In just about every movie that you’ll watch, there is almost always a conflict leading to a showdown of some kind. It could be a giant lizard taking out his aggressions on a large Asian city, it could be the outcast college kids finally getting a bit of revenge on the fraternity bullies, or maybe just some inner conflict finally resolved. We’ve also seen iconic horror personalities confronting each other at long last, but those that we know on first name basis aren’t the only killers in cinema, and there are even those of urban legend that are getting their chance to confront one another.

Pick Me Up brings together two killers that you may not know by name, but you do know the concepts behind them, but for any serial killer, you’re going to need victims. On a lonely stretch of road a bus has broken down and after getting impatient, recently divorced Stacia (Fairuza Balk) leaves by herself to find a hotel or anything aside from being stuck on the bus. For those who have stayed around, a kindly trucker named Jim Wheeler (Michael Moriarty) offers a ride, and two passengers take it, but little do they know that Wheeler is really a killer and those who take his rides find it to be their last.

Those who are waiting for the bus to be repaired soon meet Walker (Warren Kole), a defter who kills anyone who offers him a ride, and since the bus driver would have technically given him a ride, that makes him and the remaining passengers the perfect victims. The two killers however are aware of one another’s existence and coincidentally end up meeting at the shabby hotel, the very same hotel where Stacia has ended up now the two have decided that she’s their next target, but they will have to face off against each other first before one of them can claim the kill.

This particular episode of Masters of Horror can really be consider the Jason vs. Freddy of the series, but instead of having iconic figures, you have the two killers that have been seen in movies before and are the things that tall tales are made of. On one side you have Wheeler, the trucker, the guy who is extremely nice, even says that he’s a part of the local sheriff’s department, but he has another agenda. Anyone who climbs into the cab will soon meet a horrible end. Walker on the other hand isn’t a hitchhiker, but simply that guy you see in the middle of nowhere, a stranger you feel compelled to give a ride to and he’s quite well mannered, something that belies his objective and that is to kill the person or persons who decide to give him a ride.

Stacia unfortunately is caught right in the middle of what can only be described as a turf war. Walker has strolled into someone else’s hunting grounds, and Wheeler isn’t pleased about this. He’s much rather get rid of the interloper, and Stacia might be the perfect bait. The two simply can’t work together and it does culminate in a bout of violence as a fight breaks out between the two before leading to an almost Twilight Zone inspired twist that involves all three primary characters.

Pick Me Up is really more straight ahead horror, and although the premise may involve serial killers but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it needs to work with violence and bloodshed each and every moment. Those concepts are still seen in the film Instead much of Pick Me Up is spent getting to known the two individuals a little better, and Stacia really only acts as a second string character in my opinion, the proverbial “one that got away” that we know won’t, at least if either of these two men have anything to say about tit, but ultimately the idea boils down to who will win. Will our trucker get two more kills to add to his list or will the young drifter go through with his usual motives and add two more victims to his list?

Everything in the script works together perfectly and there is really some great moments of dark humor. Moriarty and Kole work perfectly opposite one another and although they may be portraying some dark souls gone astray, they come across as likeable guys even though you understand all too well what they intend to do. Wheeler seems nice enough that anyone would accept a ride from him while Walker has that down home Texas drawl and politeness that would have just about any driver offering to take him to the next town. Larry Cohen couldn’t have found two actors that were more perfect for his segment in the series, and of course Moriarty and Cohen have worked together in the past on a number of occasions, so this seems to work even better.

Pick Me Up includes commentary with director Larry Cohen that is definitely worth listening to as well as an interview, done by Mick Garris as a part of his cable access show The Fantasy Film Festival. There are also interviews with Balk, Cole and Moriarty, a making of feature, as well as Cohen discussing his interest in the film as well as his humble beginnings in the industry. There is also a script to screen comparison, and a short bit about what it’s like working with Cohen, and obviously he sounds like a fantastic director to work with.

If you’re looking for some very simple and basic horror that doesn’t require too much in the way of presentation save for just a good time, Pick Me Up is just the thing. With its interesting premise, fun characters, and humor, Pick Me Up is like a return to the glory days of horror where things weren’t overly complex nor where they too outlandish, and this release just begs to be picked up.