The Plot:
Four friends - Marcus, Nina, Craig, and Liz - are talking a camping trip through the remotest part of the Australian outback. Oddly enough, there is more danger among the group than in the territory - at least, initially. Nina and Marcus are a couple, but one drunken night, she bedded his best friend...Craig. That's right, now the limber lothario has a new squeeze, and said lady Liz is definitely suffering from fourth vector syndrome in this particular lover's triangle. While Marcus can forgive Craig, he gives his gal pal a hard time. All of that ends when a large transport vehicle known as a "road train" causes their car to run off the road. Injuries abound, and when stranded, the group decides to take off with the mystery truck. Almost instantly, they are thrown into a realm of blood, guts, and grandstanding. Apparently, this vehicle has an evil purpose, a previous owner with a itchy trigger finger, and an engine powered by a decidedly "human" fuel. As Craig is slowly possessed by the lethal land cruiser, the others look for a way out - or a way in.

The DVD:
Road Kill is a very aggravating film. It's like the Midnight Meat Train ramrodded into a desolate Downunder setting with just enough Mad Max road rage to make George Miller antsy. As much as he wants to make an evocative, eerie thriller, director Dean Francis can't escape the thinness of his premise. Without spoiling things horribly, the road train truck that is the center of the scares is truly a vehicle from Hell, propelled by a poisonous combination of blood and offal as it imparts questionable supernatural powers on its passengers - or at least, that's what the random imagery suggests. Yes, Road Kill is one of those oddball experiences where nothing is ever explained, where visuals replace outright exposition. Apparently, offering up some manner of meaning to what we see is a crime in post-modern Ozzy creepshow circles. If you're not careful, you can easily get lost in the picture to purpose translation. Sure, Francis finds some fascinating ways to keep things moving forward, but we're never clear on where it's going, or why.

A lot of that has to do with the inferential screenplay by Clive Hopkins. While he does a decent job of building the dynamic between the four friends at the center of this sinister stew, he rarely gives his shivers the same attention. We are simply supposed to enjoy the horrific conjecture and move along. At first, we buy the ruse: the massive rig bulldozing down the highway, its terrifying facade the inspiration for a dozen Stephen King short stories; the likeable if lunkheaded victims who challenge the mechanical monster - with very mixed results; the weird guy waving a gun; the tractor trailers filled with human high test. It all works. What doesn't is the middle act which has our heroes stranded, at each other's throats, and more or less meandering around the wilderness looking for a reason to act so ridiculous. Then, as if mandated by the moviemaking gods, lead stud Bob Morley tosses off his shirt, enters one of the flatbeds, closes the massive metal doors behind him, and emerges a few minutes later like Edward Cullen's kangaroo hugging cousin.

Why? Well, you have every right to ask that question. Just don't expect Road Kill to answer. Instead, this is a movie banking of atmosphere and mood to make it work - and it almost does. In between the ongoing lover's spats, the last girl glorification, the search for new "sacrifices", and all that gooey red stuff, Francis finds an amazing array of allusive vistas which make the experience one terrifying travelogue. Indeed, between this and aforementioned Creek, why anyone would want to visit the Australian outback is a question of determined death wishes and X-treme recklessness derring-do. Of course, no one expects to be threatened by a 18 wheel hellspawn with an insatiable appetite for ambiguity. Unfortunately, that's about all this otherwise ambient experience has going for it. So saddle up and prepare to be perplexed. Road Kill is purposefully confusing, believing fear of the unknown makes up for being frightening by something specific. It really doesn't.

The Video:
As per this critic's policy, Screener copies of DVDs are not awarded points for video or audio. If Lightning Media does send a final product version of Road Kill to the site, this paragraph will be updated accordingly.

The Audio:
As per this critic's policy, Screener copies of DVDs are not awarded points for video or audio. If Lightning Media does send a final product version of Road Kill to the site, this paragraph will be updated accordingly.

The Extras:
This Screener copy of Road Kill only contained the movie. No bonus features. If Lightning Media does send a final product version of Road Kill to the site, this paragraph will be updated accordingly.

Final Thoughts:
Dean Francis remains a fascinating enigma. He's clearly been inspired by his local legends, cribbing mightily from the likes of Miller, Stanley, and Eggleston. Too bad he couldn't have clarified things a little more on his way to a equally open-ended finish. Some manner of intelligibility would have made Road Kill a Highly rated experience. Indeed, it does look amazing. As it is, it's barely Recommended. In fact, a Rent It might better suit the needs of those unsure about how to interpret this film's lack of clarification. Mind you, horror doesn't always need crystal conclusions. As long as you get the gist of what is happening, and the how of who it is happening to, you can get by (oh, and don't forget the blood...). Road Kill wants to play by different rules. As a result, it forgets what's most important - the fear.

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