Roadkill

**_A killer is loose on the rural roads of the Florida Panhandle_** In 1983, a comely teenager in a red Nova (Caitlin Carmichael) picks up a troubled long-haired hitchhiker (Ryan Knudson) and the mounting bodies naturally attract the local sheriff (Warren Fast, who also happens to be the writer/director). “Roadkill” (2024) takes the killer-on-the-road theme of flicks like “Kalifornia” or “Midnight in the Switchgrass” and meshes it with the Southern milieu and car chases of “Smokey and the Bandit,” minus the comedy. It may be throwaway entertainment that’s hollow and somewhat slow burn, but it worked for me for what it is. The director well captures Caitlin’s beauty without resorting to tasteless sleaze. The film runs 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot in Ebro, in the heart of the Florida Panhandle, and areas nearby (Bay County and Washington County). GRADE: B/B-