THE WRAITH (1986)

THE WRAITH (1986)

Tagline: If you've done nothing wrong, you've got nothing to fear.

(Action, Thriller, Revenge Of The Dodge M4S) [PG-13]

Note: It seems like there are at least 2 versions of this out there. One is definitely R. The other may have cut out the nudity to get a PG-13 rating. 

Okay! The first one to Dragonfire Crossing wins! You lose the race, you lose your car! Ready! Set! GO!

In this one there is a gang of road pirates that have taken over a small Arizona town. Their main goal is to race their turbo-charged cars against yours. If you lose they get your car. The leader's name is Packard and one thing he doesn’t tolerate is anyone looking at Keri. Keri isn’t fond of him, but has been terrorized into being “his girl”. Meanwhile, a stranger named Jake shows up in town and gets involved with Keri, while a mysterious sports car is targeting all of Packard’s associates with deadly consequences.

First off, I really don’t view this film as a horror movie, but in some circles, it’s considered that. In a certain regard, I guess you could say that because it involved revenge and a killer car that it is horror, but I view this more as a weird supernatural action film, more in the vein of HIGHLANDER. By the way, don’t watch this freakin thing expecting any explanation of how the “Wraith” becomes what he is or any of that crap because this movie doesn’t care to tell that story. 

We can gather that when it’s revealed who Jake really is that the title the “Wraith” means we’ve got a ghost on our hands who wants revenge, but what makes this “Wraith” show up and we don’t have dozens because of other wrongs done in the world is never explained. So the best way to watch this thing is just to try not even figuring out the plot. It’s got cool cars, crazy chases, and all kinds of wackiness going on so that needs to be the main reason you watch this flick. 

Acting-wise this is pretty standard 80’s stuff. Charlie Sheen plays Jake and is almost always great, so he really stands out in this, but we also get Randy Quaid in his prime and I love some of the lines he gets in here as Sheriff Loomis. Sherilyn Fenn is also solid in this movie. She is one of several people involved in this film that is still working in Hollywood to this day. She is probably most famous for a reoccurring role on the TV “Gilmore Girls”. There are some roles in this movie involving Packard’s gang that are pretty bad and forgettable but it's not enough to ruin the film. There are a few actors in this movie with “horror” connections though. The dude who plays Oogie is Griffin O'Neal, who was also in APRIL FOOL’S DAY. 

What I found most hilarious about this movie is that the vehicle that “The Wraith” drives is a freakin Dodge. I guess it’s good to know that if some avenging angel or ghost or whatever comes back from the grave, that we can count on Dodge to get them the indestructible wheels they need. Thanks, Dodge, way to go. 

Outside of all that, this movie is gloriously 80’s but way under-explained its own plot sending us into that weird zone where we want to like something but couldn’t explain what the actual heck was going on or why. Was there something special about this person that afforded them a sports car-themed revenge-laced killing spree from beyond the grave? Perhaps that got explained in some extra on the DVD or something I don’t know about. As for now, this is a pretty interesting and cool 80’s flick I wouldn’t mind watching again. I have to give it a 6 out of 7 just for being unique and bizarrely executed. 

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF NEW CENTURY ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY. 

Please check out the link below by clicking on the picture. Because no one should die buttonless.