Stars: Charlie Sheen, Randy Quaid, CLint Howard, SHerilyn Fenn, Nick Cassavetes, David Sherrill, Jamie Bozian | Written and Directed by Mike Marvin
Eighties movies have a certain charm, and while they can be hit or miss, even when they are classed as “bad” they can actually be quite good. The Wraith is one of those movies that some may call bad, but actually has all the charm to make it a hidden treasure of the 80s.
When a mysterious car takes to the roads of a small town in Arizona it appears that they are targeting a local gang of violent road-racing motor heads. Is this a victim from their past returned to get revenge, or have they just bitten off more than they can chew?
Just looking at the cast of The Wraith should catch interest for a lot of people, not only fans of the 80s, but fans of cult movies as a whole.
Eighties movies have a certain charm, and while they can be hit or miss, even when they are classed as “bad” they can actually be quite good. The Wraith is one of those movies that some may call bad, but actually has all the charm to make it a hidden treasure of the 80s.
When a mysterious car takes to the roads of a small town in Arizona it appears that they are targeting a local gang of violent road-racing motor heads. Is this a victim from their past returned to get revenge, or have they just bitten off more than they can chew?
Just looking at the cast of The Wraith should catch interest for a lot of people, not only fans of the 80s, but fans of cult movies as a whole.
- 11/19/2021
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
Back when we did our Class of 1986 series years ago, one of the films that I decided to champion was The Wraith from writer/director Mike Marvin, which I hadn’t really seen discussed a whole lot amongst genre fans. Hopefully, that will now change with the brand new Vestron Blu-ray that came out last week, because if there’s any justice in this world, this horror/action hybrid will finally end up on more folks’ radars with this new release. It may not be the most original genre movie to come out of the ‘80s, but considering its stellar cast, incredible soundtrack, and a handful of mind-blowingly great driving sequences, The Wraith is very much a movie that should earn a rediscovery phase now.
The Wraith tells the story of a teenager named Jamie who is murdered by a street-racing gang, led by the maniacal Packard (Nick Cassavetes). Soon after,...
The Wraith tells the story of a teenager named Jamie who is murdered by a street-racing gang, led by the maniacal Packard (Nick Cassavetes). Soon after,...
- 7/26/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
When it comes to horror and sci-fi movies from 1986, there are several milestone titles that always come to mind first: Aliens, The Fly, Blue Velvet, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, Manhunter, Poltergeist II: The Other Side, or even Psycho III, just to name a few. But like any great year of cinema, there are always a few underrated gems that get overshadowed along the way and should receive a little extra love. Here are six films from 1986 that I think deserve to be on every genre fan’s radar:
F/X: A movie about a special effects artist who gets mixed up in a government conspiracy, at a time when practical effects were in their heyday? Yes, please. F/X isn’t a film I hear a ton of folks talk about, but it has been on cable a lot lately, which means I’ve spent a few nights revisiting it,...
F/X: A movie about a special effects artist who gets mixed up in a government conspiracy, at a time when practical effects were in their heyday? Yes, please. F/X isn’t a film I hear a ton of folks talk about, but it has been on cable a lot lately, which means I’ve spent a few nights revisiting it,...
- 7/10/2016
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Marvin, the writer of the original Hot Dog now has a working script and $12 million in financing
"Hot Dog… The Movie Remake Could Be Mike Marvin’s Mad Max: Fury Road" was originally published on Film School Rejects for our wonderful readers to enjoy. It is not intended to be reproduced on other websites. If you aren't reading this in your favorite RSS reader or on Film School Rejects, you're being bamboozled. We hope you'll come find us and enjoy the best articles about movies, television and culture right from the source.
"Hot Dog… The Movie Remake Could Be Mike Marvin’s Mad Max: Fury Road" was originally published on Film School Rejects for our wonderful readers to enjoy. It is not intended to be reproduced on other websites. If you aren't reading this in your favorite RSS reader or on Film School Rejects, you're being bamboozled. We hope you'll come find us and enjoy the best articles about movies, television and culture right from the source.
