Some college kids head out to the woods to do some research on the V-2 rocket developed by the Nazis during WWII and run afoul of a couple of cultists and a killer running around wearing a Richard Nixon mask, who may or may not be a resurrected Nazi. This is just such an odd film that I was transfixed by it. I can't tell if the film's quirkiness is intentional or a result of ineptitude (most likely a combination of both). Director Richard Casey will definitely confuse the viewer as one scene will be poorly staged and the next surprisingly clever (the final shot from inside the van as it pulls away from the final girl on a highway is very well done). The soundtrack is filled with popular rock songs, which I'm sure they had absolutely no license to use. Some re-releases remove them entirely. Ronald Reagan gets credited as the killer Richard Nixon. Haha.
34 Reviews
Nixon on a rampage.....
brennan797 January 2008
This forgotten 80s slasher is truly one that has to be seen to be believed. Its got a killer in a Richard Nixon mask, a couple of Nazi brothers, a girl getting her chest ironed (!), invisible whipping weapons (think Phantasm but on a much lower budget), a teleporting disemboweled cat, brain-eating maggots, surf-rock music, and more! None of it makes any sense and by no means is it a good movie but its so bizarre you just cant take your eyes off it! Love the scene where a chick throws herself into a glass coffee table...to get away from the killer! The DVD is the quality of a VHS transfer but, in this case, it actually kinda helps the film by giving it the grainy picture effect that works well for a film of this "so bad it's almost good" caliber.
Why do I like this movie so much?!
WritnGuy-21 October 1999
I rented this with such skepticism. And you know, I thought it would be so cool. Really violent and terrifying. It would be disgustingly gory at times, and just somewhat above the bar horror yarn. What I got was something so totally different.
The movie starts with this woman in her home. Her husband goes out somewhere, telling her he'll be back. Pretty soon, he's a goner, and his killer takes a Nixon mask the guy used to scare his wife and puts it on. Then the wacko goes into the house to get the wife. The scene moves so damn slow, even though it is supposed to be scary. There is, like, no sound, the wife reacts to everything, like, five or ten seconds after it happens, and there's this really gross scene where she falls on this glass table and her whole wrist is shredded up and off. And there's, like, two drops of blood! Then the scene continues, and we all knows what happens next.
The movie moves on, and we find out about this wacko father and his two sons. Then enter these three college students getting to know about Highway Five. One of the girls--I can't remember why--meets the two brothers, who eventually invite her back to their apartment. It's all so very surreal. Eventually, that night, they kidnap her and take her to their house up on Highway Five.
The two others--a freaky pothead guy and some hippie-esque girl--head up to this abandoned lot on Highway Five in their van, to do something. Research, I suppose. I have faint memory. Cut to many scenes with the other girl, then nighttime. This movie is so weird and I won't tell you everything, but soon, the killers start killing everybody off until this long--and quite weird--chase scene with the hippie and Nixon. Then an ending that I have to admit, left me on the edge of my seat until the very unique and very cool ending.
I totally suggest checking this movie out. It has cult potential. I could watch this many times. It is so weird. If you find this, PLEASE see it. At first, you will hate it, then you will like it for how cheesy it is. If anything, you have never seen anything like this before.
The movie starts with this woman in her home. Her husband goes out somewhere, telling her he'll be back. Pretty soon, he's a goner, and his killer takes a Nixon mask the guy used to scare his wife and puts it on. Then the wacko goes into the house to get the wife. The scene moves so damn slow, even though it is supposed to be scary. There is, like, no sound, the wife reacts to everything, like, five or ten seconds after it happens, and there's this really gross scene where she falls on this glass table and her whole wrist is shredded up and off. And there's, like, two drops of blood! Then the scene continues, and we all knows what happens next.
The movie moves on, and we find out about this wacko father and his two sons. Then enter these three college students getting to know about Highway Five. One of the girls--I can't remember why--meets the two brothers, who eventually invite her back to their apartment. It's all so very surreal. Eventually, that night, they kidnap her and take her to their house up on Highway Five.
The two others--a freaky pothead guy and some hippie-esque girl--head up to this abandoned lot on Highway Five in their van, to do something. Research, I suppose. I have faint memory. Cut to many scenes with the other girl, then nighttime. This movie is so weird and I won't tell you everything, but soon, the killers start killing everybody off until this long--and quite weird--chase scene with the hippie and Nixon. Then an ending that I have to admit, left me on the edge of my seat until the very unique and very cool ending.
I totally suggest checking this movie out. It has cult potential. I could watch this many times. It is so weird. If you find this, PLEASE see it. At first, you will hate it, then you will like it for how cheesy it is. If anything, you have never seen anything like this before.
Indescribable! Must be seen to be believed.
Cowman11 October 2002
I've read many, many lengthy, compelling reviews of HORROR HOUSE ON HIGHWAY FIVE. Every single one of them ripped this little straight-to-video obscurity to shreds. None of these reviews even hinted that the film could be considered at least slightly amusing, if even for camp value. It was because of this type of incessant, brutal criticism the movie has received by the few people who have actually seen it that I decided to seek it out and give it a go. When I finally saw it, I was stunned. No review, no plot summary, or no inane message-board-horror-freak banter could have prepared me for the experience.
HORROR HOUSE ON HIGHWAY FIVE has an approximate running time of 90 minutes, but to me, it was all a blur. I popped in the tape and was immediately bombarded with a barrage of surreal, incoherent images and eerily funny yet nonsensical lines of dialogue. For the first time in years, I was glued to my television set. There was really no plot per se, but rather a constant stream of cinematic insanity involving a man in a Nixon mask, two Nazi brothers, pot smoking hippies, dead cats, homemade explosives, dancing, chloroform hijinx, and a disturbingly unfitting, genre-defiant soundtrack.
