Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Freeway (1988)

Let’s Ride #26!

We’re barreling down the highway to the end of October and Thirty-One Days O’Horror! Today’s post takes a peek at 1988’s Freeway starring Darlanne Fluegel, Richard Belzer, James Russo, and Billy Drago. The movie was written by Deanne Barkley, Francis Delia, and Darrell Fetty. Delia also directed the film.

Fluegel stars as Sunny Harper in the film. Roughly one year after her own husband’s unsolved murder on the highway, Sunny sets out on a quest to find the culprit in a new string of violent gun deaths on the highways of Los Angeles. Helping her are a rogue cop turned bounty hunter named Quinn (Russo), and a local talk radio psychiatrist named Dr. Lazarus (Belzer). Drago appears in the film as the murderer who drives a black 1969 Lincoln Continental and when he realizes that Sunny is on his tail, he decides to eliminate her. Does Sunny survive? Will she finally get justice for her husband? Is the killer a psychotic priest? Check out Freeway and see what happens!

Drago’s Bible-quoting killer steals the show in this film. He does a great job in his role. Belzer and Russo also give solid performances. Fluegel is very convincing as a young woman hellbent on finding her husband’s killer. The rest of the cast is also impressive.

To be completely honest, this film could have passed for a Made-For-TV film. Sure, there’s a bit of strong language and some brief nudity, but these moments could have easily been edited. Considering the fact that Deanne Barkley wrote a lot for television and Delia directed a number of music videos and television episodes, it’s not a big stretch to see Freeway playing on a Saturday night on NBC or one of the other major networks.

The film has a number of excellent action sequences involving vehicles. Sunny drives around in a beautiful 1967 Pontiac Firebird that she acquires from Clint Howard’s creepy body shop worker named Ronnie. There’s also some cool bazooka work in the movie and, hey, it wouldn’t be the 1980’s without sweet rides and the occasional bazooka, right?

Freeway screams late 1980’s action thriller and it’s the perfect movie to watch on a rainy afternoon. While there are definitely better highway killer flicks out there, it’s definitely worth a look.

Thanks for checking out my review.

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Highway To Hell (1991)

Let’s Ride #25!

Much like yesterday’s post, today’s review features a film that I became aware of just a few days ago. What’s really mind-boggling to me is the fact that this film features one of my favorite actresses, Kristy Swanson, and a ton of cameos from some pretty awesome people! Somehow it flew completely under my radar. The film I’m talking about is 1991’s Highway To Hell. The film stars Swanson, Chad Lowe, Patrick Bergin, CJ Graham, and Adam Storke. I’ll get to all of the cameos throughout the rest of my post.

Lowe and Swanson star as Charlie and Rachel, a young couple heading to Las Vegas to elope. Hoping to avoid anybody attempting to stop them from getting married, they take backroads and sleepy highways. When they stop for fuel at a gas station, the attendant (the legendary Richard Farnsworth) warns Charlie to not stop between two Joshua trees. Charlie does, however, when he is stopped by a police officer. The officer, Sgt. Bedlam (CJ Graham), is no ordinary policeman, however. He’s a cop from Hell (literally) who pulls over Charlie and Rachel so that he can take Rachel to Hell to be Satan’s newest plaything. Charlie rushes back to the gas station and the attendant, named Sam, gives him his classic car and a special shotgun. He then gives him special instructions to enter Hell between the two trees. Arriving in Hell, Charlie encounters a number of bizarre beings, most with ill intentions, that lead him to find Sgt. Bedlam and Rachel. He befriends Beezle (Bergin), a tow truck driver who “fixes” things in Hell, and continues his quest to save Rachel. Does Charlie succeed? You know what to do. Watch Highway To Hell!

The film looks like an episode of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse gone wrong. It has a very Tim Burton-esque feel to it and has often been compared to Beetlejuice. It features heavily stylized sets, stop-motion animation, and fanciful costumes and makeup. Directed by Ate de Jong (Drop Dead Fred) and written by Brian Helgeland (Mystic River, 976-EVIL, A Knight’s Tale), the movie features a bizarre cast of characters portrayed by Ben Stiller, his parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, and his sister, Amy Stiller. Hitler makes an appearance and is portrayed by Gilbert Gottfried. Lita Ford is simply breathtaking as a villainous hitchhiker. In his final film role before his untimely death, Kevin Peter Hall (Harry And The Hendersons, Predator) has a small role as Charon, the ferryman who brings the dead across the River Styx to the afterworld.

