Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Phantom Racer (2009)

Let’s Ride #16!

Rivals on and off the track, Cutter McCullough and JJ Sawyer find themselves in a terrible racetrack accident. Cutter dies from his wounds and JJ walks away from the track and becomes a trucker for a racing company. Years after leaving the sport he loves, JJ finds himself back in the town where his rivalry with Cutter ended in tragedy. When people die in bizarre accidents, all featuring Cutter’s restored race car, JJ becomes the prime suspect. What JJ discovers, however, is that Cutter is back and wants to settle the score with JJ in 2009’s Phantom Racer.

The film stars Greg Evigan (B.J. And The Bear, My Two Dads) as JJ Sawyer, Nicole Eggert (Baywatch, Charles In Charge) as Tammy, and Brenna O’Brien (Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon) as Jesse, Tammy’s daughter. It has received generally negative reviews and while I completely understand why the “professional” critics would dislike this film, I believe that anybody who turned this Made-For-TV movie on back in 2009 knew what they were getting into before they decided to watch it.

This movie isn’t that terrible. It has reasonably good CGI for a TV film and some pretty decent action as well. The kills in this flick are surprisingly gory. They include a decapitation by a car window, a face shredded off by a tire, a person getting squeezed to death by a seat belt, and someone getting cut in half by a car trunk.

The film also has a few surprises for viewers. There’s at least one My Two Dads reference directed at Evigan. I didn’t notice any BJ And The Bear references nor any Baywatch references, but sharper ears and eyes might catch one of those. Fans of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica might be happy to see Luciana Carro, who portrayed Kat Katraine in that series, as Deputy Monroe in Phantom Racer. Fans of The Covenant might recognize Sarah Smyth as young Tammy as well.

If you are looking for award-winning acting and an eye-opening story, you won’t find it here. If you just want to watch a decent film with decent action and lovely Nicole Eggert in it, Phantom Racer is right up your alley. Give this film a look. I think that you’ll enjoy it.

Thanks for checking out my review.

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Wrong Turn (2003)

Let’s Ride #15!

Eliza Dushku and Desmond Harrington battle a cannibalistic crew of inbred West Virginians in 2003’s Wrong Turn! Written by Alan B. McElroy (Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers, Spawn film) and directed by Rob Schmidt, the film is a surprisingly well done flick with a bare bones style that allows for lots of action, decent effects, and a ton of gore.

The film wastes no time getting to the action and terror. After a brief prologue that gives us a taste of what our antagonists are capable of, we are introduced to our heroes when Chris Flynn (Harrington) has a collision on a backroad with the vehicle that the rest of the film’s stars happen to have stopped on the road. Why are they stopped? Because someone conveniently laid a strip of barbed wire on the road. Soon enough, the group splits into a couple (Kevin Zegers, Lindy Booth) that stay behind at the cars and Flynn, Jessie (Dushku), Scott (Jeremy Sisto), and Carly (Emmanuelle Chriqui), who begin walking down the road looking for help. The first group is quickly killed by the cannibals. The second group manage to find the cannibal homestead and enter it in the hopes of finding a phone. They are soon discovered and a wild chase begins. Will all four of them survive? Watch Wrong Turn and see what happens!

As I mentioned earlier, this film wastes no time getting to the action. Its plot is simple and works well on the screen. All of the cast do wonderful jobs, especially Jeremy Sisto, who, in my opinion, is criminally underused in most of the films in which he is cast. The movie has some of the coolest kills that I’ve seen in a film in a long time. Without spoiling too much, I’m especially fond of the pine tree kill.

The film spawned a number of direct-to-DVD sequels, none of which I’ve seen. From what I’ve read about them, they aren’t worth my time. I may still attempt to watch one or two of them. That said, if you haven’t watched Wrong Turn, you need to see it.

Thanks for checking out today’s review. See you soon!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: The Hitch-Hiker (1953)

Let’s Ride #14!

Trailblazing female director Ida Lupino guides viewers on a thrilling road trip through the deserts of California and Mexico in 1953’s The Hitch-Hiker. The movie, which Lupino co-wrote with Collier Young, is considered to be the first film noir directed by a female. It’s based upon the real-life mass murderer known as Billy “Cockeyed” Cook, who went on a murder spree starting in Missouri and ending in Mexico. Cook murdered a family of five and their dog, as well as a traveling salesman. He also attempted to murder a mechanic, but failed.

Ida Lupino (L) with The Hitch-Hiker stars Edmond O’Brien and Frank Lovejoy in a BTS shot.

