The Wraith (1986)

Jamie, killed by neighborhood thugs, returns as a mystical figure named Jake (The Wraith) to gain revenge.

Director:

Mike Marvin

Writer:

Mike Marvin

Stars:

Charlie Sheen, Nick Cassavetes, Sherilyn Fenn

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlie Sheen	...	Jake Kesey / The Wraith
Nick Cassavetes	...	Packard Walsh
Sherilyn Fenn	...	Keri Johnson
Randy Quaid	...	Sheriff Loomis
Matthew Barry	...	Billy Hankins
David Sherrill	...	Skank
Jamie Bozian	...	Gutterboy
Clint Howard	...	Rughead
Griffin O'Neal	...	Oggie
Chris Nash	...	Minty
Vickie Benson	...	Waitress
Peder Melhuse	...	Murphy
Jeffrey Sudzin	...	Redd
Michael Hungerford	...	Stokes
Steven Eckholdt	...	George in Daytona

Storyline

Packard Walsh and his motorized gang control and terrorize an Arizona desert town where they force drivers to drag-race so they can 'win' their vehicles. After Walsh stabs the decent teenager Jamie Hankins to death for being intimate with a girl whom Walsh wants for himself, the mysterious Jake Kesey arrives, an extremely cool motor-biker with an invincible car. Jake befriends Jamie's girlfriend Keri Johnson, takes Jamie's sweet brother Billy under his wing and manages what Sheriff Loomis can not - the methodical and otherworldly elimination of Packard's criminal gang.

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Plot Keywords:

gang | police | death | sheriff | arizona | 

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Taglines:

An evil force took his life... Now an unearthly power has brought him back.

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Genres:

Action | Horror | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Dave Sherrill's official page for the movie

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 November 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Aparição

Filming Locations:

2128 East 5th Street - Tucson, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,700,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$3,500,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Century Entertainment Corporation, Alliance Entertainment, Turbo Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rugheads truck is not a Chevrolet, as noted before, but a GMC as can be seen by the GMC emblem on the grille.

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Goofs

When Rughead steps in front of Oggy's car and the Turbo to set off Oggy's race, Oggy's side mirror shows him wearing his helmet. In the next shot when he is shaking hands with Skank he is wearing no helmet but his sunglasses instead.

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Quotes

Sheriff Loomis: You listen to me, you son-of-a-bitch! There's a kid out there usin' his car to kill people, not that it's such a big deal since it seems to be your gang he's got it in for... so, if you guys try to take the law into your own hands, and that killer turns up dead, I'm gonna see you all sniffin' cyanide in the Arizona gas chamber.

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Connections

Referenced in Ben 10: Ben 4 Good Buddy (2007)

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Soundtracks

YOUNG LOVE, HOT LOVE
By Randall Nicklaus
Performed by Jill Michaels
Courtesy of Scotti Brothers Records

User Reviews

This IS a classic 80's b-movie!

It makes me laugh when I read bad reviews of this movie. No one claimed it was a classic, no claimed it would win awards or prizes for depth of storyline etc.

What it does have is earnest performances, fantastic fx, amazing score and very pretty photography.

Yes, laugh at the shadow of the camera (in the days before monitors) during the race scenes, at least they bothered to use real cars on real roads at high speed, unlike pathetic cgi cars (fast & the furious, 2 fast 2 furious, gone in 60 seconds) with crap physics.

This movie is totally innovative, nothing like it before or since and there are a lot of techniques used in this movie that I haven't seen bettered since. The bit where Jake's scrambler breaks into 4 meteorites still looks great, the tasteful re-animation of the Wraith mobile after crashes (nowadays that would probably be done using reverse photography).

The action scenes in Mad Max & Mad Max 2 are sped up and look ridiculous. (Watch the bit in Mad Max 2 just before he crashes his Interceptor...you'll see.)

The acting is pantomimish (baddies=very bad, goodies=very good) but that is the style of this movie. We know that these actors are capable of more in-depth characterisations, but this is a shallow b-movie. That's all it's supposed to be. Anyone who watches this movie and expects anything other than popcorn fodder is an absolute idiot. Moaning about technical problems and poor acting only makes you look like an idiot. And let's face it, even today's biggest blockbusters are chock full of mistakes and glitches.

You don't watch a Carry On movie and then say "Oh, that was quite unrealistic, and the acting is bad." That's the point. It's silly farce. You're not supposed to take it seriously!

I'm also aware that Charlie Sheen hates this movie and he must have good reason.

Strangely enough, I'm surprised that this movie was not seized upon by the pompous comic book brigade! I guess, if it was a little more Gothic and The Wraith was brooding and had a troubled back story it would have been more accepted. I'm glad it didn't and wasn't.

If it was made now, it would have stinking CGI fx and too much back story.

It's a bubblegum movie. You don't like it, don't watch it. As a b-movie for it's time, it is a technically superior easy watch which still towers over many newer movies of the same genre.

The Crow? Pompous nonsense!

Hellboy? Crap!

The Wraith? Know's it's place and doesn't try to overstep it's mark!

And for people moaning about rubbish acting, check out Matthew Barry's performance when Billy Hankins realises Jake is his brother. It's an amazing, emotionally charged moment. I dare you to disagree and if you do you must be tripping.

Stop henpecking this movie.....it's ace, I tell you...ACE!