winter day in the middle of nowhere. And on the long, curving highway is a gas station. A generic, everyday, normal gas station. The perfect place to be haunted by a ghost, stalked by a serial killer, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking or realize how]] [[ FauxHorror ridiculously expensive the fuel is there.]]

It's a foggy, winter day in spooky Insert Northern U.S. State Here. And on the long, curving highway is a gas station. A generic, everyday, normal gas station.

Oh, and it's the site of nearly every single B-list horror story.

For some reason, writers like to use lonely gas stations in some U.S. state like Pennsylvania or Maryland as the site of their spooky ghost story. It's an odd phenomenon, really. Maybe ghosts and serial killers are just attracted by the thought of Maryland petroleum and nerdy 30 year old attendants.

* The ''Film/{{Nightmares}}'' segment "Terror in Topanga". A woman hears over the radio that a serial killer is on the loose. She naturally [[WhatAnIdiot goes out to get a pack of cigarettes]] and stops at a gas station. The attendant perfectly matches the serial killer's description and she gets worried. The attendant drags her out of the car, pulls out a gun, and [[BaitAndSwitchGunshot shoots...the real serial killer]], who was hiding in her back seat.

Compare CreepyGasStationAttendant, who often manages these. MyCarHatesMe is almost guaranteed to happen. For more road trip points you absolutely do ''not'' want to get caught up in, see InnOfNoReturn, HellHotel and OldDarkHouse.

Compare CreepyGasStationAttendant, who often manages these. MyCarHatesMe is almost guaranteed to happen. For more road trip points you absolutely do ''not'' want to get caught up in, see InnOfNoReturn, TownWithADarkSecret and OldDarkHouse.

For some reason, writers like to use lonely gas stations in some U.S. state like Pennsylvania or Maryland as the site of their spooky ghost story. It's an odd phenomenon, really. Maybe ghosts are just attracted by the thought of Maryland petroleum and nerdy 30 year old attendants.

Compare CreepyGasStationAttendant, who often manages these.

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/Open24Hours https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/open_24_hours.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The gas prices aren't the only scary thing here.]]

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[[quoteright:350:[[Film/Open24Hours https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/open_24_hours.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The gas prices aren't the only scary thing here.]]

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%% https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1404492079030138900

* The gas station in ''Film/TheTexasChainSawMassacre1974'' [[spoiler:unfortunately turns out not to be the sanctuary for [[FinalGirl Sally Hardesty]] as the [[CreepyGasStationAttendant proprietor]] ties her up, gags her, and forces her into his truck. It also turns out to be the place where [[ImAHumanitarian human meats are barbecued]].]]
* The ''Film/{{Nightmares}}'' segment "Terror in Topanga". A woman hears over the radio that a serial killer is on the loose. She naturally [[WhatAnIdiot goes out to get a pack of cigarettes]] and stops at a gas station. The attendant perfectly matches the serial killer's description and she gets worried. The attendant drags her out of the car, pulls out a gun, and [[BaitAndSwitchGunshot shoots...the real serial killer]], who was hiding in her back seat.

* The first vampire attack in ''Film/FrightNight2NewBlood'' takes place at a deserted gas station. The victim manages to set the monster on fire by blowing up her car with a ReusableLighterToss, but this only slows it down briefly.
* In ''Film/LifeBlood'', Rhea and Brooke decide to hole up in a remote gas station till the sun goes down, taking the clerk hostage. It is here that Brooke goes completely off the deep end and most of the killings occur.
* In ''Film/SixtyEightKill'', Chip has to stop at a remote gas station to fill up, and the cashier Monica notices the large bundle of cash he is carrying and tries to blackmail him. This marks the point at which the PlethoraOfMistakes kicks into high gear.
* In ''Film/BigDriver'', Tess's rape and assault takes place in the shell of a abandoned gas station on a remote stretch of country road.

* The pilot episode of ''Series/CriminalMinds'' (and a small chunk of the second, both in flashback) featured a SerialKiller that was the sole employee of a middle-of-nowhere gas station. Other [[MonsterOfTheWeek Serial Killers Of The Week]] also used gas stations (in use or abandoned) as bases of operations throughout the show.