The film stars Frank Lovejoy and Edmond O’Brien as Gilbert Bowen and Roy Collins. They are taking a road trip to Mexico to get in a little fishing whenever they pick up the hitchhiking Emmett Myers (William Talman) and he immediately pulls a gun on them and begins giving them orders. Collins begins to become more and more unhinged as the time passes, but Bowen manages to keep a cool head. Bowen can also speak Spanish, which proves to be a great advantage for him. Myers’ plan is to have the duo drive him to Santa Rosalia, Baja California where he will kill both of them and then leave a life of freedom in Mexico. As the trio make their way south, Bown and Collins make plans to overtake and outsmart Myers. You’ll have to watch The Hitch-Hiker to see who succeeds.

The film is extremely well-paced and acted. Lovejoy, O’Brien, and Talman command the screen with their performances. The action isn’t over the top and it’s nice to have brief moments in small towns break up the dialogue-heavy scenes on the road. Don’t write this film off because of its age, it’s still a great thriller that holds your attention and is loaded with thrills.

Talman’s resemblance to Billy Cook is mind-boggling. He even has a paralyzed eye in the film like Cook had in real life. Talman does a great job as Myers. Of the trio in the film, however, Frank Lovejoy steals the show. All three of them gave great performances, but Lovejoy stands out in my opinion.

The real Billy Cook (L) and William Talman’s Emmett Myers (R).

I definitely recommend The Hitch-Hiker. Give it a look and let me know what you think about it!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Jeepers Creepers (2001)

Let’s Ride #13!

The highway gets supernatural in 2001’s horror thrill ride, Jeepers Creepers! Every twenty-three springs, a creature gets to feast for twenty-three days, sniffing and licking his way through people that he terrorizes on a lonely Florida highway. He takes a part from each person that he selects and then adds the rest of their body to a twisted skin wall under an old church. In the film, his next target is Darry Jenner who, along with his sister, happens to be cruising down the highway on their way back home for spring break.

Gina Philips and Justin Long star as Trish and Darry. They essentially carry the film as they attempt to stop the Creeper (Jonathan Breck) from murdering more people and soon enough, find out that one of them is on his Want List. They encounter a number of people while looking for help to stop the Creeper, including a Cat Lady (the legendary Eileen Brennan) and Jez (Patricia Belcher), a psychic that can see many of the Creepers moves before they happen. Jez attempts to warn Trish and Darry, but is it too little, too late?

Although the Creeper has amazing speed and can fly, his primary weapon is a beat up 1941 Chevrolet Heavy-Duty COE. He drives this truck up and down the highway, day and night, scaring people as he tailgates and rams their vehicles. His intention is to strike fear into people. He then catches their fear scent and picks who will be his next victim.

Jeepers Creepers is a very entertaining horror flick. It has an excellent blend of horror and action. Long and Philips act just like a pair of close-knit siblings, arguing with one another and being overly protective as well. Eileen Brennan has a small role in the film, but she is great for her few minutes of screen time. Patricia Belcher also does a great job as the frantic Jez. This is a solid film and I definitely recommend it.

Thanks for checking out my post!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Cold Road (2024)

Let’s Ride #12!

Isolation and fear take on two forms in 2024’s Cold Road, a Canadian thriller written and directed by Kelvin Redvers. The film stars Roseanne Supernault as Tracy, a young woman who is terrorized on a lonely stretch of highway in the cold Far North of Canada by a semi-truck driver who has been targeting First Nations people. The driver uses stereotypical ideals to convince police that the drivers caused their own accidents, allowing him to freely cruise the highway in search of his next victim.

Tracy, along with her dog, Pretzel, is headed to see her mother who is dying. She calls her sister, Eve (Taylor Kinequon), when cell service is available to let her know how close she is getting to home. The first encounter with the truck driver takes place while Pretzel is taking a bathroom break and is almost struck by the semi. Writing the incident off as just a jerk move by the driver, Tracy continues on her drive. With each encounter afterwards, the driver becomes more and more threatening. Tracy tries to get help assistance from the local police and folks in the small towns that she stops in, but all of the write her off as delusional, crazy, drunk, or worse. Will she survive her ice road rival? Watch Cold Road to find out what happens!

The film addresses terror and isolation in two ways: 1) a fairly standard cat-and-mouse road chase and 2) the isolation and hate experienced by First Nations people by others. In the case of the road chase, the story is par for the course. With regards to the social experience of First Nations people, it gets pretty serious. As someone who grew up near a reservation in south Louisiana, I’m aware of the racism that Native Americans have experienced over the years. I was lucky enough to have a father who worked with a Koasati man and I had a number of interactions with him and other Koasati over the years. Most people probably know the tribe as Coushatta, which is also the name of a casino that the tribe owns. These experiences helped me while watching Cold Road, as I definitely saw similarities in the way the Tracy is treated and the way that the Koasati in my area were treated for years. It made me think quite a bit, and I appreciate that about this film.

