Macabre...ish Horror Review: Joy Ride

Joy Ride, 2001/ 97 min.

Lewis (Paul Walker) has a great idea, He and his crush Venna (Lee Lee Sobiesky) are gonna take a road trip home from college. So he gets a refund on his airline ticket and buys a 1971 Chrysler Newport and plans to pick her up from campus. But first he has to bail his older brother, Fuller, out of jail and he’ll tag along.

Along the way, Fuller (Steve Zahn) installs a CB radio and after listening to chatter, he convinces Lewis to prank a trucker with the handle of Rusty Nail. And Lewis will pretend to be a woman named Candy Cane. And they convince Rusty Nail that Candy Cane wants to meet him at a Wyoming Motel, room 17.

When the prank goes too far, Lewis confesses and apologizes to the trucker. After a terrifying retaliatory ‘joke’ they continue on to pick up Venna, believing the trouble to be over. But no, Rusty Nail knows they picked Venna up and wants his date and demands a meeting at another motel, room 17.

And they will show up, he’s made it so it they have no choice and when they do, it’s a brutal meeting. It seems Rusty Nail wants to finish the game, Fuller and Lewis started.

This movie is nerve wracking and stressful and what you definitely shouldn’t do on a road trip because...Crazy People™️. Plus I’m not this bored. There’s some blood and graphic scenes and nudity but it’s mostly stressful and kind of relentless but it is fun. The end is messed up though.