Product Description

Studio: Starz/sphe Release Date: 09/25/2007 Run time: 58 minutes

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #82315 in DVD
• Brand: STARZ/SPHE
• Released on: 2006-10-17
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 58 minutes

Customer Reviews

Pick me up
It was a pretty good movie. It being a masters of horror film, it was better than most that I've seen. I liked it.

A Perfect Example of How Serial Killers Don't Operate
According to this flick 1 out of every 2 people are serial killers.
Serial Killers who are by no means methodical,
and kill simply when the chance presents itself.
Serial Killers who don't take their victims to a secluded area,
and are in no way sexually driven.

This is the tale of two spontaneous killers preying on the same group of unfortunate travelers, whose bus broke down in the middle of Murderville, USA. One is disguised as a trucker in shining armor, and the other as a hitch-hiker in desperate need of a ride. (Appropriatly named, "Wheeler" and "Rider"). Both killers eventually set their sights on the last of the passengers, Ms. Faruza Balk. What should have ensued was a wild game of cat(s) and mouse. What happened instead can only be described as ... well a tame game of mouse and mouse trap.

To say the least,
this installment of "Masters of Horror" is flawed at best.
At worst it seems kind of rushed.
Now I'm not going to point out all the mistakes,
'cause it would take a while,
and quite honestly, it's better to make a game out of it.
See how many flaws you can catch before the credits.
Trust me you'll find a bunch.

You should definitely rent before buying.
Soley based on the fact that this is a love/hate sort of movie.
And you won't know whether or not you love or hate it 'til you see it.
Regardless of all its mistakes, it was a fun ride, so I didn't mind purchasing the DVD.
But would I recommend it?
- Only for someone looking for a fun movie.
- But definitely not for someone whose a stickler for details.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Don't take rides and Don't give 'em.

Disappointing Thriller Has Good Performances and Not Much Else.
A young woman (Fairuza Balk) stranded on a lone highway after the bus she was travelling in breaks down, becomes the centre of a tug of war between 2 obnoxious killers. One killer, played by Michael Moriarty named Wheeler, is a truck driver who kills any hitchhiker who is unfortunate enough to hitch a ride with him and the other, a slick Brad Pitt clone named Walker (Warren Kole), loves to murder anyone who is friendly enough and unfortunate enough to pick him up.

"Pick Me Up", directed by Larry Cohen ("It's Alive", "God Told Me To", "Q - The Winged Serpent"), is in my opinion one of the least memorable episodes of the series. Despite a good cast; Michael Moriarty, Fairuza Balk and great location shots, it still manages to induce boredom. The pace is agonizingly slow. The film is hardly an hour but by the time it is done, it feels like you've committed 2+ hours watching it and you get nothing in return. Even Fairuza Balk, who has a face made for the genre, is unable to salvage this. It's not her fault since she didn't write the material and the overall execution must be blamed on the director. The story is routine but in the right hands, could have been a satisfying shocker, the characters are all ridiculous caricatures that you won't mind seeing cut up in to little pieces just so they'd shut up and the suspense... wait, there is none.

Many installments of the "Masters of Horror" series have provided little chills but have made up for it one way or another. For instance, the highly entertaining "Deer Woman" (Masters of Horror - Deer Woman) had great performances (especially from Brian Benben), wit, imagination and some gruesome autopsy scenes. It was not scary in the least but the gore & mystical tale of vengeance kept it interesting right up to the climax. "Sick Girl" (Masters of Horror: Lucky McKee - Sick Girl) had quirky but likable characters and a story so ridiculous it kept you involved not to mention the bug FX and mutation scenes and an always entertaining lesbian love scene. "Haeckel's Tale" (Masters of Horror - John Mcnaughton - Haeckel's Tale) provided a generous amount of zombies, a bit of outlandish gore and soft-core porn scenes that was wrong on so many levels and Dario Argento's "Jenifer" (Masters of Horror - Dario Argento - Jenifer)"? Well let's just say there was an even balance of laughs and disgusting highlights all rolled up into one Argento filled hour. "Pick Me Up" has nothing new to offer. It has the typical MOH nudity and a generous amount of blood, but not to the degree that will have you cowering in disgust. What is left are annoying characters, a lame plot and a climax that will leave you speechless and not in a good way. The lead actors all do a fine job and it is a shame the film is not worthy of their talents. Cohen, Moriarty and Balk have all done better than this. Recommended for die-hard fans of Cohen, or the 2 actors mentioned. Others may want to skip this.