"Pick Me Up" is the eleventh episode of the first season of ''

Masters of Horror ''Masters of Horror'' is an anthology television series created by director Mick Garris for the Showtime cable network. Origin In 2002, director Mick Garris invited some director friends to an informal dinner at a restaurant in Sherman Oaks, C ...

''. It originally aired in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

on January 20, 2006. It was based on the short story by

David Schow David J. Schow (born July 13, 1955) is an American author of horror novels, short stories, and screenplays. His credits include films such as '' Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III'', ''The Crow'' and '' The Hills Run Red''. Most of ...

. The episode was the final project directed by

Larry Cohen Lawrence George Cohen (July 15, 1936 – March 23, 2019) was an American screenwriter, producer, and director of film and television, best known as an author of horror and science fiction films — often containing police procedural and ...

before his death in 2019.

Plot

On a two-lane highway, two

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

s clash in a

turf war A turf war is a fight over territory or resources, or may refer to: Music * ''Turf Wars'', a 2007 album by the Canadian band Daggermouth * "Turf War", a song on the 2001 album ''Filmtracks 2000'' by American composer Bill Television * ''Turf Wa ...

: one is named Wheeler (

Michael Moriarty Michael Moriarty (born April 5, 1941) is an American-Canadian actor and jazz musician. He received an Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award for his first acting role on American television as a Nazi SS officer in the 1978 mini-series ''Holocaust'' ...

) who kills hitchhikers he picks up in his truck, and the other is named Walker (

Warren Kole Warren David Blosjo Jr. (born September 23, 1977) known professionally as Warren Kole, is an American actor known for his role as LAPD Detective Wes Mitchell on the USA Network original series ''Common Law''. He also played Roderick on the FOX ...

) who is a

hitchhiker Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Nomads have ...

who murders whoever gives him a ride. Stacia (

Fairuza Balk Fairuza Balk (born May 21, 1974) is an American actress, musician, and visual artist. Influential in popular culture, Balk is known for her portrayals of distinctive " goth-girl" characters, often with a dark edge. She has appeared in numerous in ...

), a recently divorced woman, falls in between the battle of wits. After a transport bus breaks down, Wheeler and Walker kill the driver and passengers — save for Stacia, who left previously. Fascinated, Wheeler and Walker examine each other's victims. Wheeler murders a woman (

Laurene Landon Laurene Landon Coughlin (born March 17, 1957) is a Canadian film and television actress. She first began appearing in movies in the 1980s. She is best known for her roles in ''Maniac Cop'' and ''Maniac Cop 2'', ''I, the Jury'', ''Hundra'', '' A ...

) and hangs her body in the truck, and pistol whips and

decapitates Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the i ...

a man with the sliding door of the luggage compartment. Walker garrotes the bus driver with a dead snake, shoots a passenger, leaves another passenger to die tied by her wrists to a tree and wrapped in

barbed wire A close-up view of a barbed wire Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands. Its primary use is t ...

(whom Wheeler finds alive and taunts), slaughters a

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

, and partially skins his girlfriend before killing her. Later, at a roadside motel, the two

psychopath Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent Anti-social behaviour, antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and Boldness, bold, Disinhibition, disinhibited, and Egotism, egotistical B ...

s play head games with each other and Stacia, clashing over who will get to kill her. As she is leaving the motel, Wheeler offers her a ride then

assault An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...

s her while driving, handcuffing her in the truck's cab. He finds Walker standing in the middle of the highway and brakes to a stop just before hitting him. Walker accepts a ride, and the two bicker and draw their pistols, ready to kill Stacia and each other. Stacia, sitting in the middle, slams on the brakes and sends the two murderers through the windshield onto the road and causes the truck's cab to fall on its side. Stacia unsuccessfully struggles to get Wheeler's gun, while the wounded Wheeler and Walker fight to determine who will kill her as an ambulance siren sounds. In the end, Wheeler and Walker are side by side in the ambulance, still fighting and cursing at one another. Finally, they cease and declare a truce. Walker attempts to strike a deal with Wheeler as he points out how much fun the two of them could have with an ambulance, revealing that he still has his craft knife he used to torture the stoner's girlfriend. However, one of the EMTs rams syringes full of air into their chests, killing them both. The new killer tells the driver that he plans to save Stacia (bound and gagged in an upper bunk of the ambulance) for later.

External links

* {{Larry Cohen 2006 American television episodes Masters of Horror episodes Television episodes based on short fiction Fiction about hitchhiking Television episodes about serial killers