Joy Ride 2 - Dead Ahead (2008)

Thursday, 30 October 2008 00:00

Reviewed by Carol Sullivan

Genre: Horror
Released: October 7, 2008
Rating: Unrated

Director: Louis Morneau
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DVD Features
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Joy Ride 2: The Making of Dead Ahead featurette
Blood and Guts: The Make-Up of Horror featurette
Storyboard-to-scene comparison

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The murderous trucker, Rusty Nail, is back and nastier than ever!

Joy Ride 2 - Dead Ahead is the straight-to-DVD sequel to the blockbuster hit, Joy Ride. While I miss the creepy voice of the original Rusty Nail, Ted Levine (Silence of the Lambs), Mark Gibbon sure scares the heck out of us in this one!

The movie begins as four friends make a bad decision to take the back roads on their way to Las Vegas. A hundred miles from nowhere, their station wagon dies a steaming death and their cell phones have no signal, so they set off on foot.

Tired and thirsty, the four soon come upon an abandoned house and, after finding it empty, they set off to explore the barn. This is one scary barn, folks; gruesome looking chains and hooks hanging from the walls and ceiling. When they find a sweet '71 Chevelle under a tarp, they decide to "borrow" it; only intending to drive to the next town for help. But the car's owner will not be happy... Yep, you guessed it -- Rusty Nail. He wants his car back, along with their heads!

Now this movie may not have much of a plot, but trust me, Rusty Nail doesn't need a plot. He is 18-wheels of one sick and twisted individual with the capacity for brutality which knows no bounds; it's all a game to him. That's what makes these movies so scary; you never know what this mad-man is capable of. The result is an exciting, tense and fast paced movie that kept me guessing. And yes, they do leave hope for another sequel!

I have to admit, I did catch some big bloopers in this movie, though. After the semi annihilates the car, the truck's headlight and fender are crushed, yet in the very next scene are intact again. Also, watch when Rusty Nail is torturing Nik (Kyle Schmid); in one shot, both of the kid's lip-rings are missing. Not deal breakers, but I am shocked that the editors didn't catch these biggies!

All in all I enjoyed watching this movie and although it's not quite as good as the original, Joy Ride 2 does pack the tense moments and grisly shockers that we've come to expect from Joy Ride.

Recommended as a rental and/or purchase.

Overall Rating: 3

VIDEO | Original Trailer

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Last Updated ( Friday, 27 March 2009 15:33 )