Customer Reviews

Masters of Horror: Pick Me Up

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

According to this flick 1 out of every 2 people are serial killers.
Serial Killers who are by no means methodical,
and kill simply when the chance presents itself.
Serial Killers who don't take their victims to a secluded area,
and are in no way sexually driven.

This is the tale of two spontaneous killers preying on the same group of unfortunate travelers, whose bus broke down in the middle of Murderville, USA. One is disguised as a trucker in shining armor, and the other as a hitch-hiker in desperate need of a ride. (Appropriatly named, "Wheeler" and "Rider"). Both killers eventually set their sights on the last of the passengers, Ms. Faruza Balk. What should have ensued was a wild game of cat(s) and mouse. What happened instead can only be described as ... well a tame game of mouse and mouse trap.

To say the least,
this installment of "Masters of Horror" is flawed at best.
At worst it seems kind of rushed.
Now I'm not going to point out all the mistakes,
'cause it would take a while,
and quite honestly, it's better to make a game out of it.
See how many flaws you can catch before the credits.
Trust me you'll find a bunch.

You should definitely rent before buying.
Soley based on the fact that this is a love/hate sort of movie.
And you won't know whether or not you love or hate it 'til you see it.
Regardless of all its mistakes, it was a fun ride, so I didn't mind purchasing the DVD.
But would I recommend it?
- Only for someone looking for a fun movie.
- But definitely not for someone whose a stickler for details.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Don't take rides and Don't give 'em.

The characterization of some oddball serial killers and terrific dialouge are the saving grace of this MOH episode.

As is typical of Cohen, this is a bit tongue and cheek with some good kill scenes, some genuine suspense and hilarious characters. As seems to be the problem with many of the MOH tales, one hour was not quite enough to really flesh out the plot, which really was good given the time restraints.

If you like other Larry Cohen films, you should enjoy this one as it really hits the spot from an entertainment perspective.

A truck-driving serial killer (Michael Moriarty) meets a deadly drifter in this MASTERS OF HORROR segment. Fairuza Balk plays a young woman caught between these two maniacs as they battle for murderous supremacy! PICK ME UP is one of the better MOH offerings, w/ a nice mix of terror and humour. There's also a ghoulish twist at the end! Director Larry Cohen (IT'S ALIVE 1-3, Q: THE WINGED SERPENT, GOD TOLD ME TO, etc.) does the best work he's done in years! Well worth adding to any horror collection...

A young woman (Fairuza Balk) stranded on a lone highway after the bus she was travelling in breaks down, becomes the centre of a tug of war between 2 obnoxious killers. One killer, played by Michael Moriarty named Wheeler, is a truck driver who kills any hitchhiker who is unfortunate enough to hitch a ride with him and the other, a slick Brad Pitt clone named Walker (Warren Kole), loves to murder anyone who is friendly enough and unfortunate enough to pick him up.

"Pick Me Up", directed by Larry Cohen ("It's Alive", "God Told Me To", "Q - The Winged Serpent"), is in my opinion one of the least memorable episodes of the series. Despite a good cast; Michael Moriarty, Fairuza Balk and great location shots, it still manages to induce boredom. The pace is agonizingly slow. The film is hardly an hour but by the time it is done, it feels like you've committed 2+ hours watching it and you get nothing in return. Even Fairuza Balk, who has a face made for the genre, is unable to salvage this. It's not her fault since she didn't write the material and the overall execution must be blamed on the director. The story is routine but in the right hands, could have been a satisfying shocker, the characters are all ridiculous caricatures that you won't mind seeing cut up in to little pieces just so they'd shut up and the suspense... wait, there is none.

Many installments of the "Masters of Horror" series have provided little chills but have made up for it one way or another. For instance, the highly entertaining Deer Woman had great performances (especially from Brian Benben), wit, imagination and some gruesome autopsy scenes. It was not scary in the least but the gore & mystical tale of vengeance kept it interesting right up to the climax. Sick Girl had quirky but likable characters and a story so ridiculous it kept you involved not to mention the bug FX and mutation scenes and an always entertaining lesbian love scene. Haeckel's Tale provided a generous amount of zombies, a bit of outlandish gore and soft-core porn scenes that was wrong on so many levels and Dario Argento's Jenifer? Well let's just say there was an even balance of laughs and disgusting highlights all rolled up into one Argento filled hour. "Pick Me Up" has nothing new to offer. It has the typical MOH nudity and a generous amount of blood, but not to the degree that will have you cowering in disgust. What is left are annoying characters, a lame plot and a climax that will leave you speechless and not in a good way. The lead actors all do a fine job and it is a shame the film is not worthy of their talents. Cohen, Moriarty and Balk have all done better than this. Recommended for die-hard fans of Cohen, or the 2 actors mentioned. Others may want to skip this.

