Masters of Horror: Pick Me Up |  | Director: Larry Cohen
Actors: Fairuza Balk, Warren Kole, Michael Moriarty, Laurene Landon, Malcolm Kennard
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy Used: $1.87
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Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 56895
Format: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 58 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: ANBD14465D
UPC: 013131446593
EAN: 0013131446593
ASIN: B000FA57W6
Theatrical Release Date: January 20, 2006
Release Date: October 17, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Starz/sphe Release Date: 09/25/2007 Run time: 58 minutes
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 18
 Disappointing Thriller Has Good Performances and Not Much Else. November 12, 2009
E. Valero (Woodbridge, Ontario Canada)
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" (Masters of Horror - 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" (Masters of Horror: Lucky McKee - 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" (Masters of Horror - John Mcnaughton - 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" (Masters of Horror - Dario Argento - 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.
An okay movie with a lame ending. September 3, 2009
Aaron Merkel (Kutztown, PA USA)
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.
 The Disasters of Horror strike again July 20, 2009
David Bonesteel (Fresno, CA United States)
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."
.....don't stop...they may be after you! December 9, 2008
N. Peake (BigApple)
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!
 Cohen Entertainment December 6, 2008
S. Sommerville (Raleigh, NC)
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.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 18
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