Being polite costs nothing and, if Tailgate is to be believed, it can also save lives. Hans (Jeroen Spitzenberger), his wife Diana (Anniek Pheifer), and their two daughters, are running late to a special Birthday dinner at Grandma’s house. Along the way, in an effort to claw back time, Hans decides to push the speed limit on the motorway. Plenty of others on the road have the same idea with the exception of one white van. After getting stuck behind it, Hans gets frustrated and erratically overtakes it. What Hans doesn’t realise though is that the driver of the van, Ed (Willem de Wolf), is a stickler for the highway code and dispatches his own method of punishment for those that ignore the rules. A frantic and violent game of cat and mouse ensues as Hans tries everything he can to keep his family safe.
Much like Freeway, one could compare the narrative structure of Tailgate to the story of Little Red Riding Hood, the family are on their way to Grandma’s house after all. There are several other similarities that won’t be discussed within this review, but surmise to say, it really works as a contemporary approach to the source material.
Created by Lodewijk Crijns, Tailgate has echoes of Spielberg’s Duel, Robert Harmon’s The Hitcher, and even John Dahl’s Road Kill. Like Duel, the action takes place during the day, but rather than expansive and often empty American roads, the chase unfolds in a crowded suburbia. This actually heightens the plight of the family as there are many witnesses to what is happening, and yet no one steps in to help them. The stakes are raised further by Crijns deciding to place young children into the fray as well. We’re not really used to seeing an entire family under threat like this and it’s startling how effective the simple inclusion of children can be, and the stress that their presence causes.
A film of this type can only be as good as its villain, and Ed is a modern-day monster. Willem de Wolf channels his inner Rutger Hauer, making the decision to play Ed as calm and considered, rather than manic and violent. This approach makes the character somehow appear more dangerous, and is truly chilling when backed up with his ideology of using rat poison to eradicate the rude. Unlike Hans and co, the audience is privy to Ed’s sadistic nature from the start. The film opens with Ed tormenting a cyclist, before murdering him in a truly disgusting fashion. This of course means that we are instantly wary when we realize just who Hans is messing with. Ed’s depravity knows no bounds, and it’s his single-minded focus on correcting other driver’s behaviour that really terrifies. The fact that he happily goes after a family with two young children demonstrates this perfectly and easily puts him straight into the best villain in films lists.
Crijns really does enjoy playing with the audience’s stress levels and continually heaps more and more onto the viewer. The pinnacle of this stress involves a fraught car chase that includes cul-de-sacs, lots of screaming and shouting, and the fact that none of the passengers are wearing a seatbelt! That’s not the end of the ordeal for either family or viewer however, with a new peril hiding within almost every scene.
Tailgate will shred your nerves whilst at the same time giving yet another reason to be wary of those who drive white vans.
Tailgate was reviewed at Arrow Video Frightfest Halloween. Tailgate is available on Digital HD on Monday 26th October 2020.
Tailgate
Summary
Daytime suburbia has never been more terrifying, sit down, strap in, and prepare for the most stressful journey of your cinematic life.
