This episode of the popular horror TV series is probably the weakest I have seen so far which is a pity since it marked the reunion of director Larry Cohen with his regular star of the 1980s, Michael Moriarty. The latter, in typically eccentric mode, plays a homicidal truck driver whose old-fashioned murderous ways are being outclassed in creative sadism by a new and younger serial killer. The two disturbed loners haunt a stretch of road that is occasionally frequented by tourists and things are kickstarted by a breakdown of just such a bus in the middle of nowhere. The handful of passengers and the bus driver are swiftly dealt with by the two of them working separately but they figure without rebellious Fairuza Balk who has quitted her party early on and reaches the nearest town on foot. The killers converge at a dingy hotel to claim their prey but things soon come to a head and spin out of control, necessitating the intervention of two ambulance drivers who surprise, surprise have their own heinous agenda! Despite the gore redolent of modern horror fare and the darkly humorous touches typical of earlier Cohen movies, the mixture falls flat on its face thanks to the sheerly unsympathetic nature of the three main characters which quickly depletes any kind of suspense or interest the narrative may have generated.
Review of Pick Me Up
