Packard Walsh (Nick Cassavetes) has a pretty good business going.  He and his gang of “road pirates” patrol the Arizona desert.  Whenever they spot a car that they want, they demand that the driver race for pink slips and they cheat to win.  Through fear and intimidation, Packard rules the town of Brooks and not even Sheriff Loomis (Randy Quaid) can stop him.

Packard is obsessed with Keri Johnson (Sherilyn Fenn), who works as a carhop at Big Kay’s Burger.  Packard considers Keri to be his property and even demands that she drink his blood so that they will be forever linked.  Earlier, Packard and his gang killed Keri’s boyfriend, Jamie.  When a new kid named Jake (played by Charlie Sheen) shows up in town, both Keri and Jamie’s brother (Matthew Barry) feel as if they know him from somewhere.  Jake also has scars on his back the match Jamie’s wounds.

Shortly after Jake’s arrival, a mysterious black Turbo Interceptor appears on the roads.  The unseen driver challenges each member of Packard’s gang to a race and then purposefully crashes into them.  Whenever the Turbo explodes, it rematerializes somewhere nearby.  When the driver does finally get out of the Turbo, it turns out that he’s covered in black leather armor and his face is hidden behind a black helmet.

According to Rughead (Clint Howard), the only member of Packard’s gang who did not take part in Jamie’s murder, the driver is “a wraith, man!  A ghost, an evil spirit — and it ain’t cool!”

The Wraith is one of those films that always used to show up on TV when I was a kid.  Thought it was often advertised as being a horror film, it’s actually an uncredited remake of High Plans Drifter with Clint Eastwood replaced by Charlie Sheen.  Seen today, The Wraith is a major nostalgia trip.  One of the fun things about watching the movie is ticking off all of the clichés that make this a definite 80s film, from the cars to the slang to the soundtrack.  (It does not get more 80s than a soundtrack featuring both Billy Idol and Robert Palmer.)  Packard’s gang is all made up of generic punk types.  My favorite was Skank (David Sherrill), who had a mohawk and drank brake fluid.

Of course, the cars are the main appeal of The Wraith.  All of the, are cool (even Rughead’s pickup truck) but the obvious star of the film is that black Turbo Interceptor.  At its best, it rivals even Marty McFly’s DeLorean as the coolest car to show up in an 80s sci-fi film.

The Wraith may not be the greatest movie ever made but if you are into fast cars and Sherilyn Fenn at her loveliest, you should enjoy it.