The aesthetics of death, youth, and the road: The violent road film in popular culture

The "roadkill" films are part of a sub-genre of the more popular road film genre. Recently there has been a large number of extremely violent films featuring couples on the run. The reason behind the emergence and popularity of the "roadkill" genre can be understood through an aesthetic analysis. Chapter one examines the aesthetics and affective characteristics of the extreme violence within this sub-genre of film. This chapter refers to the works of Leo Bersani and Ulysse Dutoit, as well as Rene Girard. Chapter two explores the postmodern aesthetic of the roadside iconography by using authors such as Jean Baudrillard and Robert Venturi. The third chapter considers the aesthetics of contemporary youth as well as the soundtracks of four of the main "roadkill" films: Kalifornia, Love and a.45, Natural Born Killers, and True Romance. By considering the aesthetic elements of the "roadkill" film, one can understand the timely emergence of this genre.