The highway sequences in the film are shot extremely well and help move along the story at a nice pace. Tracy uses the skills and wisdom passed down to her by her mother to try and thwart her adversary. There are a few sequences in the film where we see Tracy speaking to herself and/or Pretzel, and these can be a bit tedious to get through, but her encounters at a gas station, a diner, and with other First Nations people on the side of the highway help break up these sometimes monotonous moments.

Cold Road is a well done thriller. While most road thriller films follow the same basic formula, this film adds the struggles, tenacity, and determination of the First Nations people. Give this film a look, I don’t think that it will disappoint you.

Thanks for checking out my review!

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!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Killdozer (1974)

Let’s Ride #10!

A construction crew unearths an alien meteorite off the coast of Africa while building an airstrip on an island. The meteorite emits a strange light that brings a bulldozer to life. Isolated from the rest of the world on the island, the crew battle for their lives against the dozer, now an unstoppable killing machine in 1974’s Killdozer!

The bulldozer kills members of the crew one by one. As their numbers dwindle, the team react in different ways. Some turn to the bottle for comfort, others slowly go insane. The crew foreman, Lloyd Kelly, a recovering alcoholic, remains levelheaded throughout the ordeal and he and Dennis work to stop the dozer. Do they succeed? Watch Killdozer and find out what happens!

Killdozer is a surprisingly well done Made-For-TV film. It features excellent action and wonderful acting. It has a solid cast including Clint Walker as Lloyd Smith, Carl Betz as Dennis Holvig, Neville Brand as “Chub,” James Wainwright as “Dutch,” James A. Watson, Jr. as Al, and a very young Robert Urich as “Mack.” Walker had an amazing and prolific career, including a starring role in the series Cheyenne, numerous roles in western films, and roles in films such as The Dirty Dozen and The White Buffalo. The rest of the cast had long careers as well, with Robert Urich going on to star in multiple television shows and films like Spenser: For Hire, The Lazarus Man, and Endangered Species.

I really liked this film. The premise seems pretty ridiculous on paper, but between a great cast, solid direction, and decent action, this film was a fun watch. I definitely recommend this film, especially if you’re a fan of 70s action films.

Thanks for checking out my review. Tomorrow’s film is one of my favorite killer car flicks, and I can’t wait to share it with all of you!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Wrecker (2015)

Let’s Ride #9!

2015’s Wrecker (also known as Driver From Hell) may or may not be a remake of 1971’s Duel, the directorial debut of Steven Spielberg. I can’t find any solid proof of this, however, as most people believe that it is either a ripoff or rehash of Spielberg’s film. A few reviewers accuse it of ripping off scenes and dialogue as well. I’ve never seen Duel, so I can’t confirm this claim. That said, Wrecker is just okay. It has many, many flaws, but I wasn’t completely bored while watching this movie.

The movie stars Anna Hutchison and Drea Whitburn as a couple of young ladies on a road trip who encounter a sinister tow truck driver on a lightly traveled highway. The tow truck driver taunts the duo, follows them, and tries to run them down over the course of the movie. We are never given a reason as to why the driver is after them, and I believe that this is intentional. The driver simply wants to kill and/or scare the girls because he enjoys it.

The film obviously had a low budget. A few of the driving scenes are used multiple times over the course of the film. The girls pass the same buildings on multiple occasions. In one particular chase sequence, you can see Hutchison talking to someone either on the phone or hidden in the car (perhaps a stunt coordinator). You can also tell that some of the scenes are sped up, as you can see Hutchison brushing her hair out of her face at a rapid pace. In the film’s climax, there is a sequence involving the tow truck hanging over a ledge. You can see a small town in the background. When the scene cuts away and then returns, the town is replaced by a quarry. These terrible edits and miscues make the film worse than it really is.

Wrecker isn’t a terrible movie. The actors are very good and the action does work at times. However, all of the poor edits and reused shots drag the film down and make it harder to watch. Do I recommend it? Sure, if you have a couple of hours to kill and are tired of watching slasher flicks.

Thanks for checking out my review. See you tomorrow.

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: The Fearway (2023)

Let’s Ride #8!

A young couple on their way to visit a father on his deathbed find themselves trapped in a time loop where the highway is terrorized by a sinister black muscle car and the locals at the local diner are bizarre in 2023’s The Fearway. The film stars Shannon Dalonzo, Justin Gordon, John Hickman, Jessica Gray, and Simon Phillips. Sharp-eyed viewers may also see Eileen Dietz as “Old Woman.” Dietz is probably best known as the Demon from The Exorcist.

