HELL'S HIGHWAY
PLOT-A group of college students on a road trip are terrorized by a murderous hitchhiker who claims to be the devil.
VIOLENCE-Mucho gore galore thanks to FX master Joe Castro! Heads are split open, cut off, squashed. Limbs are hacked off by chainsaw, people are shot and stabbed, guts are torn out.
SEX/NUDITY-Lead actor Beverly Lynn (TERROR TOONS) has skin detail alone on this one. She goes topless a couple times and has one sex scene.
WHY I WATCHED IT-This is one of the few times that I can recall seeing a trailer for a movie and being completely excited about seeking out the film. All the gross bloody FX shots were a huge selling point, as was the fact that there was a female killer involved. But the biggest draw for me was actor Phoebe Dollar, who looks scary as hell in the preview. I couldn't wait to see what this woman was all about.
THE DOPE-I really dug this movie. It's gritty, rough around the edges, very very violent, and lots of fun to watch. I've seen several horror movies that were shot on video, and this one is definitely near the top. If you don't have a million dollar budget, there are still ways to make your movie stand out and be cool. For instance, the plot is something out of a '70s drive-in movie. But when the killer keeps popping up again and again after being (gruesomely) dispatched by our heroes, well let's just say that got my curiosity going. All the acting is good, the camera work is a lot better than I'm used to seeing on microbudget movies, and of course those H.G. Lewis style gore moments are top notch. Phoebe Dollar, who plays Lucinda the hitchhiker, is completely awesome. She plays the role so well, going from mysterious and sexy to psychotic, then to monster with equal gusto. She definitely needs to be getting more roles.
MEMORABLE SCENES-The ending was a complete surprise, very clever. I definitely didn't see it coming. Nice.
NOTES-The VHS tape edition features a decently long set of interviews with the filmmakers (very interesting and funny), plus footage from the premiere of Ron Jeremy's documentary PORN STAR (Ron makes a cameo in HELL'S HIGHWAY). Visit our links section to see how you can get this and other productions from Brain Damage Films.
(Film Reviewed April 2003, DVD Review Pending)
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