Now, mind you, I am no stranger to the vast world of bizarre movies. I thoroughly enjoy flicks such as ERASERHEAD, SWEET MOVIE, BEGOTTEN, UN CHIEN ANDALOU, and EL TOPO. But for whatever reason, this movie affected me on a level that no other has, and I'm having a hard time pinpointing why. Perhaps it's because films like the ones I just listed knew exactly what they were doing. They were meant to be disturbing, bizarre, and confusing, thus making their weirdness easier to accept. But I'm not so sure HHOH5 even realizes just how strange it really is. I'm sure its intent was simply to spook and shock its viewers, but instead it comes across as some kind of completely accidental minimalist/surrealist/faux-arthouse pic. Imagine blending the works of Nick Zedd, Ed Wood, and Salvador Dali. Yes, it's just that weird.
So did I like this movie? I honestly don't know. For once in my life a movie has sent my emotions into a whirlwind, and trying to determine my feelings about it is nothing short of impossible. It's almost as if HHOH5 has caused some kind of chemical imbalance in my brain. I will say this, though: it was definitely entertaining, but don't know if I could ever prepare myself to endure its lunacy a second time.
HORROR HOUSE ON HIGHWAY FIVE has an approximate running time of 90 minutes, but to me, it was all a blur. I popped in the tape and was immediately bombarded with a barrage of surreal, incoherent images and eerily funny yet nonsensical lines of dialogue. For the first time in years, I was glued to my television set. There was really no plot per se, but rather a constant stream of cinematic insanity involving a man in a Nixon mask, two Nazi brothers, pot smoking hippies, dead cats, homemade explosives, dancing, chloroform hijinx, and a disturbingly unfitting, genre-defiant soundtrack.
Now, mind you, I am no stranger to the vast world of bizarre movies. I thoroughly enjoy flicks such as ERASERHEAD, SWEET MOVIE, BEGOTTEN, UN CHIEN ANDALOU, and EL TOPO. But for whatever reason, this movie affected me on a level that no other has, and I'm having a hard time pinpointing why. Perhaps it's because films like the ones I just listed knew exactly what they were doing. They were meant to be disturbing, bizarre, and confusing, thus making their weirdness easier to accept. But I'm not so sure HHOH5 even realizes just how strange it really is. I'm sure its intent was simply to spook and shock its viewers, but instead it comes across as some kind of completely accidental minimalist/surrealist/faux-arthouse pic. Imagine blending the works of Nick Zedd, Ed Wood, and Salvador Dali. Yes, it's just that weird.
So did I like this movie? I honestly don't know. For once in my life a movie has sent my emotions into a whirlwind, and trying to determine my feelings about it is nothing short of impossible. It's almost as if HHOH5 has caused some kind of chemical imbalance in my brain. I will say this, though: it was definitely entertaining, but don't know if I could ever prepare myself to endure its lunacy a second time.
strange
NateF8825 January 2002
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** This film is very weird. It's a very strange story about a killer who is dressed up as Richard Nixon who terrorizes 5 collage kids doing an expirement for collage. The plot is very confusing. *LOTS OF SPOILERS AHEAD!* The beginning has a couple being murdered. The killer steals the Nixon mask a man scares his wife with, and then gets murdered by a killer. The killer steals the mask and kills the wife. Then the plot goes to these collage kids who are doing a project on a scientist Bartholemue, who dissapeared. The go into the woods where he was last found. What they find is two weird brothers (who kidnapped a woman and brought her there) and the same killer! Bartholemue, the German scientist was suspected of being a murderer, and the two brothers have some connection to the killer and Bartholemue. Could the killer be Bartholemue? Or someone else? Weird killings (theres some electric razor floating around in the Horror House or something) and a hanging ending abound. If you want to watch a low budget B-movie, rent this one if you can find it.
As bizarre as Ziggy Stardust's strangest nightmares...
LuisitoJoaquinGonzalez24 January 2005
Warning: Spoilers
To be labelled as the most bizarrely bewildering title of all slasher movies may not seem like much of a memorable claim. But when you consider the fact that the forerunner is up against such twisted beasts as Blood Harvest, Don't Open 'til Christmas, Pieces, Bloodbeat and the almost extra terrestrial A Day of Judgement, then you begin to realise how tough a challenge it really is. When it comes to leaving you dumbfounded and gasping at the screen - jaw dropped quicker than if you just received a shattering right hook from Mike Tyson then Horror House on Highway Five has crossed the finish line while the others are still tying up their shoe-laces. A true, true masterpiece of brain-numbing confusion, Highway Five is about as anormalistic as any movie could ever possibly achieve to be inside this solar system.
Some of the strange images that will appear on your screen over the 90 minute runtime include: A homicidal maniac in a Richard Nixon mask that may well be a dead scientist and is played by an actor named Ronald Reagan (seriously!). Then there are the two demented kidnappers - one of them believing that his brain is being destroyed by parasites, while the other acts equally like the mushrooms that he ate with his fried breakfast were certainly those of the 'magic' variety. And how could I forget the gang of college half wits who have the intelligence of an autistic bullfrog on crack. Then there's the wacky soundtrack that includes everything from St Peppers-era Beatles style trip-rock to Dion and the Belmonts-type doo-wop?
