Highway zur Hölle

If you love quirky movies this one is a gem. Basically the story plays out like this ... Charlie, played by actor Chad Lowe and Rachel, played by actress Kristy Swanson. Are young lovers who decide to elope in Nevada ... Bad mistake. They decide to take a seldom used highway where they meet a old gas station owner played by veteran actor Richard Farnsworth. It is at the gas station where Mr Farnsworth warns the young lovers not to drive a certain highway while tired. Of coarse they don't listen to him and procede to take the deserted highway where Rachel is nabbed by a person known as " Hell Cop " He promptly takes Rachel to hell to become satans ( Patrick Bergin ) bride. Charlie must overcome his fear and rescue his love from hell. Hell turns out to be both a terrible and humorous place with interesting characters. I found the story well written and directed. If your looking for a fun and unique movie to watch I highly recommend this now out of print movie.

Watch out for this one! It starts out as a slight horror comedy, gets increasingly more bizarre as it goes along, and finally adds up to something almost visionary. Certainly one of the most original and offbeat horror films to come out in a long time, this one almost demands a second viewing just to appreciate the imaginative production design, and a third just to catch all the throwaway gags (a sign reads "Road To Nowhere" and, in smaller letters, "Don't Buckle Up. It Won't Help"). Good cast, too, with Patric Bergin being perfectly enigmatic in the first half, perfectly imposing in the second. How refreshing to finally find a film that breaks away from the traditional formulas and dares to do something new and different! (***1/2)

I got a videotape of this feature, and I wonder why it isn't a cult favourite, because the concept is great and the finished film is excellent.

I know that HTH probably wasn't a big-budget picture, but it doesn't show because the production design and effects are great. The Hellcop himself is an excellent villain, truly menacing. Patrick Bergin is pretty good as the Devil. There are some cute jokes, such as the road to Hell literally being paved with good intentions and Hitler, Cleopatra and Atilla The Hun hanging out at a restaurant in the underworld.

THE STRAIGHT STORY's Richard Farnsworth is good in a cameo as the wise old man who knows of the Highway to Hell. Kristy Swanson and the guy playing Charlie are okay in their roles. There are also two cool cars: the Hellcop's squad car and the '48 Ford Farnsworth gives Charlie for the journey to Hell. I would really like to see this film released on DVD someday, with commentary. I give it a confident thumbs-up.

Look out for cameos from Ben and Jerry Stiller and rocker babe Lita Ford. Lita has one of the best lines in the flick.

Highway to Hell starts off as a campy 80's ish horror flick. It grabs you from the start and then holds on when our stars jump over the real world divide. The concept is ingenious and the characters are fresh. There are some great sight gags and loads of funny lines. THis is definitely better than the 5.7 rating here......I just left a review for 'The Prodigy' and I am FLABBERGASTED that it has the same rating on IMDb. This is EASILY a better film. Patrick Bergen and Chad Lowe are great adversaries and on originality alone this film deserves at least a 6-6.5 here. Pure unadulterated 'B' movie genius. Wish I could find a copy to rent. 3.5 out of five on my 'b' movie marathon list. It is very strange and not for all tastes, but HTH will forever be a cult-classic. 65/100

I think I saw this movie for the first time on USA Up All Night, because it totally seems like the sort of thing they'd have played. It's a bit cheesy and campy, but if you like that sort of thing, then you'll probably love it. It seamlessly blends elements from many varied genres into a quirky comedy-fantasy, though I think maybe some people were a bit confused or put off by the lack of clearly defined genre conventions. In some ways, it's similar to Army of Darkness, though it lacks many of the over-the-top gags and one-liners of that movie.

If you're a fan of Brian Helgeland, you really owe it to yourself to check this out. It's one of my favorites of his, though I suspect he'd probably prefer that we just forgot about his early work (Nightmare on Elm Street 4, 976-EVIL, Highway to Hell) and concentrate rather on his Academy Award-nominated work, such as Mystic River. Anyways, the story is about a kid who has to rescue his girlfriend, after she's abducted by the Hell Cop (Friday the 13th Part VI's C.J. Graham), who takes her to hell. So, right away you've got an actor who played Jason Vorhees and the writer of Nightmare on Elm Street 4. If that's not enough to sell you on this movie, I'm not really sure what else to say, except that Gilbert Gottfried plays Hitler, in a brief cameo. The movie plays out as part road trip through Hell, part comedy, and part thriller. The parts in Hell are creative, imagining it as a mirror image of our world, except somewhat more bizarre and surreal, like something from Mad Max, complete with biker gangs and vast expanses of blasted wasteland (probably Death Valley).

Come to think of it, maybe the reason why I like this movie so much is because it combines Mad Max with Army of Darkness. If that concept appeals to you, I can't recommend this highly enough. If, on the other hand, you're thinking that it sounds ridiculous, maybe it's best that you don't waste your time, as it seems that this movie isn't really beloved by all. Perhaps it's a bit too quirky.

I think that if it were given a chance, it could easily develop into a cult favorite.