* [[http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=night+shift Night Shift]], a setting made by the folks from /tg/, focuses on the night/graveyard shift of attendants at a middle-of-nowhere service station who have to endure unsettling, dangerous, and sometimes just weird supernatural phenomena.

* Subverted with the opening kill of ''Film/UrbanLegend''. The gas station's creepy attendant was actually harmless and trying to warn Michelle about [[DangerTakesABackseat the killer in her backseat]], but couldn't because of his stutter, which caused Michelle to [[MistakenForMurderer think he was about to rape or murder her]] and run off.

[[folder:Urban Legends]]
* A woman travelling alone stops for gas late at night. When she tries to pay for the gas, the attendant tells her that her credit card has been declined and asks her to come into the office. She goes into the office, but the attendant starts acting creepy and locks the door. She escapes and runs back to her car with the attendant in pursuit. She drives away in a panic and doesn't hear the attendant screaming that there's someone in the back seat. This urban legend is also the first scene of the movie ''Film/UrbanLegend''.
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* ''Night Shift'', the playable prologue to Puppet Combo's ''VideoGame/StayOutOfTheHouse'', is set at an isolated gas station where you control a gas station attendant who is stalked throughout the night by a serial killer, culminating in [[spoiler: the attendant being captured.]]

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[[quoteright:350: [[Film/PlanetTerror https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/planet-terror_2980.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[NightmareFuel Nightmare]] [[{{pun}} fuel station.]]]]

* ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'': Frank Castle runs into one in Louisiana that's actually a front for an inbred CannibalClan.

* In ''Series/TwinPeaks: The Return'', the Woodsmen are a group of creepy, murderous beings made of pure evil. They travel through dimensions by means of an abandoned gas station that flickers in and out of existence, which is always shown with ominous lighting and accompanied with a BrownNote to amp up the horror.

* The gas station in ''Film/TheTexasChainSawMassacre1974'' [[spoiler:unfortunately turns out not to be the sanctuary for [[FinalGirl Sally Hardesty]] as the [[CreepyGasStationAttendant proprietor]] ties her up, gags her, and forces her into his truck. It also turns out to be the place where [[ImAHumanitarian human meats are barbecued.]]]]

* ''Film/{{Nightmares}}'' segment "Terror in Topanga". A woman hears over the radio that a serial killer is on the loose. She naturally [[WhatAnIdiot goes out to get a pack of cigarettes]] and stops at a gas station. The attendant perfectly matches the serial killer's description and she gets worried. The attendant drags her out of the car, pulls out a gun, and [[BaitAndSwitchGunshot shoots...the real serial killer]], who was hiding in her back seat.

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* The gas station in ''Film/TheTexasChainSawMassacre1974'' [[spoiler:unfortunately turns out not to be the sanctuary for [[FinalGirl Sally Hardesty]] as the [[CreepyGasStationAttendant proprietor]] ties her up, gags her, and forces her into his truck. It also turns out to be the place where [[ImAHumanitarian human meats are barbecued]]]].

[[caption-width-right:350:[[NightmareFuel Nightmare]] [[{{pun}} fuel station]].]]

* The gas station in ''Film/TheTexasChainSawMassacre1974'' unfortunately turns out not to be the sanctuary for [[FinalGirl Sally Hardesty]] as the [[CreepyGasStationAttendant proprietor]] ties her up, gags her, and forces her into his truck. It also turns out to be the place where [[ImAHumanitarian human meats are barbecued]].

* The gas station in ''Film/TheTexasChainSawMassacre1974'' unfortunately turns out not to be the sanctuary for [[FinalGirl Sally Hardesty]] as the [[CreepyGasStationAttendant proprietor]] ties her up, gags her, and forces her into his truck. It also turns out to be the place where [[CannibalClan human meats are barbecued]].

* The gas station in ''Film/TheTexasChainSawMassacre1974'' unfortunately turns out not to be the sanctuary for [[FinalGirl Sally Hardesty]] as the [[CreepyGasStationAttendant proprietor]] ties her up, gags her, and forces her into his truck. It also turns out to be the place where human meats are barbecued.