A college class investigating the creation of the V2 rocket head out to a small town (brilliantly titled 'Little Town') where it was believed that the German scientist behind the invention spent his final days in America. Legend dictates that before his disappearance, Frederick Bartholomew became a murderous psychopath and began killing off the people that he worked with. One young student - Sally Smith - is given the task of interviewing two of the scientist's former associates, the crazed Dr. Mabuser and his stuttering sidekick Gary. Meanwhile a maniac dressed as Tricky Dicky is heading along Highway 5 bumping off anyone unfortunate enough to cross paths with him. Will the classmates escape the secluded town alive? Is that really Richard Nixon trying to murder his way back into the White House? All the answers lie behind the front door of the horror house on highway 5
If anything, Richard Casey's debut certainly proves that there are some strange people inhabiting this planet and a fair majority of them were working on the set of this feature circa 1985. You'd think that at some point during the long months of pre and post production at least one member of the cast or crew would have said, "Hold on a second, isn't this all just a little far-fetched?" But no, it seems that the copious amounts of LSD that were handed out as inspirational materials throughout the writing of the screenplay were still in abundance during the shoot. There's really no other way to explain occurrences such as: The second victim throwing herself through a glass coffee table for *no* reason whatsoever, whilst the killer was hot on his heels behind her. It was only moments earlier that she had been pulling strange faces at herself in the mirror; - the kind of thing that you would do if you had been in swallowing LSD for the past twenty-four hours. It may also be the real truth behind Mike and Louise's cool attitude when they find a disembowelled cat mysteriously dumped in the back of their van. If you were hallucinating consistently, then you'd expect to see that kind of thing, surely? Oh and before I forget, Dr. Mabuser seems to believe that his brain is being munched by maggots need I say more?!?
The dramatics are exactly what you've come to expect from zero budget slasher movies. You know, the kind of performances that make your children's high school play look like One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest part deux. There's one starlet that really gave new meaning to the word 'wooden' she was that bad I reckon that she'd make the Rain Forest look like it was made of Lego. The highlight of her brief performance came as she was being murdered by the former president. With the enthusiasm of a dry roasted peanut she yelped, "Relax just try to put your mind at ease " Yeah right! Don't expect to see her popping up in any other motion pictures any time soon.
This does at least try in many ways to add a little spice to the hack and slash cycle. Alongside the traditional masked maniac, there's at least three other nut jobs to keep you interested and there's even a hint at the supernatural that's never completely followed through. It's also worth noting that Richard Casey didn't go for that old slasher chestnut of having a cast full of pretty boys and page 3 girls to dismember. Instead most of the body count is pretty average in the looks department, except for maybe the final girl who was cute if not breathtakingly beautiful. Oh yeah and a word of advice to all T&A fans, there's nothing but dungarees and double knits going on here. You've more chance of seeing forbidden flesh on an episode of sesame street than you have anywhere in this fully wrapped splatter flick.
My conclusion is that Highway Five was either invaded by otherworldly beings on set, was intended as a spoof, or is simply a misunderstood masterpiece. One thing is for certain however, for all its nonsensical frolics and wayward attempts at terror, it sure makes a fine advertisement for watching the telly
Some of the strange images that will appear on your screen over the 90 minute runtime include: A homicidal maniac in a Richard Nixon mask that may well be a dead scientist and is played by an actor named Ronald Reagan (seriously!). Then there are the two demented kidnappers - one of them believing that his brain is being destroyed by parasites, while the other acts equally like the mushrooms that he ate with his fried breakfast were certainly those of the 'magic' variety. And how could I forget the gang of college half wits who have the intelligence of an autistic bullfrog on crack. Then there's the wacky soundtrack that includes everything from St Peppers-era Beatles style trip-rock to Dion and the Belmonts-type doo-wop?
A college class investigating the creation of the V2 rocket head out to a small town (brilliantly titled 'Little Town') where it was believed that the German scientist behind the invention spent his final days in America. Legend dictates that before his disappearance, Frederick Bartholomew became a murderous psychopath and began killing off the people that he worked with. One young student - Sally Smith - is given the task of interviewing two of the scientist's former associates, the crazed Dr. Mabuser and his stuttering sidekick Gary. Meanwhile a maniac dressed as Tricky Dicky is heading along Highway 5 bumping off anyone unfortunate enough to cross paths with him. Will the classmates escape the secluded town alive? Is that really Richard Nixon trying to murder his way back into the White House? All the answers lie behind the front door of the horror house on highway 5
If anything, Richard Casey's debut certainly proves that there are some strange people inhabiting this planet and a fair majority of them were working on the set of this feature circa 1985. You'd think that at some point during the long months of pre and post production at least one member of the cast or crew would have said, "Hold on a second, isn't this all just a little far-fetched?" But no, it seems that the copious amounts of LSD that were handed out as inspirational materials throughout the writing of the screenplay were still in abundance during the shoot. There's really no other way to explain occurrences such as: The second victim throwing herself through a glass coffee table for *no* reason whatsoever, whilst the killer was hot on his heels behind her. It was only moments earlier that she had been pulling strange faces at herself in the mirror; - the kind of thing that you would do if you had been in swallowing LSD for the past twenty-four hours. It may also be the real truth behind Mike and Louise's cool attitude when they find a disembowelled cat mysteriously dumped in the back of their van. If you were hallucinating consistently, then you'd expect to see that kind of thing, surely? Oh and before I forget, Dr. Mabuser seems to believe that his brain is being munched by maggots need I say more?!?
The dramatics are exactly what you've come to expect from zero budget slasher movies. You know, the kind of performances that make your children's high school play look like One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest part deux. There's one starlet that really gave new meaning to the word 'wooden' she was that bad I reckon that she'd make the Rain Forest look like it was made of Lego. The highlight of her brief performance came as she was being murdered by the former president. With the enthusiasm of a dry roasted peanut she yelped, "Relax just try to put your mind at ease " Yeah right! Don't expect to see her popping up in any other motion pictures any time soon.
This does at least try in many ways to add a little spice to the hack and slash cycle. Alongside the traditional masked maniac, there's at least three other nut jobs to keep you interested and there's even a hint at the supernatural that's never completely followed through. It's also worth noting that Richard Casey didn't go for that old slasher chestnut of having a cast full of pretty boys and page 3 girls to dismember. Instead most of the body count is pretty average in the looks department, except for maybe the final girl who was cute if not breathtakingly beautiful. Oh yeah and a word of advice to all T&A fans, there's nothing but dungarees and double knits going on here. You've more chance of seeing forbidden flesh on an episode of sesame street than you have anywhere in this fully wrapped splatter flick.
