Actually starts out okay, in a mindless sort of way, but goes steadily downhill. Way inferior to the original movie. Cast are not too bad, considering, but it really is a second rate effort.

Considering that this is a direct to DVD film to the awesome Joy Ride, the filmmakers managed to pull something off that worked quite well on screen. The film though flawed makes up for it in some genuinely tense moments of terror. When a group of teens go cross country, they come across a seemingly abandoned house after their car breaks down and take a car found in the houses barn. Bad idea because now Rusty Nail lives there and he comes back to his place to discover that his ride missing. Now he's in hot pursuit, and plays an even more deadly game than in the first Joy Ride. Joy Ride: Dead Ahead is a very well crafted direct to DVD film, and it's a far superior film that the usual films released in such a manner. The cast here are a talented bunch, they won't win any Oscars, but they definitely do a fine job at this second entry. Though the film flawed, like I've previously said, Joy Ride:Dead Ahead has lots of tension and scares going for it. The actor playing Rusty Nail is fairly good, and we see a bit more of him. Also the film is more gory than the first, so it has a that going for it. The cat and mouse game is terrific and you're constantly on the edge of your seat on wondering what will happen next. A fine sequel that will probably appeal to fans of the first Joy Ride, I went in with low expectations and was fairly surprised by the overall film. Very well done, and very entertaining. Rusty Nail's cat and mouse game is even more deadly this time around and delivers good thrills. Not perfect, but not terrible. This is one direct To DVD film that was done right.