Highway to Hell (1992)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Good movie but grossly overrated

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

It gets a 5 only because the production value just wasn't there and the director's vision was slightly...boring. Uninspired cinematography really bogs down this otherwise solid above average movie. "Highway to Hell" is a clever if not unexceptional vision of a goofy, mildly dangerous hell. Writer Brian Helgeland wrote a GREAT script, make no mistake about it. There is some really neat and funny pieces under the hood of this older model if you just stick with it. Acting is decent. Kristie Swanson looks uncomfortable and was a poor choice giving us nothing if not eye candy. Patrick Bergin is fantastic as Beezle and warms us up to his charm. Chad Lowe is actually a pretty good protagonist here running the gauntlet to get his lady love (Swanson) back. C J Graham is a menacing hulking Hellcop and does a great job... The main problem, for me, was that director Ate De Jong falls flat on a great script and good crew. Perhaps it was the budget..but his vision of hell was cheap and muffled. It's still one of the better "hell" movies and or demon movies out there by far. You won't be blown away but you might just find enough to appreciate the obvious intelligence and talent attached to it.

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.

~Spoiler~Highway to Hell is one of the most interesting and off-the-wall horror/comedies that came out of the 90's. It's about a young couple (played by Kristy Swanson and Chad Lowe) who take the wrong road out in the middle of the desert. It's the highway to hell, hence the title, and the Hellcop who patrols this area gives our young couple one hell of a time. Bad pun, I know. This is one of those movies that sounds incredibly silly on paper but just has to be seen. Along with Swanson and Lowe, Highway to Hell stars Patrick Bergin, Adam Storke, and Pamela Gidley. The really cool actor here though is the Hellcop. He's played by C.J. Graham and this is Graham's only other role besides playing Jason is Friday the 13th Part 6. There are a ton of cameos in this film too. The late, great Richard Farnsworth, Lita Ford, both Jerry and Ben Stiller, and Kevin Peter Hall all pop up for a minute or two. And Gilbert Gottfried plays Hitler. Like I said earlier, this one has to be seen to be appreciated. It's not the best movie you will ever see, but it's entertaining and that's what counts with this kind of film.

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