The film is bonkers. Somehow De Jong manages to keep a nice balance between absurdity and terror. Patrick Bergin does an excellent job as Beezle who, to no one’s suprise, is actually Satan, and the rest of the cast are amazing as well. The film features some excellent chase sequences between Charlie and Sgt. Bedlam in their vehicles as well. It’s a really fun ride and I definitely recommend it.

This movie may not be for everyone, but I definitely plan on getting my hands on a hard copy of it at some point in the near future. It’s a really fun film and I’m really glad that I’ve had the chance to watch it.

Thanks for checking out my review. Oh, and I’ve been in love with Kristy Swanson since I first saw her in Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her twice and here’s my proof:

It’s okay. You can all be jealous!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Roadgames (1981)

Let’s Ride #24!

Up until a few days ago, 1981’s Roadgames wasn’t even on my radar. I didn’t know that it existed. Heck, I never even knew that Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis ever made a film together. When I finally put eyes on this little gem of a movie, however, I was pleasantly surprised with just how excellent it is. It’s probably the least scary film that I’m reviewing this month, but it’s so good that I just had to throw it into this year’s Thirty-One Days O’Horror list.

In the film, Stacy Keach portrays Quid, an American trucker working in Australia. While stopping for the evening, he sees a man in a green van check into a hotel with a young, female hitchhiker that he passed on the highway earlier that day. When he wakes up in his rig the next morning, he sees the man from the van watching trash trucks pick up a bunch of bags. Thinking that the man’s behavior is a bit odd, Quid heads off to pick up a load of pork for his next delivery along with his dingo, Boswell. As they travel along the highway to Perth, Quid passes and encounters a number of odd travelers including a motorcyclist in red, a station wagon loaded down with various sports balls, a clunky boat being towed by a poor driver, a family, and a few hitchhikers. He also encounters the green van and hears about a serial killer murdering young women. Quid picks up the woman from the family car he passed earlier and they begin playing games. Soon enough, Quid starts questioning the woman about the recent murders. Thinking that he might be the murderer, the lady runs from him. Later on, Quid picks up a beautiful young woman that he nicknames “Hitch.” In actuality, she’s Pamela Rushworth, an American diplomat’s daughter looking for a few days of fun. Together, they attempt to piece together evidence that points to the man in the green van being the murderer. It soon turns into a cat-and-mouse game between Quid, Hitch, and the man in the van, but Quid also becomes a prime suspect in the murders. Who’s who? Watch Roadgames to find out the truth!

This is a character driven film spearheaded by the brilliant performance of Stacy Keach. He spends a lot of the movie talking to himself and Bosworth. Some of the best moments are when he gives names, personalities, occupations, and more to the travelers that he passes on the highway. We also get to see the effects of driving long hours in isolation. Jamie Lee Curtis does a great job as well but, in all honesty, she isn’t in the film enough to flex her acting chops. The film, directed by Richard Franklin, has some very humorous and ridiculous moments stitched together with some very dark sequences. It’s an extremely well done film.

There were plenty of moments where this film’s plot could have unraveled, but Keach’s performance, coupled with Franklin’s direction and the solid script written by Everett De Roche, keep the ludicrous events and bleak moments tightly woven together to create a solid film. Be sure to check this thriller out for yourself!

Thanks for checking out my review!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Monster Man (2003)

Let’s Ride #23!

2003’s Monster Man is a film that left me full of mixed feelings. The bulk of the film isn’t that great. It’s littered with bad, sophomoric jokes, most of which are delivered by Justin Urich as Harley, who comes off as a blend of every single stereotypical fun-loving jerk who the viewer ultimately grows to love……except I can’t stand Harley at all. If the intent was for the viewer to be repulsed by the character, mission accomplished. If he’s just meant to be the funny sidekick, writer/director Michael Davis totally missed the boat. The climax of the film which, oddly enough, has a considerable amount of Harley-less time, is very, very good. It manages to deliver decent action mixed with a heaping helping of absurd and grotesque humor. If only the rest of the film were as good as the climax.