My conclusion is that Highway Five was either invaded by otherworldly beings on set, was intended as a spoof, or is simply a misunderstood masterpiece. One thing is for certain however, for all its nonsensical frolics and wayward attempts at terror, it sure makes a fine advertisement for watching the telly
Bizarre mess! Atrocious editing.
insomniac_rod15 October 2006
What a confusing, weird, Horror movie this is! The director was obviously on drugs but who can explain the editing mess? The editor was probably very high when working on the final print. I mean, there is no coherence between most events and it's like you are watching 5 different movies, in the style of "Crash" or "Amores Perros".
The sad truth is that this failure is considered as a Slasher movie with dramatic over tones. It tries to be like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" but with an 80's slasher feeling. It just doesn't works.
The acting is atrocious, not to mention the horrible direction that looks like an amateur flick. The only good thing about this one may be the soundtrack which is fairly good and fits with the movie's weirdness.
This movie is well known among B-fans as the movie where the killer uses a Richard Nixon mask.
Plase avoid this bizarre mess! It's just too bad to be bad.
The sad truth is that this failure is considered as a Slasher movie with dramatic over tones. It tries to be like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" but with an 80's slasher feeling. It just doesn't works.
The acting is atrocious, not to mention the horrible direction that looks like an amateur flick. The only good thing about this one may be the soundtrack which is fairly good and fits with the movie's weirdness.
This movie is well known among B-fans as the movie where the killer uses a Richard Nixon mask.
Plase avoid this bizarre mess! It's just too bad to be bad.
Was this disjointed mess meant to be some kind of spoof?
Woodyanders1 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Man, is this messed-up movie an unbearably dumb, lousy and often downright dreary piece of junk! A crazed, bloodthirsty trio kill and terrorize several luckless individuals around the titular area. The freaky threesome are actually a nice, happy dysfunctional family: a crackpot dad who likes to do the dirty murderous deed while wearing a rubbery Richard Nixon mask, a bumbling imbecile son, and another insane, sanguinary idiot male offspring with live maggots residing in his scrambled cranium (!).
A clumsily sincere attempt at a perversely humorous, darkly tongue-in-cheek backroads psycho picture parody, this film's extremely forced, spiritless, grinding-its-wheels-in-the-mud slack execution completely ruins its chances at being a reasonably on-target and effective send-up: Richard Casey's wan, idle direction, mostly flat acting from a generally insipid cast (only legendary gonzo rock critic Richard Meltzer manages to deliver a lively, up to par performance as a cranky, ill-fated drunken motorist), lethargic pacing, weak stabs at grotesque warped humor (e.g., one victim steps on a rake right after having his throat cut), and a plodding, disjointed narrative all prevent this potentially fun flick from ever kicking into high gear. However, both the fairly rollicking score by Keith Grady and Suzanne McDermott and the passably professional photography by David Golia and Bill Pope neatly rise above the pervasive mediocrity. If it had been done with more polish and vigor this wash-out could have made for an amusing and enjoyably quirky little horror black comedy, but since it's really bland and slapdash it instead qualifies as a very middling and forgettable cinematic dead end.
A clumsily sincere attempt at a perversely humorous, darkly tongue-in-cheek backroads psycho picture parody, this film's extremely forced, spiritless, grinding-its-wheels-in-the-mud slack execution completely ruins its chances at being a reasonably on-target and effective send-up: Richard Casey's wan, idle direction, mostly flat acting from a generally insipid cast (only legendary gonzo rock critic Richard Meltzer manages to deliver a lively, up to par performance as a cranky, ill-fated drunken motorist), lethargic pacing, weak stabs at grotesque warped humor (e.g., one victim steps on a rake right after having his throat cut), and a plodding, disjointed narrative all prevent this potentially fun flick from ever kicking into high gear. However, both the fairly rollicking score by Keith Grady and Suzanne McDermott and the passably professional photography by David Golia and Bill Pope neatly rise above the pervasive mediocrity. If it had been done with more polish and vigor this wash-out could have made for an amusing and enjoyably quirky little horror black comedy, but since it's really bland and slapdash it instead qualifies as a very middling and forgettable cinematic dead end.
Baffling
digrate9 January 2002
There are two ways you can watch this: alone, or with people. If you watch it alone, you are a)comatose b)about to . I know this phrase is used a lot, but now it's an understatement. THIS IS THE WORST MOVIE, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER. Everything from the opening credits listing the make-up and stunt people before the writer and not the director, to the final shot when Richard Nixon and Allan Ginsberg form an unlikely duo in a last-ditch attempt to completely ruin sense. The ultimate post-modernist statement: not only the complete deconstruction of logic and convention but also breaking every rule of satire surrealism, and overproduction. It is appealing on absolutely no level. If you watch it with people, you become punchdrunk immediately as you try to rationalize why a guy who was strangled is covered in blood and why a girl with her wrists gashed has only lost about a teaspoon. You (plural) will all laugh, not at the movie, but at how any attempt to understand ANY part of the movie hurts every part of your brain. It is post-to the seventh-degree-modernism, like nothing you ever have seen, or will see. It goes so far beyond any convention in any medium that it will likely take years to reproduce something so astounding. It is a must see, simply because I can't thing of any reason why this was made, or why anything in the future will be so... It transcends good and bad! Truly in a class of its own. SEE IT: THE WAY YOU THINK WILL BE FOREVER CHANGED!
Bad Trip
CMRKeyboadist16 August 2006
It is hard to describe what my feeling on this movie is. To put it simply, this might be one of the most bizarre horror films of the 1980's. Were the makers of the film on drugs when they filmed and wrote the script? Did they even have a script at that? Was this all filmed in one night? Who knows? All I know is that as bad as this flick is it is hard to pull your face away from it.
