DVD Release
Well we’re coming to a close on the first season of Masters of Horror and, in my opinion; we’ve gotten most of the “less than stellar” episodes out of the way. While the remaining episodes may not be considered the best in the series they certainly strive to entertain and titillate.
When the series originally aired on Showtime I wasn’t able to catch this Larry Cohen episode entitled, “Pick Me Up”. If you don’t know who Larry Cohen is, DO YA HOMEWORK PLAYA! This is the guy that made such fascinating and incredibly funtastic films like It’s Alive (1, 2 & 3), God Told Me To, Q, The Winged Serpent and The Stuff! For those of you looking for a bit more substantial fare he’s also done blaxploitation films like Bone, Black Caesar and Original Gangstas! He’s written and directed quite a bit more but the films above are highly recommended by the Pimp.
This episode also sees the reunion of Cohen and Michael Moriarty after almost twenty years! Apparently, they have this love/hate working friend relationship the likes of which we’ve all seen or experienced. Sometimes you just can’t work with friends and loved ones.
After a bus breaks down on the side of the road, Stacia (Faruza Balk) a passenger on the bus decides to skip waitng or finding a ride and heads off on foot. Half of the remaining occupants accept a ride from a semi-truck driver named Jim Wheeler (Michael Moriarty) that happens upon the scene. The other half of the passengers decide to stay behind and wait for help along with the bus driver (Tom Pickett).
As Jim Wheeler and his passengers are on their way to town, the bus driver and two remaining passengers are greeted by a hitchhiker by the name of Walker (Warren Kole). After some friendly talk, Walker asks the bus driver if he would have offered Walker a ride had the bus been working. The answer seals the bus driver and two passenger’s fate.
See, Walker is a serial killer that only murders those that offer him a ride.
Meanwhile, back in town Jim Wheeler lures female bus passenger Birdy into the back of his truck for a quick “romp”. Unfortunately, for Birdy they’ve been picked up by a serial killer called “The Wheeler”. His victims of choice?
Those who accept rides from him.
The race is on when The Wheeler and Walker become aware of one another’s presence. Both are determined to lure Stacia, the only remaining bus passenger that never accepted a ride or offered a ride, into their web of murder and claim her as their next victim. Will Stacia accept a ride from The Wheeler? If so, will The Wheeler offer Walker a ride?
Not all is as it seems when these two serial killers go toe to toe.
Larry Cohen is most definitely back! Those of you familiar with Larry’s satirical horror are going to love this episode of Masters of Horror! The script by David J. Schow (The Crow, Leatherface: TCM III) works well with Cohen’s style and there’s simply nobody in Hollywood quite like Michael Moriarty. Cohen and Moriarty are classic.
Warren Kole as Walker was phenomenal, he plays this really cool, level-headed type Western gentleman role that complimented Moriarty’s gruff, New England psycho perfectly. If this wasn’t a horror film, they could have made a great comedy team. Kole sort of reminds me of Heath Ledger’s Ennis Del Mar from Brokeback Mountain without the whole mountain man lovin’. NOT THAT THERE’S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT. Sorry, Seinfeld in-joke.
Anyhow, if you’re a serial killer flick fan, you’re going to get a major kick out of the back and forth that goes on between Moriarty and Kole as they fight for territory with Balk caught in the middle of it all.
I think the only complaint I had about this episode is some of the dialogue. It occasionally goes super stale in some places. Incredibly stale.
Also, is it my imagination or is Balk still hot but in serious need of dental work?
As with all Masters of Horror releases, this is overflowing with extras. Truly comprehensive and informative stuff. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that they continue this tradition with future installments and seasons because I feel the extras really give viewers insight into how these films are made and the filmmaker’s thoughts on the genre and the filmmaking process.
Hopefully Larry Cohen and Michael Moriarty return for a future season of MOH because Larry knows how to make horror and he knows how to make it fun. I’d highly recommend “Pick Me Up” to Cohen fans as well as anybody that doesn’t like their horror comedy “too slapstick” or “too political”. Gore fans might even be pleasantly surprised with one specific sequence in which Walker has removed strips of a skin from a trashy chick tied to a hotel room bed. Yummy!
