Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow

Yess, this is an accurate reflection of its time. At least, when I saw it in 1959, everything in the film seemed pretty straightforward. The characters seemed quite a bit like the people I knew. I must be one of the few people who saw this drive-in classic at an Indoor theatre---on a hot summer afternoon, as a weekday matinee, while I waited for a repair shop to fix my '52 Plymouth in Guntersville, Alabama. And it was not the worst film I had ever seen. Just a couple of months earlier, I saw (at a Birmingham drive-in) the classic double-feature of "Giant Gila Monster" and "Killer Shrew". Drag-strip Hollow was better!

This is my all time favorite 50s drive-in flick! If youre researching the 1950s, then this is the film you want to see! Even during the dance party, there are two "guest monsters" from other 50s drive-in films...see if you can spot them! My favorite part of this film is the girl drag racer/mechanic! In the days when women working on their own cars or racing their own cars was a HUGE no-no, this gal gets to do it all...a true pioneer! The music, the cars, the costumes, the clothes and even the pajama party certainly adds fun and flavor to this funny, spooky classic! But, if you dont watch this film for any other reason, you have GOT to watch it for that smart-alecky talking *bird*!! He'll have you rolling with laughter!

"Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow" appears to take place in a spotless netherworld, an era long gone by, where the biggest sin a kid could commit would be in defying the law and getting a traffic ticket. It opens with a young female auto fanatic getting the business from her arch rival, who pressures her into a car race. That's about it for the drag-racing--this B-flick is mostly concerned with rock 'n roll, man! The folks at American International were obviously fond of decent, square teens who liked to party and yet didn't mind an adult chaperone. There are a few amusing double entendres and fruity exchanges (Necking Kid: "We thought we'd come out for some fresh air"...Dad: "Where did you think you'd find it, down her throat?"), but the ghost is a little late in arriving. Brief at 65 minutes, the movie cheats us with a climactic car race that actually takes place off-screen and a pre-"Scooby Doo"-styled unmasking which makes no sense. However, for nostalgia buffs, some mindless fun. ** from ****

This film is all about good music, good times and good fun. Nothing in it is to be taken too seriously man! At this time, Horror spook films seemed to be on the downward spin in terms of popularity but teen films about dancing, drag-racing and just being cool were just coming into fashion cat! But this one does feature a Monster(a Paul Blaisdell creation) and a ghost albeit all in the good spirits(ha!). Blaisdell actually has the funniest lines in the film. The Funest Man!

"Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow" was one of the many '50s movies about hot-rodding teens encountering the supernatural. In this case, the teens can't pay the rent for their hangout and get evicted. With nowhere else to go, they decide on an apparently haunted house. As you may have guessed, once they arrive, some weird things start happening. And there's a twist at the end.

There's nothing in this movie that you haven't seen in other movies, but it's nice entertainment nonetheless. My favorite character was the foul-mouthed parrot. Well, let me rephrase that: he didn't talk like a character in a Quentin Tarantino movie, but he said things that we don't expect out of a bird. The movie's pure hokum, but harmless.