I will try my hardest to sum up what the movie is about so bear with me. Basically, some college kids have to do some research on a Nazi named Bartholomew who was making some wild experiments many years ago. Supposedly he is dead and all that is left are his 2 grown children, who grew up to be Nazi's, also. Apparently, the experiments were being performed at a house off of highway 5 (where ever highway 5 is). One of the girl college students is kidnapped by the Nazi brothers and is brought to the house to perform a human sacrifice for some odd reason. The other college kids go to the house, get creeped out, and camp out somewhere else. While all this is going on we have a guy in a Richard Nixon mask played by a guy listed in the cast as Ronald Reagon running around killing everybody.
The incoherent storyline is only one of the many things that make this one of the most bizarre movies out there. Misplaced music ranging from trippy 60's music to an organ is what fills the movie up. The whole atmosphere of it all is down right weird and hypnotic. Of course, the acting is bad and the filming is even worse. But, I guess that is one of the things that gives this movie its charm. And what is the deal with having a guy in the cast go by the name of the Ronald Reagon?
I don't really have a lot to say about this movie. It is just one of those flicks that need to be seen to be believed. Check it out. 6/10
I will try my hardest to sum up what the movie is about so bear with me. Basically, some college kids have to do some research on a Nazi named Bartholomew who was making some wild experiments many years ago. Supposedly he is dead and all that is left are his 2 grown children, who grew up to be Nazi's, also. Apparently, the experiments were being performed at a house off of highway 5 (where ever highway 5 is). One of the girl college students is kidnapped by the Nazi brothers and is brought to the house to perform a human sacrifice for some odd reason. The other college kids go to the house, get creeped out, and camp out somewhere else. While all this is going on we have a guy in a Richard Nixon mask played by a guy listed in the cast as Ronald Reagon running around killing everybody.
The incoherent storyline is only one of the many things that make this one of the most bizarre movies out there. Misplaced music ranging from trippy 60's music to an organ is what fills the movie up. The whole atmosphere of it all is down right weird and hypnotic. Of course, the acting is bad and the filming is even worse. But, I guess that is one of the things that gives this movie its charm. And what is the deal with having a guy in the cast go by the name of the Ronald Reagon?
I don't really have a lot to say about this movie. It is just one of those flicks that need to be seen to be believed. Check it out. 6/10
One of the Weirdest Movies Ever Made
kennymasterson20 October 2020
College students doing research are taken prisoner by deranged Nazi psychos and that's about all I can really say, because this movie is so bizarre.
Horror House on Highway Five opens with a fairly normal opening for a slasher film with a killer in a Richard Nixon mask sneaking into a woman's house while she showers and killing her, but everything that happens after that makes it feel like it's all her her fever dream as she comes close to death's door. Nothing makes any sense, but it's all so charmingly bizarre and homespun with love that it's hard to look away.
Horror House on Highway Five opens with a fairly normal opening for a slasher film with a killer in a Richard Nixon mask sneaking into a woman's house while she showers and killing her, but everything that happens after that makes it feel like it's all her her fever dream as she comes close to death's door. Nothing makes any sense, but it's all so charmingly bizarre and homespun with love that it's hard to look away.
Wild and wacky horror at its finest.
malenko28 December 1998
Take some college students, put them in a van, throw in a killer in a Richard Nixon mask and BANG! you've got an instant classic. The plot includes Nazis,rape,mysterious rooms, and that's about it. But this is what makes the film great, it's total ineptness at everything, from creating suspense to scaring the viewer. And the glue that holds the whole film together is the most whacked out, ludicrously insane soundtrack in movie history. If you don't want to watch the movie(which I could understand, but you'll miss out on some wonderful chase scenes involving President Nixon)just put the movie in your VCR, close your eyes and listen to the jarring sounds of Horror House On Highway Five. Also make sure not to miss one of the least satisfying and sensible endings in movie history.
Great film, with "The Dictators" soundtrack too!
pyromanticways6 August 2008
I don't understand why so many people didn't like this movie. That's probably because they're not into REAL horror films, or B-movies in general! I'm sure they'd hate Pink Flamingos too... The plot is not confusing, not less then Pulp Fiction's structure might be! I personally find this film brilliant, and the continuous changes of places/events just made it more interesting to watch. Every gross element is there to help the other side of the movie come out: a comedy! That's a creepy comedy!.. And all its oddities perfectly counterbalance fear and fun. The soundtrack is great and there are two songs of The Dictators in it: Those alone, give it a good rock n' roll injection that raise "Horror House on Highway Five" on a higher rank than many (boring) "standard" slahers I've seen! I won't spoil anything of the story, 'cause I've had a lot of fun discovering myself, piece by piece, how the different characters were going to meet in the end...
Highly recommended if you like stuff like "Criminally Insane", "Spookies", "Mosquito der Schänder", "Death Bed: The Bed That Eats"...
Highly recommended if you like stuff like "Criminally Insane", "Spookies", "Mosquito der Schänder", "Death Bed: The Bed That Eats"...
For horror movie masochists who think they've seen it all.
BA_Harrison13 June 2020
Horror House On Highway Five is easily one of the worst films ever made. Not just a badly acted and technically inept piece of cinematic swill, but also something so inexplicably strange that one cannot adequately explain its existence. Why would people spend time, money and effort on creating something so utterly impenetrable? It's the same question I had recently whilst watching Skullduggery (1983), another diabolical slice of unfathomable '80s horror (now there's a double-bill I never hope to see).
This film sees three students - Louise (Susan Leslie), Mike (Michael Castagnolia) and Sally (Irene Cagen) - trying to complete a project on the development of the V2 missile. While Sally goes to interview Dr. Marbuse (Phil Therrien), an authority on German rocket scientist Frederick Bartholomew, Louise and Mike drive out to the countryside in their van to build and launch a scale model of the V2. Sally is captured and chained up by Marbuse and his mentally challenged brother Gary (don't ask me why), and Louise and Mike are attacked by a strange man in a rubber President Nixon mask (again, no idea why).
