Patrick Quid is a truck driver transporting meat to Perth with his pet dingo, Boswell. He stops outside a motel one night and, the next morning awakens to find Boswell growling at a garbage bag outside the truck. A resident of the motel (who we have seen earlier killing a young woman) is noticed by Quid looking out of his motel window to make sure that the garbage bags are collected by the refuse collectors. Quid sees that this resident drives a green van. He later sees him during his journey, suspiciously burying other garbage bags in the desert. When the driver notices Quid watching him, he quickly makes his exit. Shortly after this, Quid picks up a young hitchhiker named Pamela. And so the adventure begins.

Road Games is a terrific film. It reminded me of Duel meets Rear Window meets an assortment of urban legends and all taking place in the world of The Twilight Zone. There’s a feeling that anything can happen. And crazy shit really does happen (a great example is of the truck behind the man who has a wooden boat attached to his car). I could give more examples, but that would ruin the plot.

Road Games is a brilliant piece of Oxploitation but with one major difference- the two leads are played by Hollywood actors. Quid is played by Stacy Keach and Pamela by Jamie Lee Curtis. This contrast between the Americans and the Australians works terrifically well.

There are also moments of genuine tension in the film. Check out the moment when Quid is trying to speak to the police from a roadhouse. This scene wouldn’t look out of place in the equally brilliant Wake In Fright.

Road Games bombed badly when it was first released but has since been rediscovered as the classic it is. And like Patrick, this is also one of Quentin Tarantino’s favourite Aussie movies. And for good reason.

4.5 out of 5 stars