Thirty-One Days O’Horror: The Wraith (1986)

Let’s Ride #11!

Tonight’s post features one of my favorite killer/ghost car films of all time, The Wraith (1986)! The Wraith was actually one of the first films that I ever reviewed for my Thirty-One Days O’Horror series, but I decided to revisit it for this year because, well, it fits the bill and I really love it. The film stars a young Charlie Sheen, Sherilyn Fenn, Nick Cassavetes, Clint Howard, and Randy Quaid.

The film tells the story of a gang in Arizona that challenges other drivers for pink slips. The gang, headed up by Packard (Cassavetes), do any and everything they can to win, including cheating. They also murdered a young man that Packard hated. That young man’s brother, Billy (Matthew Barry), works at the local burger shack along with Packard’s “girlfriend,” Keri (Fenn). When a stranger (Sheen) arrives in town, he brings with him a mysterious Dodge Turbo Interceptor and a hunger for revenge. He also draws the attention of Keri…..and Packard, who determines to destroy his newest adversary. This leads to the stranger, named Jamie, racing and terrorizing the gang that murdered Billy’s brother. Who is this strange individual and where did he come from? Check out The Wraith to see what goes down in the Arizona desert!

Viewed more as an action thriller than a horror film, The Wraith is a really fun ride. The film is loaded with cool cars from a number of decades and a very solid cast, many of which would go on to bigger and better films and television shows. The special effects are a bit hokey at times and don’t hold up very well against today’s effects. That said, if you grew up when this film was originally released, seeing the somewhat cheesy effects brings back a flood of memories of this and other films.

This is a very fun film with some great action. The main cast is excellent and the action is awesome. Be sure to check out this film when you get a chance!

We are almost halfway through the this year’s Thirty-One Days O’Horror. I’ve got a few classics still to come, a number of modern films, and, on October 31st, my favorite killer car film of all time! Stay tuned and thanks for checking out my post!