Writer/director Richard Casey, who also made the atrocious Hellbent (1988), either has no idea how to tell a decent story, or he's trying to win a bet -- either way, the film is a puzzling mess from start to finish. There's no explanation for the intro scene in which a plain looking woman takes a shower, after which she is attacked by Nixon: Who is she? Why is she being attacked? Why is she so particular about the position of her pot plant? Does the soundtrack LP for Disney's Alice In Wonderland get a regular spin on her turn table? Why doesn't the massive gash on her wrist bleed very much?
As the film progresses, more questions follow: Why is Sally held captive? Why does Marbuse have maggots in his head? Why does Gary dance like that? What's with the random shot of Louise diving into a swimming pool? Why is there a dead cat in Mike's van? Who is the dead guy by the trash can and where does he go to? Why does Gary burn sally with an iron? What are those funny whooshing sounds when Mike investigates a house? Why is there a rake lying around? Who is that guy driving the van at the end of the film? And why, with the exception of Susan Leslie, is the cast for this disaster so un-photogenic? It's enough to make your head hurt.
Perhaps the biggest questions I have right now are, why did Casey make a sequel to this film almost two decades later (Horror House on Highway Six) and is there any way it can be worse than this one?
This film sees three students - Louise (Susan Leslie), Mike (Michael Castagnolia) and Sally (Irene Cagen) - trying to complete a project on the development of the V2 missile. While Sally goes to interview Dr. Marbuse (Phil Therrien), an authority on German rocket scientist Frederick Bartholomew, Louise and Mike drive out to the countryside in their van to build and launch a scale model of the V2. Sally is captured and chained up by Marbuse and his mentally challenged brother Gary (don't ask me why), and Louise and Mike are attacked by a strange man in a rubber President Nixon mask (again, no idea why).
Writer/director Richard Casey, who also made the atrocious Hellbent (1988), either has no idea how to tell a decent story, or he's trying to win a bet -- either way, the film is a puzzling mess from start to finish. There's no explanation for the intro scene in which a plain looking woman takes a shower, after which she is attacked by Nixon: Who is she? Why is she being attacked? Why is she so particular about the position of her pot plant? Does the soundtrack LP for Disney's Alice In Wonderland get a regular spin on her turn table? Why doesn't the massive gash on her wrist bleed very much?
As the film progresses, more questions follow: Why is Sally held captive? Why does Marbuse have maggots in his head? Why does Gary dance like that? What's with the random shot of Louise diving into a swimming pool? Why is there a dead cat in Mike's van? Who is the dead guy by the trash can and where does he go to? Why does Gary burn sally with an iron? What are those funny whooshing sounds when Mike investigates a house? Why is there a rake lying around? Who is that guy driving the van at the end of the film? And why, with the exception of Susan Leslie, is the cast for this disaster so un-photogenic? It's enough to make your head hurt.
Perhaps the biggest questions I have right now are, why did Casey make a sequel to this film almost two decades later (Horror House on Highway Six) and is there any way it can be worse than this one?
...what...the...hell...was...that? ( o) (o )
EyeAskance2 April 2004
Um...wow. I don't think anything could have possibly prepared me for this one...it couldn't have been any weirder if the actors walked backwards and talked like Popeye.
A confounding amateur freak-out which sails straight through the roof of conventional exposition, HORROR HOUSE ON HIGHWAY FIVE involves two maniac brothers and their female captive, some kids stranded in the middle of nowhere with a broken-down van, and a vicious killer creeping about in a rubber Nixon mask. Additionally, the film get an injection of undefined supernatural hooey, with the matters at hand awkwardly italicized by inappropriate avant-gard musical sweeps.
When a movie turns out this strange, it becomes rather difficult to criticize. Regardless of your conclusive feelings toward HORROR HOUSE, there's no denying that it's an experience entirely unlike any other. When you consider lengths to which many recognized "great" directors have gone in hopes of achieving this very distinction, the oddly wavering characteristics of this film must be called into question.
...well...sort of.
4/10
A confounding amateur freak-out which sails straight through the roof of conventional exposition, HORROR HOUSE ON HIGHWAY FIVE involves two maniac brothers and their female captive, some kids stranded in the middle of nowhere with a broken-down van, and a vicious killer creeping about in a rubber Nixon mask. Additionally, the film get an injection of undefined supernatural hooey, with the matters at hand awkwardly italicized by inappropriate avant-gard musical sweeps.
When a movie turns out this strange, it becomes rather difficult to criticize. Regardless of your conclusive feelings toward HORROR HOUSE, there's no denying that it's an experience entirely unlike any other. When you consider lengths to which many recognized "great" directors have gone in hopes of achieving this very distinction, the oddly wavering characteristics of this film must be called into question.
...well...sort of.
4/10
Bizarrely awful
Leofwine_draca5 July 2016
HORROR HOUSE ON HIGHWAY FIVE has to be one of the most obscure and worst of '80s-era horror films, given that I'd never heard of it before I saw it available for viewing on Amazon Prime. Even now having watched it I still wish I'd never heard of it, because this is a shockingly poor, homemade movie with little talent involved and even less sense.
The film opens with the worst directed segment of the film in which a woman is menaced by a psycho in a Richard Nixon mask. Said woman is rather plain-looking to say the least and her lengthy shower scene rather difficult to sit through. The subsequent stalk and slash moments are laughably bad with some of the worst and most pretentious direction ever.
The plot becomes more involved at this point, with a students sent to investigate the man who invented the V2 rocket who is now supposedly living in America. They encounter his crazy sons, one of whom is a pervert and the other convinced that maggots are eating his brain, but soon enough all are menaced by the mask-wearing psycho. Oh, and things eventually culminate with a further plot twist, which I won't go into here.
Everything about HORROR HOUSE ON HIGHWAY FIVE is awful, from the quality of the acting to the written dialogue and the basic execution. There's no real gore or exploitation to speak of here, just one bizarre and nonsensical moment after another, and amateurish isn't the word. Inevitably this kind of bargain basement production breeds a special kind of fan who takes delight in watching and celebrating such trash - but I'm not one of them, I'm afraid!
