The bar for the Grindhouse genre is relatively low and a new movie, meant to look like a classic early 80s Grindhouse splatter flick, makes it over with one twist you can see from 6 exits away and another that’s a genuine surprise.
A hottie in a hot rod picks up a drifter hitchhiker- drifter-always a great idea. Her short, short jeans and stick shift Chevy are just the outside of her persona. She’s smart, but a victim of child abuse. Same with the drifter- a brief prologue shows him as a kid with his mother making him sleep in the doghouse and eat dog food.
So, our two travelers have that in common, plus their own reasons for avoiding the law. Every time they stop at a gas station or a diner, someone is found dead after they leave. Who could it be, this “highway killer?”
My quibble is that the film spends too much time on these two in the car chatting and not enough time showing us more blood-soaked scenes that made Drive-In movie audiences honk their horns to cheer back in the day.
But, never mind. You know if this is your kind of movie by looking at the poster. (no, there is no nudity, you perv.)
Roadkill opens in theaters and streams on digital platforms beginning January 5th. Rated R.