- 4/7/2015
- by Christopher Campbell
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Sorry, Aaron Paul. You might have a Need For Speed, but I'd rather go for a ride with... The Wraith (1986) Director: Mike Marvin Stars: Charlie Sheen, Sherilyn Fenn, Nick Cassavetes The Crow meets Knight Rider meets Death Proof. Starring Charlie Sheen. There's nothing I don't love about The Wraith. It's all the best parts of the 80s wrapped up in to one awesome package. Sweet rides, vehicular revenge, cheesy dialogue, a glorious synth soundtrack, Charlie Sheen.this...
- 3/12/2014
- by Jason Adams
- JoBlo.com
To celebrate their 5th anniversary, the Arizona Underground Film Festival has expanded to a whopping nine nights on Sept. 21-29 for a cinematic event the likes of Tucson has never seen before!
The shenanigans kick off with the opening night film The Legend of Kaspar Hauser, an experimental Italian feature directed by Davide Manuli and starring Vincent Gallo as the hero and the villain to a strange young boy, then end with the closing night film Jason M. Solomon’s nostalgic documentary 7 Years Underground: A 60′s Tale, which profiles the legendary Cafe Au Go Go in NYC that hosted such up-and-coming acts such as Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, George Carlin, Lily Tomlin and more.
In between those two films lies a twisted carnage of movie mayhem, including Spencer Parsons’ demented homage to ’70s mystery cartoons Saturday Morning Massacre; Michael Melamedoff exploitative semi-doc The Exhibitionists; Stephen Amis’ Australian WWII sci-fi...
The shenanigans kick off with the opening night film The Legend of Kaspar Hauser, an experimental Italian feature directed by Davide Manuli and starring Vincent Gallo as the hero and the villain to a strange young boy, then end with the closing night film Jason M. Solomon’s nostalgic documentary 7 Years Underground: A 60′s Tale, which profiles the legendary Cafe Au Go Go in NYC that hosted such up-and-coming acts such as Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, George Carlin, Lily Tomlin and more.
In between those two films lies a twisted carnage of movie mayhem, including Spencer Parsons’ demented homage to ’70s mystery cartoons Saturday Morning Massacre; Michael Melamedoff exploitative semi-doc The Exhibitionists; Stephen Amis’ Australian WWII sci-fi...
- 9/14/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Lots of odd things came out of the 80s: a love for bright red leather jackets, lots of bad horror films, and The Wraith. One part love song to muscle cars and another part someone's badly conceived sci-fi, beyond the grave romance. It really is hard to pinpoint exactly where this should fall in the grand spectrum of teen flicks. The Wraith has the things you'd expect from that genre: a bully with a gang of moronic cohorts, a quiet-type hero, and a little bit of nudity. The dialogue is laughable, the acting is melodramatic, and then there's Randy Quaid trying his best to play a stern sheriff, a role no one who's seen Christmas Vacation will ever accept him in – even though he tried again in Hard Rain.
Packard (Nick Cassavetes) leads a really stupid troop of greasers who force other drivers into one on one racers where the...
Packard (Nick Cassavetes) leads a really stupid troop of greasers who force other drivers into one on one racers where the...
- 3/18/2010
- by Lex Walker
- JustPressPlay.net
A dynamic if occasionally confusing confectionary of Clint Eastwood, David Lynch, John Hughes and George Miller, The Wraith remains one of the definitive guilty pleasures of 80’s sci-fi horror and a perennial favorite for those nostalgia nights in the company of a few select friends, a six-pack of beers and a bag of chips. In spite of its dated synth/soft rock score, awkward dialogue, bewildering concepts and – for the most part – unsympathetic teenage ciphers, it does retain a sleek brio and self-confidence that continue to hold the attention.
The literal borrowings from High Plains Drifter, Shane, The Road Warrior and The Thing are often distracting, but if its influences are plain to see, less visible to the casual viewer are the pain and tragedy involved in its troubled production. With the recent special edition DVD release of The Wraith (review here) from Lionsgate and the 25th anniversary of the film fast approaching,...
