Joyride: Dead Ahead (2008)

   
Directed by: Louis Morneau

Written by:
James Robert Johnston & Bennett Yellin

Starring:

Nicky Lynn Ayox .... Melissa
Nick Zano .... Bobby
Kyle Schmid .... Nik
Laura Jordan .... Kayla
Mark J. Gibbon .... Rusty Nail

Release Date: Direct-to-DVD: October 7, 2008

*Images courtesy at: www.beyondhollywood.com

 

 

Rating:

 

A group of kids meet up with a guy named Nik (Kyle Schmid) whom one of them named Kayla (Laura Jordan) has constantly chatted to on the net and thinks that they're in love with one another.
Suddenly their car breaks down and spots a run down house near a cliff as they break into the house but some of them thinks it hasn't been resides for years and then spots a car they drive to a diner to. One of them named Melissa (Nicky Lynn Ayox) leaves her cell number at the house in case anyone resides there to pay for the damage deposits.
The house happens to be the home of that vicious truck driver named Rusty Nail (Mark J. Gibbon) who loves to terrorise people who play pranks on him like the first incident 7 years before as well as killing prosititues.
After he spots his house broken into this enrages him and tracks down these kids at the diner and kidnaps Melissa's fiancee Bobby (Nick Zano) and manipulates them all into doing exactly what he tells them in order to see him again but the more they do what he tells them the nastier ideas he has for them all which causes them their lives as well as torturing them too.

 

We spot a good beginning with a hooker Lot Lizard hopping into a truck and having a conversation with Rusty Nail along with a dark shot on him smoking a cigarette. There's a great shot on him grabbing her and having her locked against a half closed window on his truck door and then a good shot on him driving his truck with her screaming while they pass another truck which looked deadly.
Next there's a good shot on Bobby driving his car on a deserted highway approaching a truck trying to scare his friends which looked suspenseful too.
There's a nice approach with Nik at a gas station dragging Kayla out of the car and kissing her.
We have a good shot on Nik at the house looking in a window and then smashing it with him running in and then screaming with a good shot on Bobby breaking down the door.
A nice shot on the truck rolling in towards the house with smoke blowing out of the pipes.
We have a good conversation with allof the main characters talking at a diner.
We have a good shot on Melissa sitting at the diner with a window behind her and the truck pulling in giving it that creepy feel to it.
There's a good moment with Melissa after answering her cell phone and hearing the cold voice of Rusty on the other line telling her that he has her boyfriend with good shots on her running to the washroom where he once was and looking outside and then panicking like crazy.
We have a nice shot on Melissa crying while at the wheel of the car being forced to run over her cell phone with Nik convincing her that she doesn't have to do this.
There's a great moment with Kayla at a mortuary trying to cut off finger of a corpse with her really tripping out while doing so.
We also have a good shot on Melissa standing in front of a truck while being forced to strip down. Then we have a good comedic moment after she discovers the truck driver isn't Rusty acting perverted towards her telling her he's going to podcast what she did.
There's good shots with Nik dressed in drag sulking while walking by some truckers hanging out choking out his words for some meth with good shots on some of the drunk truckers making sexist remarks.
We also have a good shot on him stumbling in the road with two trucks passing by him and him tripping out. Then a good shot on Rusty grabbing him and throwing him in his truck.
There's a good shot on Melissa and Kayla driving in their car and the truck behind them constantly crashing into their car along with a good shot on the car spinning over. Next we see a nice shot on the truck backing up along the road and then charging forward. We spot a good shot on her giving the driver the finger and then the truck charging through the car with Melissa running away along with a great explosion.
We also have a good torturous scene with Rusty in a shack towards both Bobby and Nik when he rolls dice and does something painful to the two of them.
A nice dragging scene with Rusty hauling Bobby into his loading part of his truck and then tying him up in a painful way which also makes you cringe to watch.
A nice moment with Melissa driving the truck with Rusty on top trying to grab her and then jumping out with a nice shot on the truck falling over a cliff and exploding.
We spot numerous dark shots on Rusty speaking on his cell smoking a cigarette.
Bottom line: It's about time that there was a sequel to the first hit but this time it's more psychological with what Rusty Nail forces these kids what to do. However, it's less creepy and mysterious. Still, it makes you cringe on what they are manipulated to do. We have many good locations with the huge cliff and we get to see a bit more of Rusty Nail and close to what he looks like along with where he resides too which a sequel should cover instead of leaving it all a mystery on the first film. At the end you think there won't be a door for another sequel but keep watching but yet it doesn't make sense on how Rusty survives.

The acting is wonderful as Nicky Lynn Ayox (Melissa) shows her stuff very energetically with her freaked out emotions as well as crying on set wonderfully too with the intense moments she is forced to do. She also brought her aggressions quite well too. There's a good reaction with Ayox after answering her cell phone and hearing the cold voice. She does well looking uncomfortable while being forced to strip down. She does well by smashing into a station and then drives off with a police motorcycle.
Nick Zano
(Bobby) also showed nice aggressions too as well as his painful reactions to the torturing along with the perfect looks as the descent type of fellow to be around. Does well by screaming in pain when being tortured.
Kyle Schmid
(Nik) played the perfect role as a shit disturber in the film just doing what he wants to do and saying what he wants to say leading him into trouble of course since his character very much reminds me of people I knew that I couldn't stand being around. He does well speaking loudly at the diner mocking truckers and making an ass out of himself which looked very natural. He also does well acting wimpy when he ends up being in trouble with his whiney actions and sobbing too. A great reaction on him crying hysterically in the car.
Mark J. Gibbon
(Rusty Nail) is a bit more seen in the film but his face is still hidden in the dark of course but still he shows a good evil deep voice to his part and knew how to act monstrous.
I have to mention a supporting actress in the film whom was only seen in the beginning of the film but was the key to the story named Krystal Vrba (Lot Lizard) who plays a prostitute since I worked with her in the trashy obscure horror anthology and showing she really proved herself to work in better films and pulled her part extremely well showing a good sleazy attitude. She shows a good bad attitude. I know she will still get work with a good performance like that.
There's also another interesting performance by bit part actor Lyle St. Goddard (Goofy Looking Truck Driver) plays a good typical perverted type in the film making you want to hate him too.

There's a good brief breast shot by Krystal Vrba when she pulls down her top in a truck.
There's bare breasts on a corspe in a mortuary.

A finger is cut off
A jaw is torn off a man's mouth
A steel bar is stabbed through a person's head

Some effective screechy sounds and some banging noises which really makes it suitable for the plot. There's some good fast paced classical music during a scene when a truck is on the tail of the car constantly banging the car.

Rusty Nail: I like the rain. Keeps everybody inside and washes everything clean.

Goofy Looking Truck Driver: Whoo-wee! This is the finest striptease I ever did see! I'm gonna throw this up on YouTube, get me a million hits.
Melissa: Who are you?
Goofy Looking Truck Driver: Whoever you want, sexy mama. Close them pretty eyes and pretend I'm Kenny Chesney for all I care.

Rusty Nail: Get in, y'catch your death out there... hahahahaha...