'Highway to Hell' is a strange yet fun horror comedy fantasy movie hybrid with a simple premise set in a world where nothing really seems to makes sense with everything seems like it was thrown together at the last minute, but that's all a part of this movie's charm as it's an entertainingly nonsensical wacky thrill ride from start to finish and despite obvious flaws within its writing and budget restrictions there's never a dull moment.
The plot = Charlie Sykes (Chad Lowe) and his girlfriend Rachel Clark (Kristy Swanson) are travelling to Las Vegas to get married in secret. They decide to take a detour through a deserted highway, despite being warned not to drive through there at night and gets pulled over by Hellcop (C. J. Graham) who kidnaps Rachel and takes her into hell. Charlie must go to hell to rescue her.
This movie may not be to everyone's taste and never quite reaches that sweet spot between gore & comedy, but there's more than enough to enjoy here with plenty of memorable and clever set pieces, bizarre characters, and witty dialogue with plenty of energy and enthusiasm infused into the production. This is one movie that I'm a little surprised doesn't have a bigger cult following, part of the problem could have been that people didn't know how to classify what genre it belongs to, fantasy, yes there are elements of that here, comedy, again there are a few funny parts, but it doesn't stick with that all the way through and as for the horror elements well there's some, but its generally lacking in any sort of scares or gore. This doesn't fully commit to any of those genres which is what makes it interesting and while overall it doesn't work a 100% like a lot of strange movies, its still a fun time.
The performances here are strong, from the main cast right down to the cameo appearances. Chad Lowe gives a strong leading man performance and brings a lot of charm to his down to earth character. Kristy Swanson does fine as the female lead with plenty of charisma. Patrick Bergin delivers a standout performance as Satan. Gilbert Gottfried, Lita Ford, Ben Stiller, Jerry Stiller, & Amy Stiller each round out the bizarre casting brilliantly, and then finally C. J. Graham is an absolute delight as Hellcop, and the most memorable character in this flick.
Overall 'Highway to Hell' is a ridiculously fun romp that while may not fully commit to any genre, its an entertaining watch nonetheless.
The plot = Charlie Sykes (Chad Lowe) and his girlfriend Rachel Clark (Kristy Swanson) are travelling to Las Vegas to get married in secret. They decide to take a detour through a deserted highway, despite being warned not to drive through there at night and gets pulled over by Hellcop (C. J. Graham) who kidnaps Rachel and takes her into hell. Charlie must go to hell to rescue her.
This movie may not be to everyone's taste and never quite reaches that sweet spot between gore & comedy, but there's more than enough to enjoy here with plenty of memorable and clever set pieces, bizarre characters, and witty dialogue with plenty of energy and enthusiasm infused into the production. This is one movie that I'm a little surprised doesn't have a bigger cult following, part of the problem could have been that people didn't know how to classify what genre it belongs to, fantasy, yes there are elements of that here, comedy, again there are a few funny parts, but it doesn't stick with that all the way through and as for the horror elements well there's some, but its generally lacking in any sort of scares or gore. This doesn't fully commit to any of those genres which is what makes it interesting and while overall it doesn't work a 100% like a lot of strange movies, its still a fun time.
The performances here are strong, from the main cast right down to the cameo appearances. Chad Lowe gives a strong leading man performance and brings a lot of charm to his down to earth character. Kristy Swanson does fine as the female lead with plenty of charisma. Patrick Bergin delivers a standout performance as Satan. Gilbert Gottfried, Lita Ford, Ben Stiller, Jerry Stiller, & Amy Stiller each round out the bizarre casting brilliantly, and then finally C. J. Graham is an absolute delight as Hellcop, and the most memorable character in this flick.
Overall 'Highway to Hell' is a ridiculously fun romp that while may not fully commit to any genre, its an entertaining watch nonetheless.