Not a terrible horror film. It held my interest until the end, as I was interested in seeing how the girl escaped these two killers. I was disappointed that this horror film took the easy way out and again the main character does not make it in the end. Too cliche. Horror films do this way too much. Many times evil is defeated, only to pop up on the screen at the end of the movie, or we hear an evil laugh in the distance. It's bullcrap. Why couldn't the main character be [...] and kill the killers. They build her up to be all tough and self reliant, only to fail in the end. lame.

Boy, what a stinker. This tale of multiple serial killers strains credulity well beyond the breaking point and has not one ounce of genuine creativity in it. Director Larry Cohen (who has done some very good work in the past) and screenwriters Mick Garris and David J. Schow struggle mightily to give us quirky murderers who dispatch their victims to the accompaniment of snappy kiss-off lines; it's a pretty low bar to set, but it can still be entertaining if done well. When it is done this poorly, it makes everyone involved look like a cretin who wants to laugh at murder but lacks a sense of humor.

I really don't understand why the success rate for this series is so low, especially with the involvement of so many "masters."

a DJS entry in the Masters of horror series, of which I have only seen a few..and most where disappointing. I may be a bit biased because this is a DJS story...but I like it alot. I sweet little indapendant feature that has a strong casty ( Fairuza Balk was also a purchasing incentive) and a truely horrible tale to tell.
This film is not quite a stalker flick, not quite a slasher flick and not quite a "we are alone in the woods" type of flick...but some strange amalgamut of them all..that somehow works.
Not the best horror but a pretty good bang for your buck!

I wouldn't exactly call Larry Cohen a master of horror. Schlock horror to be sure, considering this is the guy who brought us It's Alive!, God Told Me To, and scripted Maniac Cop. Then again, this installment of Masters of Horror, entitled Pick Me Up, doesn't aspire to be anything else but schlock horror, and in that respect alone, it works for what it is, and ends up being an entertaining episode. Fairuza Balk stars as a tough girl caught between two serial killers in the middle of nowhere. The killers are a deranged hitchiker (Warren Kole) and an even more unhinged truckdriver (Cohen regular Michael Moriarty), and soon enough the bloody games are on. While pretty much everyone hams it up, and the episode ends up being somewhat more unintentionally funny than it probably should be, Pick Me Up is still a pretty enjoyable installment in the debut season of Masters of Horror. The ending is undoubtedly the best part though, and is sure to leave any horror fan with a sense of humor with a grin on their face. Also featuring Cohen regular and Maniac Cop damsal Laurene Landon.

that old guy is one of those pricks that no one likes ... u just wanna punch him out being from NY i know a lot of guys like that ..... his younger partner looks like a guy looking for a cheap thrill but it had a good ending to it not predictable at all... from the other bad masters of horror films such as chocolate deer women sick girl and homecoming im going to give this 5 stars

THIS MOVIE IS REALLY ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A TRUCKDRIVER AND A HITCHHIKER WHO LOVE KILLING PEOPLE.THEY'RE NOT FRIENDS,BUT WHEN THEY GET TOGETHER-THEY HAVE A BOND BECAUSE THEY TALK ABOUT THEIR KILLINGS THAT THEY DO.THEY EACH HAVE THEIR OWN METHOD OF KILLING PEOPLE.THE HITCHHIKER TORTURES ONE WOMAN IN A HOTEL ROOM TIL SHE DIES.FAIRUZA IS RIGHT NEXT DOOR.SHE'S THE NEXT VICTIM,BUT SHE HURRIES UP AND SNEAKS OUT.LATER-THE TRUCKDRIVER GOES LOOKING FOR HER BECAUSE HE WANTS TO BE THE ONE TO KILL HER.HE PICKS HER UP.IT'S A REALLY GOOD MOVIE.IT'S MUCH BETTER THAN I CAN EXPLAIN ABOUT IT.