Ah, the 80's: the decade that brought us great horror films and sometimes not-so-great horror sequels. With Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street setting the bar high for horror, and causing an endless array of knock-off slasher flicks to flood video stores almost weekly, very few horror films of that era had a feeling of originality.The Wraith is definitely not another knock-off. Even though its main element isn't original, a murdered man rises from the grave and returns to get revenge on those responsible, the way they pull it off is.A small desert town has been harassed by a gang of drag racers, or road pirates, but so far no one has done anything to stop them. One day, a ghostly black car shows up, challenging members of the group to race, then killing them one by one in an attempt for total revenge.The race sequences are above par, the performances by Charlie Sheen and Sherilyn Fenn leave something yet desired. The two of them seemed like they were just going through the motions. There were points in the film where I thought Sheen was going to ask for his paycheck. Fenn seemed bored and 'fakey' in her scenes.Randy Quaid's portrayal of the town's sheriff, with his fed up attitude towards the drag racing gang, and Nick Cassavetes in the role of Packard, gang leader and all around jerk, are excellent.David Sherrill as Skank, a punk with a fried brain who has an liking for transmission and hydrolic fluid, and Clint Howard as Rughead, an almost punk-like version of Eraserhead, need to be commended for their small roles as well.If you're feeling a bit nostalgic and want a good 1980's horror film to watch, make it The Wraith. It's just a real fun movie that strays from the same run-of-the-mill horror that became commonplace on video store shelves.
Ah, the 80's: the decade that brought us great horror films and sometimes not-so-great horror sequels. With Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street setting the bar high for horror, and causing an endless array of knock-off slasher flicks to flood video stores almost weekly, very few horror films of that era had a feeling of originality.The Wraith is definitely not another knock-off. Even though its main element isn't original, a murdered man rises from the grave and returns to get revenge on those responsible, the way they pull it off is.A small desert town has been harassed by a gang of drag racers, or road pirates, but so far no one has done anything to stop them. One day, a ghostly black car shows up, challenging members of the group to race, then killing them one by one in an attempt for total revenge.The race sequences are above par, the performances by Charlie Sheen and Sherilyn Fenn leave something yet desired. The two of them seemed like they were just going through the motions. There were points in the film where I thought Sheen was going to ask for his paycheck. Fenn seemed bored and 'fakey' in her scenes.Randy Quaid's portrayal of the town's sheriff, with his fed up attitude towards the drag racing gang, and Nick Cassavetes in the role of Packard, gang leader and all around jerk, are excellent.David Sherrill as Skank, a punk with a fried brain who has an liking for transmission and hydrolic fluid, and Clint Howard as Rughead, an almost punk-like version of Eraserhead, need to be commended for their small roles as well.If you're feeling a bit nostalgic and want a good 1980's horror film to watch, make it The Wraith. It's just a real fun movie that strays from the same run-of-the-mill horror that became commonplace on video store shelves.
