Twisted, little small-scale psycho suspense thriller sees father and daughter Charlie and Joleen stranded in a small desert community with an empty gas tank, so they end up staying in a nearby trailer park in their quest to find fuel to get back to L.A. There Joleen meets a real shady teenager Jimmy (played with brooding confidence by Andras Jones) and sexual attraction brews, but there's danger about due to a constant spade of murders in the town and the rebellious Jimmy (who brings it upon himself) looks like the main suspect. Think of "U-turn" crossed "Psycho" and you have your dark story, as its quite predictable but it's the eccentric characters and their interactions in the trailer park that make it rather entertaining. That's goes for a likable Richard Masur and especially Susan Tyrell's despicable commanding character. Drew Barrymore (who was only 14 years old) engagingly impresses with her turn (where sexual awakening comes into play and at time when where wearing three watches was a fashion statement) and Matt Frewer is convincing as her tired father. Karen Austin and the lovable Jennifer Tilly are also stuck travellers. Plus showing up is cult-favourite Dick Millar in a throwaway part as the town's sheriff. The plot is a mixed bag of sorts in how it wants to play out, where the first half is better constructed (kind of eerie) and the second half becomes your standard psycho on the loose, but the climax is well staged and the backdrop ominously sticks out. Gladly the script keeps it quite punchy and its impulsively off-the-wall nature can have an explosive edge.

"God I love the desert."

L.A. writer Charlie Cox (Matt Frewer) and his restless daughter Joleen (Drew Barrymore) are driving home after a cross country trip of the national parks. She's turning 14 and can't wait to return home. They stop at the small desert town of Banco, Nevada. Gas station owner Ducket (Richard Masur) has no gas and Joleen encounters local Jimmy Reed. Sheriff Bill Childers (Dick Miller) is investigating a murder at the store and tells them to go to the nearby Palomino Guest Ranch and Trailer Park. It is owned by the hard Agnes Reed with her bad boy son Jimmy and bratty Sissy. There are Louise (Karen Austin) and Amy (Jennifer Tilly) at the park. Also there is nice boy Pinky Sears.

After her childhood success, a young Drew Barrymore is trying to continue with some jailbait roles culminating in 'Poison Ivy'. This could be a tense slasher thriller but the movie plays up the jailbait element at every turn. It's a bit awkward. It would be so much more appealing for her to be a little reserved and play up more of the innocence. She's a very compelling actress and it would make Jimmy Reed more threatening. The music cues for Jimmy get a bit annoying. The Reeds are so over the top that it borders on camp. The narration is mostly unnecessary, the title is too weak and the twist is too obvious. There are some good elements in this like Drew but it also fails in too many places.

"Far from Home" is mostly noteworthy for its casting of 13-going-on-14 years old Drew Barrymore in her first adolescent role. Drew plays Joleen Cox, a girl on vacation with her father Charlie (Matt Frewer),a journalist. Running out of gas in a remote part of Nevada, they're forced to take temporary lodgings in a trailer park. Here they meet the local residents, chief among them two boys who take an interest in Joleen. Andras Jones ("A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master") is the punkish Jimmy Reed, son of landlord Agnes Reed (the legendary Susan Tyrrell). Anthony Rapp ("Adventures in Babysitting") is the more sensitive, well meaning Pinky Sears. Unfortunately, one of them just might be psychotic enough to kill people.

The script by Tommy Lee Wallace (longtime John Carpenter associate who directed "Halloween III: Season of the Witch") is much too routine, and very predictable. Viewers may also feel uncomfortable with the cameras' ogling of Drew at any and every opportunity. However, while the story may be too trite to work all that well, director Meiert Avis takes full advantage of the rural settings. He and his capable crew, including cinematographer Paul Elliott and production designer Victoria Paul, milk these settings for as much atmosphere as possible. So "Far from Home" is at least successful enough on a visual level. It might disappoint people expecting more of a slasher film and a higher body count, but it does get fairly gory on occasion.

One good thing is that these filmmakers do make some nice casting choices. Drew does alright in the central role, possessing a natural likability and vulnerability, as well as the expected resentment towards her paternal figure, well played by Frewer. He's good as the kind of father that means well but can still be seen as annoying. Richard Masur is wonderful as Duckett, a latter-day hippie kind of character. Jennifer Tilly is decent and as sexy as ever as Amy, who for whatever reason shares a trailer with another local, Louise (lovely Karen Austin). Jones and Rapp are both good. Tyrrell is a real force of nature during her time on screen. The always welcome Dick Miller plays the Sheriff, and John Spencer can be glimpsed on a TV monitor.

An adequate B movie at best, watchable but also forgettable.

Five out of 10.