Hitchhiking is no longer considered a safe or viable form of transportation. Sticking out a thumb in hopes of hitching a ride has faded by the wayside as fear of strangers has laid waste to the tradition of giving a ride to people on the roadside. Abner Pastoll’s Road Games mines the antiquated form of transportation for sick thrills. Road Games is a fairly assured little thriller, one that doesn’t fully coalesce into a great movie but shows the signs of a talented filmmaker on the verge of breaking through.
Jack (Andrew Simpson) is a British tourist hitchhiking along the French countryside after catching his girlfriend cheating on him along their trip. After finding no luck in grabbing a ride as the region is terrorized by a hitchhiking serial killer, Jack befriends Véronique (Joséphine de La Baume), a French girl trying to hitchhike as well. It doesn’t take long for the two to strike up an impromptu friendship. Eventually, the two are picked up by Grizard (Frédéric Pierrot), a friendly man who offers them a ride and a place to stay at his home. Upon arriving at the home, Jack and Véronique share a rather awkward dinner with Grizard and his American wife Mary (Barbara Crampton). Despite their supposed goodwill, Grizard and Mary seem to be hiding a dark secret, a twisted lie that put the lives of everyone in danger.
Like many low budget horror films, Road Games starts out a bit slow, building the sense of unease while establishing characters before pulling the rug out from under the audience and the characters. But while Pastoll’s film takes its time to escalate, it’s frequently engaging as the viewer is forced to play the guessing game with Pastoll as to what the big reveal will be. Once Road Games gets into the weirdness, Postell shows himself to be a filmmaker capable of crafting moments of tension, like a perilous moment where Jack’s toes are threatened with a pair of scissors. That and a well-executed final car chase, which is quite impressive for the film’s modest budget, are among the most gut-wrenching moments of the film.
As the lead, Andrew Simpson is reliable, never too showy and always fairly sweaty. Joséphine de La Baume is radiant as Véronique, providing the character with a sultry sense of adventure and a wounded apprehension. But the real stars of Road Games are Barbara Crampton and Frédéric Pierrot. The film wouldn’t work without their strong performances. Pierrot sets the stage by being a kindly, trustworthy fellow at first but slowly builds the layers of mystery around his character. Crampton, a legend within the horror genre, is the perfect counterpart to Pierrot’s husband. From the very first moment Crampton appears on screen something about her seems off. Of course, that big secret will not be revealed in this little review.
Road Games isn’t a film that’s going to set the genre world of fire. But it’s still an entertaining movie for its 90 minutes. Abner Pastoll displays talents that should blossom with expanded resources, but proves himself capable of crafting tension and thrills. Not that anybody was already planning it, but Road Games will make you rethink any notions of hitchhiking across the European countryside.