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I Saw The Wraith and I Have So Many Questions

Check out this beautiful oddity from the 80s

By Melodie MulderPublished 3 years ago 10 min read
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Do I have a treat for you guys! I think all my Dear Readers (all two of you :P ) are well aware by now that I adore trashy movies and so bad they're good movies. If a movie is ridiculous, I will love it. As chance would have it, I stumbled upon a movie called The Wraith on Amazon Prime. It was from the 80s and starred Charlie Sheen, Randy Quaid, Nick Cassavetes, and the one and only Sherilynn Fenn aka Audrey from Twin Peaks and I'd never heard of it before. On top of this list of recognizable stars it's a horror movie and Clint Howard is in a supporting role. I'm sold. Especially since Clint is sporting this tremendous hairdo and his name in the movie is "Rughead". Seriously, just take a look at this:

You guys, I died. (but this was also the face I made when watching this movie)

The main premise is that a guy gets murdered by a gang of thugs and then returns from the grave to exact revenge. It seems like a pretty straightforward plot, doesn't it? Except no, this movie finds ways to make the revenge from beyond the grave into something beautifully strange. I don't know what tone this movie was going for but "horror" definitely was not it. Neither was comedy because it was played so straight. So, we'll go with Science Fiction and Romance because yeah those descriptors fit it best.

The movie starts with this weird blue flash that is racing down the highway. What is it? I don't know and the movie sure as hell isn't going to fill us in because we go to this couple who are quickly accosted by a group of Mad Max cosplayers. They want to race main dude for his car. They race but the main dude loses when the bad guys cheat and he has to give up his car. There's a weird cut to an altercation and it is very hard to figure out if this happens later the same night or some other night but main guy is killed. He dead. Can I just say that all of the gangbangers are very into and super prepared for their street racing as every time they have one, they will sport a racing helmet. It's hilariously cute.

We finally get to Charlie Sheen who shows up in town on a dirt bike and he's new so he gets the attention of Sherilynn Fenn right away but oh no, she can't ride with him because the leader of the gang from before shows up. Is he her boyfriend now? She says no but yet she kind of is? Like he's bullying her into being his girlfriend even though she clearly doesn't like him at all and keeps telling him they aren't together. Honestly, it's a little upsetting but baffling. How do you get roped into being a guy's girlfriend but with none of the perks? She's basically his property. She hates him but he owns her because he will harass any other guy that talks to her so she's screwed either way.

Then they are all hanging out at a beach and we meet dead guy's little brother who wants to hang out with Charlie Sheen. He notices gashes on Charlie's back but thinks nothing of it and they talk about the gang and Sherilynn and the fact that little brother is sure the gang had something to do with his brother's murder. Charlie and Sherilynn flirt which makes Gang Boss super mad.

Sherilynn is working and trying to get a ride home from little brother but Gang Boss is not having that and threatens to take little brother's car in a race match when we get the triumphant introduction of our mysterious Wraith. It's a bizarre, futuristic looking car known as a Dodge Interceptor Turbo and they decide to race it instead. What follows is the most boring race scene of all time that is then perked up by the best thing ever. Basically the future car pulls ahead then parks itself across the road so that the gangbanger racing him crashes into it and immediately explodes and rolls down a cliff before exploding more. I'm going to be super honest, I was really bored with the movie until I saw that part.

Then the super car magically appears again, unharmed and drives off. The weird part? Apparently, despite blowing to smithereens, the gangbanger's body is in tact except that he has his eyes sucked out. What does this mean? I don't know, the movie doesn't really fill that in. Unless we're to assume that this is what the gang did to dead dude in the beginning. A really long time goes by before we see Charlie Sheen again because this movie wants to focus on the Gang. They're ticked about their friend's death and hanging out in their garage when suddenly, this appears:

The Wraith looking like a Mighty Morphin Power Ranger (Go, Go Power Ranger!)

It shoots up their entire establishment. All their cars they were working on, destroyed. This only serves to piss Gang Boss off even more. Randy Quaid is also there as a cop trying to solve the murders but he's ultimately useless. Still, I'm glued to the screen, just waiting to see where this is all going and when Charlie Sheen will show up again. It isn't until another ganger dies (in exactly the same way as the first one) that he does show up again to take Sherilynn on some kind of date where he professes his love to her and it's at this point that I guess the twist because it flashes back to when the guy gets stabbed and then focuses in on Charlie Sheen's scarred back. I'm sorry for the spoiler but really, it doesn't add anything to this movie, I promise you.

So, now we know that the killer is dead guy and dead guy is Charlie Sheen. Clint Howard has noped out of the gang because dying isn't cool, right guys? Then the last two gang bangers are killed and it's honestly great the way they're disposed of. Incomprehensibly stupid and great. So much explosion. The future car still rolls out fine.

Sherilynn gets told by Charlie to stand up for herself in order to free herself from Gang Boss' clutches. Because only when she does that will she be free of him. She doubts this but considers his advice.

