Right near the opening, there's a very brutal and stylized murder of a woman (and her goldfish). The police identify an Indian-style compass made out of objects on a counter. This type of compass of colored objects, and an actual compass recur several times throughout the movie, but to what purpose, I don't know.
A man who makes custom sound systems for people lives with his wife and daughter. She had been traveling from New York City to Los Angeles with her boyfriend, but they stopped in Arizona to repair his stereo after she ruined it in a fit of anger. That's when she met the sound guy, and she left her boyfriend for him.
The sound guy's van's treads match those of the killer, though there's at least forty others with the same kind.
The movie is pretty well-made, and well-acted until towards then end when it gets pretty outrageous after the killer is identified. In a real groaner of a scene, someone comes out of nowhere to try to save the day. And then what happens to the killer is downright ridiculous.
I saw this on a pan & scan videotape. Given the director's artistic bent and the Arizona setting, widescreen would definitely be an improvement. Evidently about ten minutes were cut from the film to get an R rating (the MPAA is criminally insane), so perhaps an uncut version would be an improvement. Interesting film, disappointing final reel. Critic Steven Jay Schneider has a long article about the movie and director (see external reviews) that is worth reading.