The film opens with the worst directed segment of the film in which a woman is menaced by a psycho in a Richard Nixon mask. Said woman is rather plain-looking to say the least and her lengthy shower scene rather difficult to sit through. The subsequent stalk and slash moments are laughably bad with some of the worst and most pretentious direction ever.
The plot becomes more involved at this point, with a students sent to investigate the man who invented the V2 rocket who is now supposedly living in America. They encounter his crazy sons, one of whom is a pervert and the other convinced that maggots are eating his brain, but soon enough all are menaced by the mask-wearing psycho. Oh, and things eventually culminate with a further plot twist, which I won't go into here.
Everything about HORROR HOUSE ON HIGHWAY FIVE is awful, from the quality of the acting to the written dialogue and the basic execution. There's no real gore or exploitation to speak of here, just one bizarre and nonsensical moment after another, and amateurish isn't the word. Inevitably this kind of bargain basement production breeds a special kind of fan who takes delight in watching and celebrating such trash - but I'm not one of them, I'm afraid!
Richard Nixon
What a Psycho!
Coventry5 July 2009
This movie clearly suffers from a syndrome that was quite common the world of 80's horror cinema; namely the identity crisis. Like so many other contemporary horror flicks, "Horror House on Highway Five" isn't exactly sure whether it wants to be a comedy/spoof movie or a full-blooded slasher picture. Obviously back then it was more interesting to make a spoof, since there already was an over-production of regular teen slashers, but efficient comedy and genuine horror are two incredibly difficult ingredients to mix into one scenario. Writer/director Richard Casey here in this case completely failed to put the two genres in the blender together and what came out is an embarrassing amateur horror production with retarded jokes and over-the-top clichéd situations that aren't the least bit funny or inventive; not even when you're in a slight state of drunk or stoned. A wannabe occultist intends to resurrect a mad German scientist named Bartholomew Steiner and kidnaps a female student working on a thesis about the same notorious historical figure. Meanwhile there's a maniac, disguised in a Richard Nixon face mask, prowling around the titular highway and terrorizing teenagers. I know it's a long shot, but if you fancy sheer lunacy and incoherence, you'll love "Horror House on Highway Five". Everything to make film insufferable and irritating is overly well-presented, like atrocious music, tripe acting performances and clumsy direction. It's boring beyond words and doesn't contain any worthwhile moments of bloodshed, neither. One to avoid at all costs. If you really want to see an 80's movie that combines horror and parody reasonably adequate, check out "Student Bodies".
Big Pile of Crap.
treakle_197824 August 2019
You know with most of these movies there not going to be good. Let's be honest everything about this movie sucks. This is by far the worst slasher I've seen. The screaming is loud and annoying. The acting is terrible and the writing is bad. This movie could've been so much better. Budget as side I hope someone remakes this.
They're lucky I gave this a 2 Star
tesswysko14 January 2019
Wow... just wow ... Let's just start with what the heck was this actually about? I mean I consider myself a reasonably smart woman, when I was tested, I was in the top 1% in the world, I like movies that challenge my intellect, like inception and The Matrix. However I could NOT follow what in the name of all that is Holy is going on here?! I found the imagery to be boorish and gross, so many browns mixed with the dirty drying red blood just leads to bad cinematography and a cheap feeling. I think teens were sent to research a rocket, but when they got there, the guy their professor sent them to tried to kill them! WHY WOULD A PROFESSOR DO THAT?! So right off the bat nothing makes sense! If you want a movie that you can enjoy and follow, AVOID AT ALL COST!
A Cult Classic...On What Planet?
madmanrhc28 February 2024
The DVD box reads "A Cult Classic Never Before Released On DVD!" Two questions, a cult classic on what planet and why was it ever released to begin with??
The catch phrase for the movie is "see it or die!!!" I saw it and wanted to die!!! I can accept some inadequacies in any horror movie because all horror movies can't be "Night of the Living Dead" or "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". Unfortunately "Horror House on Highway 5" is way beyond acceptable.
This tragic piece of celluloid has no plot, actors with little talent, terrible dialogue, no continuity and the worst soundtrack I've ever heard.
The only redeeming quality in this movie is Susan Leslie who played Louise "the scientist" Susan is the only, and I mean only, reason I rated this movie a three! Without her, it would be a zero!
The catch phrase for the movie is "see it or die!!!" I saw it and wanted to die!!! I can accept some inadequacies in any horror movie because all horror movies can't be "Night of the Living Dead" or "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". Unfortunately "Horror House on Highway 5" is way beyond acceptable.
This tragic piece of celluloid has no plot, actors with little talent, terrible dialogue, no continuity and the worst soundtrack I've ever heard.
The only redeeming quality in this movie is Susan Leslie who played Louise "the scientist" Susan is the only, and I mean only, reason I rated this movie a three! Without her, it would be a zero!
Strange and disjointed.
HumanoidOfFlesh10 September 2010
Some students are making a scientific research regarding German rocket V2.Along the way,one of the female students named Sally is kidnapped by two brothers:older Dr.Marbuse and shy and his mentally unbalanced assistant Gary.The other kids run into the father of brothers,a maggot-infested Nazi sociopath who wears Richard Nixon mask and enjoys killing people."Horror House on Highway Five" has to be seen to be believed.It's utterly strange and disjointed slasher flick with several jaw-droppingly psychedelic moments of insanity.The plot doesn't make sense and the gore is minimal,but if you are a fan of "Boardinghouse" or "Death Bed:The Bed That Eats" you can't miss "Horror House on Highway Five".7 out of 10.
Bad By Any Name
artpf6 December 2013
As part of a project are sent to a place called Littletown to investigate and research a supposedly deceased German (and possible Nazi) ex-patriot rocket scientist, named Frederick Bartholomew who it seems was supposedly responsible for the V2 rocket before embarking on a murderous rampage slaying all who he worked with in his final days spent here in America.
