Hubcap Image

Hubcap

By Alan Ng | January 27, 2025

We just need to accept the fact that in this crazy world we live in, anything can become a possessed psychotic murderer. In Dick May’s horror feature, Hubcap, the titular killer is, well, a hubcap… from a car.

Beleaguered Sheriff Rainy Lawson (Ash Hamilton) faces a peculiar and political challenge in the North Georgia mountain town of Gibson County. When local troublemaker Joey (Chris Burns) attacks and kills a disabled veteran known in town as Lt. Dan, things take a supernatural turn. Upon his death, the veteran mysteriously transfers his soul into a bloody hubcap from Joey’s Mustang, which then vanishes. This possessed hubcap, now roaming the streets with a will of its own, begins fighting for the honor of the townswomen, who are beaten and exploited by their spouses and boyfriends.

As the hubcap, now dubbed the “Gibson Killer Hubcap,” continues its sinister path, the town is thrown into chaos. It stalks Sheriff Lawson, even while she’s in the supposed safety of her home, and targets unsuspecting teens, like Jake, who is gruesomely attacked while making out in a car. The hubcap’s relentless violence becomes more chilling as it finds ways to wash itself clean after each attack, leaving no evidence behind.

While the true officers like Sheriff Rainey and Deputy Poole (Rudy Eisenzopf) begin to accept that a hubcap may be on a murderous rampage, Rainey’s nemesis, Jacky James (Holly Morris), hopes to use the so-called Hubcap stories to derail Rainey’s career. As fear grips Gibson County, Rainy is determined to protect her community and uncover the truth about the supernatural menace lurking in a seemingly harmless piece of metal.

“…the veteran mysteriously transfers his soul into a bloody hubcap from Joey’s Mustang, which then vanishes.”

Only indie films can create some of the most insane B-movie horror. Yes, Hubcap is about a killer hubcap that roams the city looking for damsels in distress, women taking showers, and consenting adults having sex. Did I mention the hubcap can also create a makeshift fulcrum to fling itself at the throats of its victims? To balance the insanity of a killer hubcap, there is a real story of Sheriff Rainy, a U.S. veteran with PTSD, whose heroic father—the previous sheriff—was possibly murdered under suspicious circumstances. Rainy has to deal with her inability to trust men and her political opponents, who hope this is her first and only term as Sheriff.

I’ll point out the obvious: this is very low-budget. The gore is good but not nauseating. The actors are okay but could have used more rehearsal in between scenes. Ash Hamilton dutifully carries the film as its primary protagonist. Writer/director Dick Mays endows Rainy with enough emotional baggage to make the character interesting. Yeah, and the hubcap effects are pretty cool too. On the negative side, the sound is inconsistent, and it is noticeable. Also, in the third act, I wanted more hubcap. I’ll just leave it there.

Despite its low-budget quirks and uneven sound, Hubcap delivers precisely what it promises: a wildly chaotic B-movie with a surprising dose of emotional depth. Sure, the idea of a possessed hubcap slicing its way through a small town is odd, but that’s precisely its charm. With Dick Mays’ knack for campy horror with a character-driven story, this film is a delightfully offbeat indie horror with a bit of extra cheese on the side.

Hubcap (2025)

Directed and Written: Dick Mays

Starring: Ash Hamilton, Holly Morris, Rudy Eisenzopf, Adam Boyer, Roxzane T. Mims, etc.

Movie score: 7/10

Hubcap Image

"…delivers precisely what it promises..."

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