The film stars Eric Jungmann as Adam, a virgin driving across country hoping to stop the wedding of the woman that he loves. He’s a lot like Jesse Eisenberg in Zombieland. He’s awkward, eclectic, and has a ton of useful items in his seemingly bottomless fanny packs. Riding along with him is the previously mentioned Harley, who manages to sabotage pretty much everything that Adam attempts on the drive. Harley also loves drawing the wrong types of attention to himself and Adam. He’s a jerk, plain and simple. The duo are terrorized by a monster truck and haunted by a hearse on the drive. They eventually pick up a lovely hitchhiker named Sarah (Aimee Brooks), who falls for Adam.

The monster truck is driven by the titular Monster Man (Michael Bailey Smith), who rams Adam’s car, attempts to attack him in a restroom, leaves dead animals in Adam and Harley’s bed, and stuffs a human body in their car. This is just a few of the things that he does to the young men and Sarah. Things come to a head whenever the Monster Man captures Sarah and all is revealed in an amazing sequence at the climax of the film. Of course, Harley does eventually show up to ruin everything but for a few moments, Monster Man is really impressive.

Is Monster Man worth a look? Yeah, I guess. It is pretty cool that Michael Bailey Smith portrayed Ben Grimm in the Roger Corman Fantastic Four film from 1994. I highly recommend checking that film out if you can dig it up online or on a bootleg DVD. The cast, excepting Urich, do great jobs. The makeup and effects are very good as well. Overall, this film could have been much better, especially if it leaned more into the horror and left out a lot of the comedy.

Thanks for checking out my review!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: The Car (1977)

Let’s Ride #22!

After yesterday’s post, I decided to blog about one of the better killer car flicks out there, 1977’s The Car! So what’s The Car all about and why is it so awesome? Basically, a demonic car arrives in a sleepy Utah town and begins killing people. The local sheriff’s department, which is losing officers at a quick rate, attempts to destroy the vehicle and may or may not fail. In order to find out, you’ll have to watch The Car for yourself.

The film stars James Brolin as Wade, who quickly goes from chief deputy to sheriff, Ronny Cox as Deputy Luke Johnson, a struggling alcoholic who has a relapse when the body count starts to rise, Kathleen Lloyd as Lauren, a brave woman and Wade’s girlfriend, R.G. Armstrong as Amos, a local jerk who beats his wife and loves to cause trouble, and Kim and Kyle Richards as Lynn Marie and Debbie, Wade’s daughters. The film also features a number of Native American actors. Henry O’Brien features prominently as Chas, one of Wade’s most trusted deputies, Geraldine Kearns as Donna, the sheriff’s switchboard operator and dispatcher, and Eddie Little Sky as Denson, one of the deputies. Fans of The Young And The Restless may recognize Suzie, an ill-fated bicycle rider, as Melody Thomas Scott.

Despite the fact that this film is regularly panned by “professional” critics, myself and many, many more people love it. Its plot has no real point to it other than the fact that an evil car decided to go on a killing spree in a small town. That is reason enough to enjoy this movie. It’s loaded with action, ridiculous moments, and unexpected moments of bravery such as the moment when some locals put their lives on the line in order to save school children from the car. Even the ending is a beautiful blend of ridiculous and awesome. It’s one of those bad movies that you just have to love.

For an insanely fun time, watch The Car. It’s available to rent or buy, but there are a few streamers out there that have the film to watch for free. Of all of the films I’ve reviewed this October, it’s one of the few that I consider a “must see” film. Give it a look!

As always, thanks for checking out my review.

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Road Train (2010)

Let’s Ride #21!

Opening with a needless sex scene and then unraveling into a ridiculous mess, 2010’s Road Train (also called Road Kill) is a terrible film. I love bad movies, but this film just plain sucks. It tries very hard to give the viewer a cyclical view of Hades, or something similar, but never really pays off the viewer with a conclusion. The characters, excepting one, are completely unlikeable and the story is ludicrous.