In Honor of this achievement our project student group have got to make replicas of the rockets whilst at that location. A trio of this select members wind up stumbling across a pair of demented brothers, one, Mabuser is an unlicensed doctor, who's become mentally unhinged due to being convince destructive parasites have infested his brain, while his stuttering teenage brother Gary, is a shy and lonely psychopath with a thing for Tarot cards and concealed necrophiliac tendencies. All the while their father prowls the nights' lonely highways, dressed in one of his previous victims...as of all things Richard Nixon.
Starts with porno music and the worst title set you will ever see in a film. Next thing you know a hot girl in itty bitty shorts and nearly non-existent top is moving stuff around. Door opens and a sneaker appears....ugh false alarm. But she's too hot to kill just yet.
At least until the itty bitty pants come off.
The movie sucks. Too slow and not very compelling.
In Honor of this achievement our project student group have got to make replicas of the rockets whilst at that location. A trio of this select members wind up stumbling across a pair of demented brothers, one, Mabuser is an unlicensed doctor, who's become mentally unhinged due to being convince destructive parasites have infested his brain, while his stuttering teenage brother Gary, is a shy and lonely psychopath with a thing for Tarot cards and concealed necrophiliac tendencies. All the while their father prowls the nights' lonely highways, dressed in one of his previous victims...as of all things Richard Nixon.
Starts with porno music and the worst title set you will ever see in a film. Next thing you know a hot girl in itty bitty shorts and nearly non-existent top is moving stuff around. Door opens and a sneaker appears....ugh false alarm. But she's too hot to kill just yet.
At least until the itty bitty pants come off.
The movie sucks. Too slow and not very compelling.
I Want Some of What They're Having
doubls18 October 2007
Back in school they worked hard to convince us that recreational drug taking was bad, bad, bad for us. Not only would we suffer dire consequences at that time, but our children would also suffer hideous deformities because of our ruined DNA and we would forever be at risk of having a flashback at a most inopportune time. (Let this be a warning to you.)
I think this movie triggered my first flashback in 25 years.
The murderer in the Nixon mask? hahahahha The suicide on the glass table? hahahhahaha The Dimwit who kidnaps the wrong girl? And his choice of instrument for torture? hahahahhahahahhahahahhahaha
Don't expect greatness from this one, but don't think you are going to forget it tomorrow.
And isn't that what a movie is really all about?
I think this movie triggered my first flashback in 25 years.
The murderer in the Nixon mask? hahahahha The suicide on the glass table? hahahhahaha The Dimwit who kidnaps the wrong girl? And his choice of instrument for torture? hahahahhahahahhahahahhahaha
Don't expect greatness from this one, but don't think you are going to forget it tomorrow.
And isn't that what a movie is really all about?
Surrealism Or Incompetence?
DavyDissonance18 March 2020
The story goes.... filmmakers were snorting cocaine and this film blasted out their a·· holes. Either Horror House On Highway 5 will be looked at as a complex surrealistic horror escapade in vain of David Lynch or an equivalence to a mongoloid hurling his own fecal matter at seagulls while screaming incoherently at imaginary talking elephants. Whatever the case may be, this movie is sheer nonsensical lunacy with stuff that... I don't know. I liked it because it was like entering into a world of confusion trying to make sense of it all. Of course, that is a rare notion when it comes to this movie but f··· you regardless. Complex or r·tarded? Most would say the latter and I can't argue with it but like I give a s···. I like Horror House On Highway 5, b····.
"My God! The Chemicals! We Could Have Been Exploded!"...
azathothpwiggins7 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
After opening with a gruesome murder, as well as the explanation for the whole Richard Nixon mask thing, HORROR HOUSE ON HIGHWAY FIVE unfolds. Indeed, the tricky Dick-ster is up to mischief once more!
Meanwhile, at a local college, three students are chosen to complete a project centered on the V-2 rocket. Coincidentally, the man who invented the rocket lives nearby. One of the students are to interview the inventor and his associates, while the other two drive a van out into the middle of nowhere to run experiments. Complicating matters is the fact that all three students are imbeciles.
Sally, the interviewer, finds her interviewees to be complete idiots. Sadly for Sally, these particular idiots are also dangerous! A comedy of terrors ensues, including mistaken identity, abduction, torture, Nazis, black magic, murder, and further absurdity.
Back at the van, the other two "scholars" scramble to assemble their V-2 rocket, not allowing a mutilated cat to dissuade them. In reality, one student named Louise does the work, while the other one smokes one joint after another.
Oh no!
Engine trouble causes them to be stranded overnight! Not far away, Richard M. -for Murder- Nixon continues his reign of terror! This all culminates in a nightmare of idiocy at the titular house.
Is this a great movie? Good? Well, no, but it is okay, and suitable for an evening of mindless, inebriated entertainment...
P. S.- You've got to love Louise! She's the only character in the entire movie who has more than just pudding between their ears!...
Meanwhile, at a local college, three students are chosen to complete a project centered on the V-2 rocket. Coincidentally, the man who invented the rocket lives nearby. One of the students are to interview the inventor and his associates, while the other two drive a van out into the middle of nowhere to run experiments. Complicating matters is the fact that all three students are imbeciles.
Sally, the interviewer, finds her interviewees to be complete idiots. Sadly for Sally, these particular idiots are also dangerous! A comedy of terrors ensues, including mistaken identity, abduction, torture, Nazis, black magic, murder, and further absurdity.
Back at the van, the other two "scholars" scramble to assemble their V-2 rocket, not allowing a mutilated cat to dissuade them. In reality, one student named Louise does the work, while the other one smokes one joint after another.
Oh no!
Engine trouble causes them to be stranded overnight! Not far away, Richard M. -for Murder- Nixon continues his reign of terror! This all culminates in a nightmare of idiocy at the titular house.
Is this a great movie? Good? Well, no, but it is okay, and suitable for an evening of mindless, inebriated entertainment...
P. S.- You've got to love Louise! She's the only character in the entire movie who has more than just pudding between their ears!...
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