In the film, Dalonzo and Gordon portray Sarah and Michael, a recently engaged couple hoping to visit with Sarah’s father before he passes away and, hopefully, give him the chance to walk Sarah down the aisle. While driving along a deserted stretch of Route 66, the couple appear to run over something. When they stop to see what they hit, they see that there’s nothing on the road. They continue their trip and are soon terrorized by a black car that tailgates them. They manage to swing into a diner and watch as the car flies by them and continues down the highway. They take a break in the diner and encounter a friendly waitress, an elderly couple, a kind busboy, and a lady that seems to be pretty rattled over something. When they leave the diner, the black car appears again. They somehow find themselves back inside the diner despite traveling away from it. This loop continues, with time almost standing still. Eventually the manager of the diner reveals what is really happening to the couple, and they realize that they must make a life-changing decision. Watch The Fearway to find out what happens!

I liked this film. It was obviously filmed on a low budget, but it’s extremely well done. The cinematography is amazing and the special effects are good. My only problem is with the look of the driver of the muscle car. For such a menacing figure, he looks like a wannabe Goth kid with filed down teeth and bad makeup. Had they just left him in a black coat and hat and did away with the makeup, I believe that he would have looked much better.

The film blends a number of religions and mythologies. In particular, it blends Roman Catholicism with Greek mythology. It works very well in the film. The acting is also very good, although a couple of the performers aren’t up to par with their costars. Dalonzo is probably the best actor in the film, but I also really enjoyed the performances of Phillips and Hickman.

I recommend The Fearway. While it isn’t a great film, it’s a pretty good flick that won’t waste your time. If the budget was just a tad bigger, this film probably could have made it to the big screen.

Thanks for checking out my review!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Ju-on Car (2008)

Let’s Ride #7

2008’s Ju-on Car is bad. Yep, that pretty much sums up my review. However, being the long-suffering, rarely read blogger that I am, I’m going to give you, faithful readers, a little more information about this terrible flick. Just be warned, this review will include spoilers and descriptions of a few graphic events that may disturb some readers.

The film opens with the violent, sexually-driven murder of of a young woman by a man in the back of a minivan. She is tied up and gagged and the murderer stabs her in her side. He then proceeds to thrust his fingers….and eventually his hand…..into the wound while making moaning sounds much like one would make during sexual intercourse. The scene goes on for an extended amount of time until the woman finally dies. The film then jumps ahead to the same minivan loaded with five college students. They are on a fun road trip to a beautiful waterfall. While driving along, the van begins making quiet sounds that sound a lot like a woman moaning or crying. Writing it off as a secondhand van doing secondhand things, the group continues to their destination. As they get closer to the waterfall, the driver of the van catches glimpses of what appears to be a ghost girl in the rearview mirror and the windows of the vehicle. They ultimately arrive at their destination and have a few moments of bliss until they meet a strange old man and then encounter a wounded stranger who shows up and asks them for help. One of the couples agree to bring the stranger to a hospital or police station, but they find themselves seemingly trapped in some sort of loop where they keep ending up on the same spot on the highway. Soon enough, members of the group begin dying one by one. The survivors locate the old man’s home, but can he help them before it’s too late? Watch, if you dare, Ju-on Car!

This movie is terrible. Thankfully it only runs about seventy minutes. It feels like some goofy found-footage film. To be honest, it probably would have worked better as a found-footage film, because that would allow for the poor cinematography, bad overacting, and poor ghost design. Yes, the ghosts in this film look almost exactly like every other Japanese ghost from the late 1990s and the first decade of the 2000s. Blotchy black makeup around the eyes and pale skin, the token look of ghosts from Ju-on: The Grudge, Ringu, and countless other films, is the go-to look, although poorly executed, in Ju-on Car. In addition to that, the director, Hisaaki Nagaoka, just might have some sort of sexual fetish that involves violating dead and dying people, as this movie goes far enough to have one person, not the murderer, mind you, to engage in some necrophilia-fueled foreplay that ultimately ends in his death. This was actually the most disturbing part of the film, not any of the actual murders.

I honestly can’t recommend this film. The acting is bad. The special effects are bad. It all plays out like some poorly put together independent film that hopes to be an art house flick but ultimately ends up just being a weird fetish/horror flop. Making a film about a haunted minivan might sound cool, but Nagaoka fails to make this movie even remotely interesting.

Thanks for checking out my review. See you tomorrow!