I’m assuming that the sex scene that opens this film is meant to introduce friction between the two couples in the film, but that could have simply been tossed into the story while the gang is barreling down the highway on their getaway in the Outback. Instead, we get to see Bob Morley and Sophie Lowe moan and groan for a bit before the story actually gets moving. Once the four friends are on the road, they are rammed by a road train (for us Americans, think a massive semi-truck pulling more than one trailer) and ultimately end up getting driven off of the highway. As they gather up supplies, they discover that the road train is parked not far from them. They investigate it and soon enough, the driver returns shooting a gun at them. They still the road train and make a dash for safety, but they eventually find themselves at a dead end. Then they begin having hallucinations, visions of Cerberus, the three-headed dog that protects Hades’ gates, and start turning on one another. Oh, and the semi runs on humans, just FYI.

I cannot emphasize enough how terrible this film is. The only character that I actually liked was Nina (Lowe), who is in a relationship with the very, very easy to hate Craig (Morley). Along with them are Craig’s ex-girlfriend, Liz (Georgina Haig), who is now dating Craig’s best friend, Marcus (Xavier Samuel). Let me say that I had no issues with the acting in this film. My issues are strictly with the plot written by Clive Hopkins and the way director Dean Francis patched it all together on the screen.

I do not recommend this film. It’s one of the worst road horror flicks that I’ve watched. I’m all for absurd stories or time loop terror, but this movie is too much of a jumbled, boring mess to waste your time.

Thanks for checking out my review.

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Shortcut (2020)

Let’s Ride #20!

Five teenagers and their bus driver encounter a sinister force in a dark tunnel in 2020’s Shortcut. Directed by Alessio Liguori, this film has a nice helping of suspense, one quick twist early on, and a creature that moves in the shadows. It’s a fun horror flick with a strong cast, a solid plot, and some nice practical effects.

The film tells the story of five teens on a school field trip that end up having to take a shortcut in order to stay on time. Their slow-moving bus, gently driven by the friendly and loyal Joseph, gets carjacked by a famous serial killer from the area. The killer’s story is built up through a flashback featuring one of the teens, but he becomes less of a threat once the bus breaks down in a dark tunnel. A new threat rises from the shadows and the group on the bus have to figure out not only how to survive, but how to destroy the monster hunting them. Do they survive? Watch Shortcut to find out who comes out alive!

I have to admit that I had zero expectations of this film. I knew nothing about it except for its title and, based upon its description, the fact that it might be a Jeepers Creepers ripoff. It’s not, but I can definitely understand why some folks may see a connection between the two films.

The film is slow in the beginning. Intentionally, I believe. It’s also relatively quiet. The bus rolls along at a slow pace, making its way through the English countryside barely making a sound. We get brief introductions to all of the characters in the film while the bus cruises down the road. Then they run into a tree blocking the road. The tree forces the bus to take a detour where they find a dead deer blocking their path. Joseph (Terence Anderson) gets out to move the deer, but he returns with a well-known serial killer, Pedro Minghella (David Keyes), holding him at gunpoint. Pedro forces Joseph to drive the bus and makes the teens toss out their cellphones. The group eventually find themselves stalled in a dark tunnel. A creature emerges from the darkness…..and things go from bad to worse.

I really liked this movie. The young actors hold their own in the film. Jack Kane, Sophie Jane Oliver, Zanda Emlano, Molly Dew, and Zak Sutcliffe star as the teens that bond together to not only face the creature, but create a trap for it. It’s nice to see them come together as one when they start off the film as five very, very individual characters.

The creature looks great. While it spends most of its time in the dark, we do get a few very good close looks at it over the course of the film. The tunnel system used in the film is a perfect place to hide a monster, and the backstory that we learn is interesting as well.

If you’re looking for a nice little horror flick with a cool creature and kids that are intelligent for once, give Shortcut a look. I think you’ll like it.

Thanks for checking out my review.

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Night Terror (1977)

Let’s Ride #19!

Valerie Harper takes a terrifying trip across the deserts of Arizona in 1977’s Night Terror. The film, which is also known as Night Drive, is a Made-For-TV movie starring Harper as Carol Turner and Richard Romanus as a mute killer that uses a “talk box” or electrolarynx. Released on February 7, 1977, the film is a surprisingly engaging suspense thriller directed by E.W. Swackhamer.

