"Tales from the Crypt" Retro Recap: "King of the Road"

Written by Scotty

Growing up and seeing all of these cars that were built for speed and nothing else, I never really saw the appeal.  I mean what is the point of going fast everywhere you are headed.  Some people are adrenaline junkies, while others just wanted to get the girls to turn their heads and be noticed.  I was always happy with being myself, although it did not always get me everything that I dreamed of, it did make me into a person that is happy and I still have never broken one of my cars in the effort to be noticed.

Hot rodder Billy is looking for his next victim.  Only wanting to prove that he is the best at street racing, Billy has to find someone that he has never defeated, along with someone that has never lost.  Pulling into town, Billy has his sights on one man, the Iceman who has never lost a race in his life.  Knowing who the man is, the Sheriff, Billy finds out that he will be a hard man to call out to the track.  Wanting to get under his skin, Billy has another way to draw Sheriff Garrett out, by using his daughter.

While at a little drive in diner, the Sheriff is talking to his daughter and getting some dinner, but gets called away before the food can be delivered.  Carey Garrett is just a fun loving girl, and when she meets Billy, her eyes are filled with stars.  Billy is able to romance the girl, but he is looking for something different in the relationship.  Billy likes to keep it fast and hard and will do anything to get the Sheriff to come out of his retirement and now that he knows where Garrett lives, he has another plan.

Shoving some old newspaper clippings, along with a spider in the Sheriff’s mailbox, Billy has made it known that he will not stop until he gets what he wants.  Being able to outrun the Iceman while being chased down by a police cruiser, Billy still has one more card up his sleeve.  Taking his relationship with Carey to the next level, the Sheriff is not willing to see his daughter go down the more dangerous road.  When finally accepting the challenge, since Billy is keeping Carey in his trunk for safe keeping, Sheriff Garrett heads to his old stomping ground and pulls his car out of mothballs.  Meeting Billy in the middle of the night at the abandoned airstrip, Garrett is ready to make sure that the boy knows who he is messing with.  With the promise of death to the loser of the race, their lives are on the line and just waiting to be ended in a blaze of glory.

Who does not like a little tale about racing?  It seems like this is coming back in a big way and I only hope that the kids out there with their fast cars are not foolish enough to try this out on the streets.  People die in these races, and even though the victory is great, it is usually short lived since most people will go to great lengths to make sure they win, at any cost.  Starring Raymond Barry as Sheriff Garrett, Brad Pitt as Billy, Michelle Bronson as Carey Garrett and a special appearance of Jack Kehler as the Mechanic, this is a story for the ages.  I always say that the cast of these episodes bring them to life, and it is true, but with so many top names coming to play with the Crypt Keeper, it is hard to say it any other way.  I enjoyed how Billy’s only goal in life is to prove that he is the best, while the Iceman does not have anything further to prove, other than his love for his daughter.  Until next time kiddies, Stay Scared.

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