ROAD GAMES (1981)

ROAD GAMES (1981)

Tagline: One game kills time - The other kills people!

(Sci-Fi, Aliens, Surfing in The Atmosphere) [PG-13]

Madam, just because I drive a truck does not make me a truck driver.

By the time this movie came out Jamie Lee Curtis was already a scream queen with this being her 5th horror movie by the age of 23. She would later say that she felt there was a bit of hostility towards her for staring in this Australian-made movie. Apparently, because she was one of 2 American actors in the film people felt she was taking Australian jobs. Kind of an odd sentiment given how many non-Americans this movie likely employed. On a personal level, I have grown weary of Jamie Lee Curtis over the years, but she is still a legendary actress and still stands as one of the most iconic scream queens of all time. 

The storyline though, mostly revolves around life on the road and how weird things can get when you spend extended periods of time alone. Pat Quid is a truck driver even if he thinks he’s not. He has to get some pork to Perth, but along the way runs into a cast of hitchhikers and ride seekers which he normally won’t pick up. He also sees a man on the side of the road with a shovel appearing to bury something. His interest is peaked after hearing on the radio that a killer is rampaging the roadside and begins to question who this man was. After some time, he picks up a hitchhiker named Pam and the two play a game to pass the time guessing the killer’s motives etc. It doesn’t take long before Quid ends up becoming the main suspect and the only way to get out of his predicament is to capture the killer himself. 

I will say that most of this film feels like more of a suspense thriller than a horror film, but the ending (which was an afterthought) is pretty haunting and definitely ramps up the horror element. There are not a ton of “road” related horror flicks out there, but this is definitely one of the more interesting ones. One of the songs played in this film also appears in TWISTER which I thought was pretty cool. Quid’s character reminds me of Jack Burton from BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA in the sense that both are pork-hauling truck drivers. Even the logo on the trucks they drive is similar. 

The script is really solid and full of riddles. I liked the slow-burn storytelling and the banter between Pat Quid and Pam was awesome. I kind of wish they had her in the movie more than they did. There is a weird part in here where they go to a roadhouse called “Roadhouse” that has a Playboy pinball machine, but more concerning a mural that looks like it’s kind of depicting the slaughter of natives in Australia? I have no idea. I don’t know a ton about Australia, but if I were running a roadhouse, I would never pick that crazy a—s wall mural for my place. What the cow? 

Overall this is actually a pretty cool flick as much as I couldn’t stand Quid’s self-banter, his interaction with others was pretty solid and Stacy Keach (ESCAPE FROM L.A.) kills it. There is a touch of Twilight Zone-style storytelling in this which also never hurts. 

ROAD GAMES gets a 5 out of 7 for its solid dialog and interesting premise, but also, if it was the 80s and Jamie Lee Curtis showed up, it always helped your film at least a little. 

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF THE AUSTRALIAN FILM COMMISSION AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY.