Directed by John Shiban, Rest Stop: Dead Ahead, has some good moments but overall lacks any real scares.
It starts with runaway lovers Jesse Hilts (Joey Mendicino) and Nicole Carrow (Jaimie Alexander) heading off on a road trip to California. After a brief run in with a truck Nicole requests they stop at the next available moment so she can use the rest room. Upon stopping at a rest stop and using the run-down and dirty bathroom, Nicole comes out to find Jesse nowhere to be seen. The car, and Jesse, seem to have vanished.
Starting to panic, Nicole notices the same driver and truck they had a run in with not so far from the rest stop area seemingly just staring at her. There’s also a creepy RV in the parking lot with obvious residents that won’t open the door. When they finally do let her in, she soon realizes they are crazy religious people who judge her for her sins.
Finding out her boyfriend may be in serious trouble from a girl she finds hiding in the bathroom she breaks into an office at the area and calls the police on an old radio.
Things soon take a turn for the worse and along with the policeman, Nicole barricades them inside the rest stop building from the crazed driver of the truck who doesn’t deter in his terror upon them.
The acting isn’t the best and there are quite a few plot holes within the script with the movie lacking basic logic at many points, especially when the policeman arrives, but if you’re into torture and gore then they’ll be some aspects you’ll enjoy.
I don’t think Rest Stop is as bad as some of the reviews it’s received, it does contain some cliches, but the overall premise was a really neat idea. It’s a mixed bag. It has some really good things about it, but it also has some that are equally as bad.
WICKED RATING: 4/10
Title: Rest Stop: Dead Ahead
Director(s): John Shiban
Writer(s): John Shiban
Stars: Jaimie Alexander, Joseph George Mendicino, Deanna Russo
Year: 2006
Studio/ Production Co: Warner Home Video, Raw Feed, Papazian-Hirsch Entertainment International
Budget: (unknown)
Language: English
Length: 80mins
Sub-Genre: Thriller
