Directed Richard Brandes. Written by Brandes, Arthur K. Flam and Diane Doniol-Valcroze. Starring Rachel Miner, Mimi Rogers, Chad Todhunter, Mickey Jones, Liz Davies and Michael Berryman.
Plot: Penny goes on a roadtrip with her therapist to get over her fear of cars when an unexpected even thrusts her into a nightmare.
This is another movie I’m going to give away the entire plot to. Not because I don’t care, but because I do. I care that if you have yet to watch this piece of crap that you NEVER DO. I didn’t hate it exactly, but it was damn close. So damned close. Some good performances and a boob shot saved it from utter failure though.
We open on a scenic drive as Penny (Miner) and Orianna (Rogers), her therapist, are going on a road trip. See, Penny was in a car accident when she was younger that killed her parents and now she refuses to get into cars without being severely sedated. So, one of the rules of this trip is that she leaves the drugs at home. She doesn’t though, of course. Stupid.
After stopping at a gas station run by Michael Berryman (the best part of the movie), Orianna accidentally hits a hitchhiker standing a little too close to the middle of the road. When he isn’t hurt, Orianna agrees to take him to Onyx Pass, the next town over, to a camp site where he supposedly works. But shit gets weird quick as the man won’t even really talk to them, smells bad, and offers them some mysterious bloody meat on a stick. And when they finally drop him off, he ends up stabbing their tire which causes them to lose control later down the road and run into a pit.
******SPOILER ALERT******
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DJ hates Orianna from the jump with all her psycho babble bullshit. She’s the worst kind of therapist and we would know. We’ve had plenty in real life. And once Orianna dies and Penny starts popping sedatives again, she’s no longer likable. I mean, really not the time Penny. Really not.
Orianna gets killed while away from the car, looking for cell service. So, Penny goes looking after her. The hitch hiker finds her and instead of kidnapping her, too, he traps her inside the car with Orianna’s dead body. Eww. She’s trapped between trees and I don’t even know how he did it, but whatever. Moving on.
Later, a young man, Alvin (Todhunter) finds her and is killed trying to help her. Then, the hiker kills Alvin’s lover and Alvin’s co-worker (Jones), the second best part of the movie. Then, when Penny is sleeping, the hiker takes the place of Orianna and attacks her. Some cat and mouse in and around the car ensues until the hiker is hit by another car. But apparently, we think, the hiker has been a woman this whole time. An escaped mental patient to be exact, which we are SO TIRED OF. Not all mental patients are walking around looking for something to kill. And if that doesn’t turn you off yet, the man who hits her/him/hiker, puts Penny in his truck, goes back to check on the hiker and he/she moves. The end. Literally. That’s the ending shot. You don’t know what happens after that. It took three god damned people to make that crap?!
I suppose I could list my favorite movies here, but instead I'll give you a strange glimpse into what makes me TaraRomero.
1. I met George Romero. He was the kindest and sweetest man. He talked to me for longer than he should have with the line getting longer. He also held my hand. And when he noticed the ladybug I have tattooed on my wrist, he said he liked it and asked me it's name. Till then, it had not had a name. Now, I call him George.
2. I love stickers. All stickers. I just adore them. I even ask for stickers for Christmas! As a matter of fact, the birthday that just past, every member of my immediate family gave me sticker packs as gifts. Affordable and extremely appreciated.
3. I have never put much stock in astrology or horoscopes, but I LOVE the magic of the MBTI. Omg. I am an INFP and it actually sounds just like me. Introverted mostly. Creative always. Heart before head and not the most logical. Totally me! For better or worse.
4. It's no surprise I count horror so high up on the list of things that make me, me. However, it's so within my soul that I was part of the Horror Club in college. Interesting bunch. And even took a Horror Lit class as an elective. I got an A.
5. Coffee always makes me happy. Always. I'm particularly fond of caramel macchiatos. But I'll drink black coffee if it's the only thing available.
6. I hate shock for the sake of shock and endings that depress me. I always mention the movies Within (2016) and the Eli Roth produced, written and starred in, Aftershock (2012), as proof of this distate I have. I abhor the idea that just because I like horror, some people think I'd actually praise a movie that lets you think the "Final Girl" just made it through the night, only to slap her in the face with a tsunami.
7. We are big time animal people. I mean, if I could, I'd have an elephant, a bear, a zebra, a penguin, an otter and a meerkat, living with me. Seriously though. We have 2 dogs right now and 2 cats. Both cats we picked up when they each came to our front door hungry. And both dogs we got from 2 different sets of neighbors. Both who, unfortunately, don't know how to care for pets long-term. But they're happy and healthy now!!
8. Revisiting my love of horror, one of the above cats, my cat, is a little black guy named Church. Because Pet Sematary. His middle name is even Pascow. To give credit where credit's due, the name was DJ's idea. But he loves horror too!
9. I'm big into art. Along with movie posters and an Anne Frank quote, I have some actual paintings on my wall. I really think Dali paints beautifully when he wants to. And if I don't get to see Michaelangelo's Pieta in person some day, I will be very disappointed.
10. Lastly, I find Emily Dickinson's poetry intriguing. I took an elective course about her as well. But do you know I injected horror even there? I was given a poem to dissect and I picked one on death, of course. Then, I researched old "Death Photos" and even printed out copies for everyone in the class. They were so interested in looking at them that it stopped them from all looking at me, and I was able to deal quite well with my stage fright. Haha
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