The literal borrowings from High Plains Drifter, Shane, The Road Warrior and The Thing are often distracting, but if its influences are plain to see, less visible to the casual viewer are the pain and tragedy involved in its troubled production. With the recent special edition DVD release of The Wraith (review here) from Lionsgate and the 25th anniversary of the film fast approaching,...
- 3/17/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
The term “exploitation film” usually refers to those elements of a trashy movie that are easy to exploit for marketing purposes: sex, violence, and the like. Mike Marvin’s 1986 teen-oriented science-fiction/horror flick The Wraith was an exploitation film from the get-go—albeit one with a slightly bigger budget than the norm—but oddly enough, some of its elements are more exploitable now than they were then. With a few exceptions, The Wraith looks and sounds like every other over-lit, synthesizer-heavy, showdown-in-an-empty-warehouse ’80s actioner. But the soundtrack also features songs by Honeymoon Suite, Bonnie Tyler, Ozzy Osbourne, and a ...
- 3/10/2010
- avclub.com
It’s a crazy, mixed up world and we are thankful for movies, excluding Valentine’s Day starring every safe, boring white actor ever, that offer proof. Slashfilm's Weekend Weirdness examines such flicks, whether in the form of a new trailer for a provocative indie, a mini review or an interview. In 1986, a supernatural moto-fantasy about a murdered bro who returns via a phantasmic, black stealth race car to kill his killers was released on Earth and no one gave a shit. More than two decades later, The Wraith, though forever without a wet 'stache lick from Peter Travers, is cult-minted for being memorable-enough '80s-ploitation. Next month sees the release of a Special Edition DVD that adequately recognizes and explores the movie's legacy and history with commentary courtesy director Mike Marvin and featurettes on the film's semi-iconic Dodge racer and co-star Clint Howard (who, if not semi-iconic himself, sported...
- 2/22/2010
- by Hunter Stephenson
- Slash Film
Wow. Lionsgate is certainly determined to trump everyone else in fantastic special edition releases lately. They’re running with the big dogs at the very least, after such fantastic editions of The Monster Squad, Cujo, My Bloody Valentine and The Gate. This time, they’ve set their sights on the 1986 flick, The Wraith and I’m not gonna lie – I am very excited!
From the Lionsgate press release:
The Wraith, the cult classic starring Golden Globe® winner Charlie Sheen (TV's "Spin City"), Academy Award® nominee Randy Quaid (The Last Detail, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, 1973) and Clint Howard (Frost/Nixon), comes to Special Edition DVD from Lionsgate this March. The action-packed film tells the story of a mysterious figure seeking vengeance on a gang that's been terrorizing a small town and includes music from some of Rock-n-Roll's greatest legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, Robert Palmer and Billy Idol.
From the Lionsgate press release:
The Wraith, the cult classic starring Golden Globe® winner Charlie Sheen (TV's "Spin City"), Academy Award® nominee Randy Quaid (The Last Detail, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, 1973) and Clint Howard (Frost/Nixon), comes to Special Edition DVD from Lionsgate this March. The action-packed film tells the story of a mysterious figure seeking vengeance on a gang that's been terrorizing a small town and includes music from some of Rock-n-Roll's greatest legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, Robert Palmer and Billy Idol.
- 12/8/2009
- by Masked Slasher
- DreadCentral.com
On March 2, The Wraith is back! Yes, that mysterious figure in the equally mysterious car that's out for revenge. Lionsgate Home Entertainment - who has given us special editions of My Bloody Valentine , The Gate and The Monster Squad - is issuing the '86 film in, yes, the special edition format which will include audio commentary, interviews with writer/director Mike Marvin and Clint Howard along with a featurette on the Dodge M4S that was used in the film. The film tells the story of vengeance and a gang that's been terrorizing a small town. Charlie Sheen, Nick Cassavetes, Sherilyn Fenn and Randy Quaid star and the soundtrack includes music from Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, Robert Palmer and Billy Idol.
- 12/8/2009
- shocktillyoudrop.com
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