For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Better Late Then Never

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

"The Wraith" starts out with some promise; a street race on a dark desert highway really sets up some nice '80s atmosphere. And this is a movie with Randy Quaid as a no-nonsense sheriff, Clint Howard in full "Eraserhead" coiffure and an array of gas-guzzling street racers. It's already somewhat bizarre and should have its own energy. Even the soundtrack is pretty good. But it doesn't live up to its potential, in any sense; the characters are thin, the pacing is all off and the stakes are nonexistent. At a certain point, I'd just wanted some more of those rock song car chases, which is exactly what this movie does right. Just not enough of 'em. 4/10

The movie starring a young Charlie Sheen from the nineteen eighties was a very impressive piece of work for its time. It was one of the first movies to use computer enhancement. And to this day, the car that the "Wraith" dove in this flick would be considered bad to the bone, and would fit in impressively on some rich Californian coast boulevard! The acting was better than average for the time and budget allotted to do the film. The movie is solid and its about a group of kids that scare the towns people. The bully and even kill people and one kid comes back to kill the ones that killed him. Within one weeks time he kills all of them with this car. The special effects are great but it's those characters that make the film.Featuring a terrific driving musical score from musical legends of the era like Billy Idol, Ozzy Osbourne and Motley Crue, The Wraith is a movie that epitomizes the old Sicilian mafioso adage that "Revenge is a dish best served cold". But it is also a love story that transcends death with the apparent help of some friendly extraterrestrials that provide the murdered young man with resurrection and some really awesome and deadly hardware. And the most impressive piece of this deadly hardware of course is the superb, jet black Dodge Turbo Interceptor which may be the real star of the show. This was a concept car originally built by Dodge to be used as a pace car on the 1981 Indy Car World Series racing circuit. All in all, it's a great and entertaining movie with terrific race scenes and good character development for all the principal characters as well as the major supporting characters. The racing scenes and crash scenes are really well done with very good special effects that stand up well even today.Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

Charlie Sheen, Nick Cassavetes, Sherilyn Fenn, Clint Howard and Randy Quaid star in this 1986 sci-fi film. This begins one night with an otherworldly figure, a wraith arriving on Earth in Arizona. Meanwhile, a vicious gang led by Packard Walsh (Cassavetes) drag race against a couple and win taking their car from them. Soon, the wraith starts drag racing against Packard's gang members one at a time killing them with his car. Fenn (Just One of the Guys) plays Packard's girl, Keri Johnson who meets Jake (Sheen), a new guy in town and they start falling for each other. Quaid (Vacation) plays police lieutenant, Loomis who investigates why the mysterious driver is targeting Packard and his gang. Keri eventually learns that Packard killed her boyfriend, Jamie Hankins some time prior and is persuaded by Jake to break free from him or she'll become his prisoner. Keri soon discovers the true identity of the wraith after his climatic showdown with Packard. Howard (Evilspeak) plays nerdy mechanic, Rughead who works for Packard. This is an underrated 80's flick that shares the same revenge formula as "High Plains Drifter," "The Crow" and "Mad Max." It features a good cast, neat effects, thrilling race sequences & great score. I recommend this.

It amazing at how the film moves along, doesn't get sidetracked, and presents a very interesting camp fire style story.The film is centers around the arrival in town of Jake. Jake quickly befriends Billy Hankins and Keri Johnson. However, by doing this, he runs afoul of Packard Walsh.Walsh is a charismatic, yet evil leader of a gang of thugs who race and cheat people out of their cars. They are desert rats who feel they own the roads.As we learn, they are also murderers. Not long ago, they brutally murdered Jamie Hankins, as he was having sex with the afore mention Keri Johnson, a girl that Packard desires, and will stop at nothing to make sure she is his for life.As the gang challenges Billy Hankins to a race,a black turbo interceptor pulls up. The challenge is on, and gang member Augie Fisher is more than happy to take him on.Instead, Augie becomes the first victim, because they aren't racing your average driver. They are racing a spirit that has returned to Earth to avenge his own death. Augie crashes over the cliff, and his car becomes a twisted, burning wreck.WHen he is pulled from the car, his body is unmarked, but his eyes are missing. This is soon the fate for another member of Packard's gang, Minty. Skank and Gutter boy are killed when the Wraith crashes into the gang's garage. However, the Wraith doesn't kill Rughead, since Rughead had nothing to do with his murder.The wraith finds Packard, standing with a knife, ready to kill Keri. The Wraith challenges Packard to a race. It's a race to the death that climaxes with both cars crashing into each other, causing a massive explosion.Jake meets up with Keri, and has now revealed his true identity. He is in fact Jamie Hankins, and has returned so that he and Keri could be together. After dropping off the turbo to Billy Hankins (who after Jake/Jamie leaves, has now figured out that the Wraith was indeed his deceased brother).The film closes out with Jamie and Keri driving off into the desert, finally able to fulfill their destiny of being together.