Rest Stop (2006)

"Rest Stop" was touted as being  "hauntingly realistic" on the DVD cover but I didn't feel that that was quite accurate. Very little about this film felt realistic and that's ok, it's a horror movie after all! There are plenty of times throughout the movie where you get to, or have to, suspend your sense of reality to enjoy the horrific moments that are taking place. Part "The Vanishing" and part "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "Rest Stop" is all about being stranded alone and completely helpless in the middle of nowhere while being emotionally prodded by a twisted individual in a yellow truck. While Jaime Alexander is recieving rave reviews for her performances in the "Thor" series, her acting in this film is rather inconsistant and I expected more from directed John Shiban (who worked on "X-Files" and "Break Bad") to ensure that his actors would be up to the part. Jaime's character does have moments of expressing her fear and hoplessness but she lacks any sense of being drained and exhausted after how long her ordeal lasts.

Jess and his girlfriend Nicole are skipping town and heading towards Hollywood. The road trip is full of loving glances and teasing insults. They leave the main highway shortly after crossing into California and find a lonely derersted road to have sex, which they film, and sleep through the night. The next day their moods have completely changed as Nicole accuses Jess that they're lost and are running low on gas. A old yellow truck almost runs into them as it barrels down the road in their lane, the same truck that drove by the couple while they were having sex the day before. Their fighting contiunes until Nicole demands that they stop at a rest stop so she can use the restroom. Jess begrudgily does so and waits at the car. Nicole goes to the restroom and when she returns, Jess and the car are gone. Nicole gets pissed off, stomps around for a while, and waits for Jess to come back. Soon the yellow truck returns and almost hits Nicole; as it drives past the driver throws out Jess's cell phone and speeds away. Nicole now realizes that the truck driver has done something to Jess and realizes that the trucks license plate number was written on the door of the restroom stall she used. She goes back to the rest room and sees that other people have left warnings about the same truck, some dating as far back as to the 1970's. An insane family in an old winnebago, an escaped victim trapped in the broom closet, and a highway patrol officer all prove to be useless in saving Nicole from the truck driver's relentless cat and mouse game.

Good times for Nicole and Jess

Bad times for Jess

Very bad times for Jess and the Highway Patrol Officer

Extremely bad times for the yellow truck, Burn, baby, burn