"Masters of Horror" Pick Me Up (2006)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Larry Cohen

Writers:

Mick Garris (creator)
David J. Schow (teleplay)

TV Series:

"Masters of Horror" (2005)

Original Air Date:

20 January 2006 (Season 1, Episode 11)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

In the middle of nowhere, with only a two-lane highway to connect it to anywhere--probably upstate New York--a recently divorced female traveler, who is a passenger on a bus that has broken down, gets caught in a bizarre and violent turf war between serial killers.

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | Truck Driver | Hitchhiker | Psychopath | Truck Stop

Cast

Fairuza Balk	...	Stacia
Warren Kole	...	Walker
Michael Moriarty	...	Jim Wheeler
Laurene Landon	...	Birdy
Malcolm Kennard	...	Danny
Tom Pickett	...	Bus Driver
Peter Benson	...	Deuce
Kristie Marsden	...	Marie
Michael Eklund	...	Cashier
Paul Anthony	...	Stoney
Crystal Lowe	...	Lily
Michael Petroni	...	Ambulance Attendant
Mar Andersons	...	Ambulance Driver

Runtime:

58 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-MA | Italy:VM14 | Germany:18 | Argentina:16

Company:

British Columbia Production Tax Credit

Trivia:

The van in which Walker hitches a ride with Stoney and Lilly has Wyoming license plates. The first digit before the Wyoming Bucking Bronco denotes the county in which the vehicle is registered. In this case, county #1, which would be Natrona County.

Quotes:

Jim Wheeler: They're not human beings... They're just snakes in the snow...

Movie Connections:

References The Big Sleep (1946)

This twist is hard to resist.

"Splatterpunk" author and screenwriter David J. Schow came up with this ingenious idea in which a hitchhiker who murders his drivers (a very affable Warren Kole) crosses paths with a driver who murders hitchhikers (a typically eccentric and funny Michael Moriarty). The spunky Fairuza Balk is a woman simply trying to get from point A to point B who gets caught up in the action.

Directed with flair (by the always individual and intriguing Larry Cohen) and written with humor, this 'Masters of Horror' episode also gets points for atmosphere. To that end, the perpetually dark and rainy skies of British Columbia where the series is filmed help to set the mood. It's also enlivened by some particularly juicy makeup effects from the K.N.B EFX Group, and a good music score by the talented veteran Jay Chattaway.

It's a rollicking episode that wastes no time and offers one amusing set piece after another. The acting is the real key, however: Moriarty, Kole, and Balk all do a good job and help to maintain a steady level of interest. While I wouldn't consider it scary, it's still one of the more entertaining episodes that I've seen so far. Heck, I have to give it a point for a unique strangulation by dead snake (that's right).

In a brief role, actress Laurene Landon, a frequent performer in Cohens' projects, makes a welcome return to acting, and still looks quite fetching. You can also see, in another small role, the attractive Crystal Lowe, already a veteran of horror movies filmed in Canada.

It ends on a comically sadistic, twisted note that was really the icing on the cake. It was most amusing.

"Pick Me Up" is a fun 58 minutes of black comedy.

8/10