Gang Boss is the only one left and he is out for blood. He kidnaps Sherilynn despite little brother trying to protect her, and plans to run off to California with her but she finally stands up for herself and tells him off. He threatens to kill her and then future car shows up. They race to the death, obviously Gang Boss gets 'sploded good except not because his body is magically in tact like the others and his eyes are sucked out. Randy Quaid wipes his hands of the situation since he figures whoever was doing this, their job is done. Ummm, pretty sure you should still figure out who did this, even if he got rid of problem people, he still caused a lot of damage to the roads and what's that? You've got crazy conspiracy theories to get to? Ok, sure you can go then, Randy. You were no help at all, thanks for nothing.

Charlie then goes to Sherilynn and reveals that he is her dead boyfriend and is totally cool with it. Charlie Sheen makes it seem like he's only back to do a job but like SO MANY QUESTIONS!!! How is he back? Did he die? Who brought him back? Why is he Charlie Sheen now? If everything else about him changed, why the stab wound scars still? Where did he get the future car? Is he an alien? WHO BROUGHT HIM BACK AND WHY?? He just wanders off like he's going to do one last job and never be able to come back so, ok maybe it's a limited time offer? Wait, it gets so much more confusing. He leaves her to do one last thing and I thought it would be to take care of Clint Howard but no, he's completely out of the movie now. It's actually to talk to his little brother.

He tells the little brother that he's leaving again and that he's leaving behind a car for him, the future car. Little Brother soon figures out that Charlie is, in fact, his brother but like kind of weeps about it because Charlie has just rode out of his life for good. You think it's because he's done with his vengeance and so his spirit is released, right? Nope, he goes to pick up Sherilynn so they can ride off into the sunset together. A happy ending for-hold up. I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!!

I'm gonna leave you with my murder car so I can have a happy life with my girlfriend, BYE

Ok, so again; who brought dead guy back as Charlie Sheen? Who gave him the suped up car? Is it a ghost car? Is it a space car? Is it alien tech?? Who the fuck knows? This movie isn't going to fill us in. Secondly, did he just give a literal one of a kind car, a car implicated in multiple deaths to his little brother? Did he just make his little brother the patsy? Because the minute he drives around in that car, the cops are going to be all over him about those other deaths. Just because Randy Quaid is like "welp, I think this case is done." doesn't mean he wouldn't reopen it the second he saw the car again. He closed the case because he assumed it would disappear into the ether but it's right there, at the burger joint, with the dead guy's little brother. The one who said he thought the gangbangers killed his brother. THE ONE PERSON WHO HAD MOTIVE AND ANGER TO OFF THE ENTIRE GANG? What the fuck, Charlie Sheen? Guess you didn't really love your brother that much. I mean, you took Sherilynn with you but your little brother can stay in that town and take the fall for your murder.

Also, also, what is Charlie Sheen? He can't be a ghost, he was interacting with people and kissing Sherilynn and touching her boob. Is he an alien? But then, is he really the dead brother or an alien being who took on the dead brother's traits and cause? WHAT IS HE? Why the car? Why did he leave it behind? Who gave it to him? I can't get over these questions, they just keep looping in my head. On top of that, why the explosion murders? What was the purpose of having the bodies mysteriously be untouched by the explosion but have their eyes sucked out? Does the alien need the eyes to live? IS HE EATING THE EYES? IS THAT THE IMPLICATION HERE? AM I READING TOO MUCH INTO THIS B MOVIE? PROBABLY!!

Sorry, I'll calm down but like, what was the point? Was it symbolic? How was this achieved? Are we supposed to assume ghost/alien magic here? But why? I'm fascinated, I'm intrigued, I'm flabbergasted and yet...I think I kind of love this mess of a movie. It's a perfect combination of earnest ridiculousness where you can't decide if they really want you to take the premise seriously or not and it's honestly beautiful. You know what else I learned? This movie has not 1 but 2, that's right, 2 sequels and I desperately wish Amazon Prime had them so I could watch them and find out if they answer any of my million questions or if it goes like Phantasm and just keeps adding questions on to the already over sized pile of unanswered questions. Or answering a question with even more questions. I don't know about you, but I for one am dying to find out. If you love cheesy 80s not really horror but kind of sci-fi and maybe sometimes action, romance schlock, you'll love this one.

Wait, one more question: wouldn't it have made more sense for the car to be called The Wraith instead of an Interceptor Turbo? I mean, they already made up the name Interceptor for the car which took on the name because of this movie so like, why not call it The Wraith? Way cooler name and would have made more sense to be the title. Yes, they do have one of the gangers call him a wraith but eh, it would have been cooler to have the car called that as it seems to be implied that the car is the special thing allowing Charlie Sheen to do all that magic invincible exploding. Alright, I'm done with my musings. Good night, everyone!

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About the Creator

Melodie Mulder

I'm an author and blogger from Canada who loves to consume and muse about entertainment and pop culture. Check out my book, Lost Souls on Amazon.

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