In the film, Harper, known primarily as a comedic actress (and a good one at that), portrays a hapless housewife trekking home to see her ill son. She witnesses the violent death of a police officer by Romanus’ character. Romanus, who had a very long film and television career, then pursues Harper in a series events and situations where Harper’s character has to prove that she isn’t as helpless as the viewers are first led to believe. This makes for an interesting film, as Harper matches wits with Romanus and ultimately becomes confident in defending herself.

This could have been just another cat-and-mouse thriller but, instead, director E.W. Swackhamer and writers Carl Gabler and Richard DeNeut give Harper a meaty role to really develop and grow Carol across the length of the film. With Swackhamer at the helm and two veteran actors like Harper and Romanus taking the lead, this film really punches above its weight-class as a Made-For-TV movie.

I definitely recommend this film. It’s engaging, loaded with character development, and graced with a brilliant cast and director. I normally go a bit easy on Made-For-TV films because they are often hindered by budget concerns, but Night Terror is a lean, mean thrilling machine that could go toe-to-toe with some of the best big screen thrillers out there.

Thanks for checking out my review!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Drive Back (2024)

Let’s Ride #18!

On their way home from their engagement party, a couple take a shortcut through the California forests and find themselves terrorized by a cannibalistic killer, helped by a hitchhiker, and tested by their own secrets on a seemingly endless road in 2024’s Drive Back. The film was written by Jon Sarro and directed by Cody Ashford. It stars Whit Kunschik and Zack Gold as Olivia and Reid, our young couple trapped in a cycle of violence and terror.

Drive Back‘s delivery is much like its plot: twisted and endless. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this film well enough, but visiting and revisiting the same moments over and over with no real conclusion to them gets boring really, really fast. Add to this the fact that it’s pretty obvious who certain characters that the couple meet along the road are after meeting them just once or twice. When the film is in terror mode, it terrorizes. When it’s in “big revelation” mode, it drags the film to a dead stop. Ultimately, you get a movie full of great moments but no real payoff.

The cast is fine. The cinematography can be beautiful at moments. The action is great. It’s the lulls between the action and the overall plot that make this film less than it could be in the long run. I recommend it for the cast and action, but with a few reservations.

Thanks for checking out my review.

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Black Cadillac (2003)

Let’s Ride #17!

A trio of Minnesota young adults find love and trouble while on a road trip to a Wisconsin bar in 2003’s Black Cadillac. The film stars Randy Quaid as Sheriff Charlie Harman, Shane Johnson as Scott, Jason Dohring as Scott’s little brother, Robbie, and Josh Hammond as CJ, Scott’s best friend. Kiersten Warren also has a small part as Jeanine. It’s an extremely solid film that is heavy on action and packs a great amount of suspense as well.

In the movie, Scott, Robbie, and CJ are having a great time at a dive bar. Robbie is having his first sexual encounter, Scott is having fun with Jeanine in his car, and CJ gets into a fight. The fight ends with Scott cleaning house with the locals and the trio tearing off down the highway. As they put distance between themselves and the bar, they are chased by a black Cadillac. Suspecting that the Caddy belongs to some of the bar patrons looking for revenge, Scott picks up his speed and aims for the Minnesota state line. They later run into Sheriff Harman (Quaid), whose patrol unit has died on him. As they continue their journey to Minnesota, the Cadillac returns. Harman begins egging Scott on to race and antagonize the Caddy. As the Cadillac becomes more aggressive, things go from bad to worse. The group soon realize that the driver of the Cadillac isn’t looking for a fight, he’s looking for revenge.

I really liked this film. It has some excellent action and the boys actually do a pretty good job of outsmarting the Cadillac at times. The plot isn’t groundbreaking in any way and easy to figure out, but it plays out quite well on the screen. I enjoyed the performances of the actors, especially Quaid, and found the chase sequences fun to watch. It’s also always nice to see Kiersten Warren in a movie.

Black Cadillac isn’t a great film, but it sure is fun to watch. I definitely recommend it, especially if you enjoy action films. Give it a look and, as always, thanks for reading my review.