The original Joyride is one of my favorite horror films/thrillers: lots of tension and though it was a little derivative of The Hitcher and Duel, it had enough originality to keep you guessing as to what happens next. It also had better actors playing more likable characters than the teenage clichés presented here. It also relied mostly on suspense rather than the gratuitous gore thrown in here. I watched the first sequel (even though it was a direct-to-video) and it was pretty bad, but this one is terrible. Rusty Nail is no longer mysterious; he's on full view here and is thus just another slasher killing for no reason (other than being cut off in traffic by one of the characters). In the first film he was genuinely humiliated. But being cut off on the highway doesn't seem like much of a reason to go on a torturing, killing rampage, building elaborate contraptions as part of his revenge. Most people just flip the bird when cut off on the roadway. Time to put the brakes on this series.
Review of Joy Ride 3: Road Kill
