Directed by:
James LandisScreenplay:
James LandisCinematography:
Vilmos ZsigmondCast:
Arch Hall Jr., Richard Alden, Marilyn Manning, Don Russell, Helen Hovey, Joan Howard, Arch Hall Sr. (narrator)VOD (1)
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A road trip becomes a terrifying, hellish ordeal when Carl (Don Russell), Ed (Richard Alden), and Doris (Helen Hovey), three small-town teachers on their way to a Dodgers game in L.A., have car trouble and are forced to stop at a wayside gas station in the middle of nowhere. In search of signs of life, the threesome is confronted by armed and ominous Charlie Tibbs (Arch Hall Jr.), an escaped homicidal maniac, and his sullen girlfriend Judy Bradshaw (Marilyn Manning). Tibbs' twisted mind becomes immediately apparent, and he wastes no time tormenting the teachers - coldly engaging them in a torturous game of threats and violence, and going so far as to kill Carl as he begs on his knees for his life. Far from the nearest town and on a lonely stretch of highway, there is no one to save them…and no way to escape. Who will live and who will die? The surprise, twist ending will shock you! (Echo Bridge Entertainment)
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Great! Almost surprisingly brutal for the early 1960s (on a psychological rather than a physical level, yeah, but still), something like a predecessor of the exploitation sub-genre that would have its boom a decade later. At first, the film is pretty bland, but the moment the titular asshole shows up, the fun is guaranteed – I don’t remember ever seeing such a nasty villain. It makes you root for the victims, hoping that they’ll be able to defend themselves and really hurt that bastard in the end (or a turn into a revenge film). The last twenty minutes are an incredible thrilling chase. A great surprise, really, and another horror film found during my research into the 1960s that I must recommend.
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Photo © Fairway International Films
