Highway to Hell (Blu-ray Review)
Director
Bret McCormickRelease Date(s)
1990 (March 10, 2026)Studio(s)
Mars Film (Visual Vengeance/Wild Eye Releasing)- Film/Program Grade: C+
- Video Grade: B+
- Audio Grade: B+
- Extras Grade: A
Review
A convicted murderer named Toby Gilmore escapes from prison and goes on a rampage. The cop (Richard Harrison) who originally put him away and knows best how his mind works rushes out to stop him. When Fran, a beautiful photographer on route to her next gig, is carjacked by Toby it’s a race against time to stop him before she becomes the latest on a long list of victims. Shot for around Ten Thousand Dollars, director Bret McCormick makes the best of his budget and the talent he had available. Some of the acting is over the top but fun, the shot on 16mm but down converted to VHS video feel of the cinematography hurts what could have been cool landscapes and the pacing is amateurish, but it holds together and isn’t a half-bad viewing experience.
Visual Vengeance’s Blu-ray release of Highway to Hell is an upgrade from previous VHS releases (obviously) although it doesn’t look much better, mostly because the 16mm elements have been lost to time and foreclosures. The only available version of this film was a “pristine” VHS copy kept by the screenwriter. Presented full frame but 1080p, it looks fine for what it is. Sound is a clean Dolby Digital 2.0 with English subs. Bonuses start with autoplay trailers for The Abominations, O-Zone: Attack of the Redneck Mutants (also by director Bret McCormick) and Re-Animator Academy. Extras on the film include a commentary with director Bret McCormick along with a video interview. The best extra is the video interview Red Hot Asphalt: Richard Harrison Remembers Highway to Hell. It’s worth the time to watch it all the way through. Road Trip with Blue Thompson is an interview with the actress who played Fran. That’s paired with a jokey piece where Blue Thompson Answers Tough Questions. Also included is Writing a Road Map to Hell: Interview with Gary Kennamer where he talks about his relationship with McCormick and his process. There is also an interview with actor Tom Fegan who played a murdered guard at the start of the film and is an old friend of McCormick’s, an image gallery and Visual Vengeance trailer.
The biggest extra is a bonus movie, produced by McCormick and written and directed by Gary Kennamer, Redneck County Fever (1992). It’s very loose but fun. Two slacker dudes on vacation from college have car issues in a small town and are short on the funds to fix their car and fall victim to a series of troublesome situations. The acting is fine and the story is goofy but it does go from A to B and is watchable. This one was shot on VHS and looks it. Presented 1080p at 1.33:1 with Dolby Digital 2.0 but no subs. Supporting this is its own commentary track with both Bret McCormick and Gary Kennamer remembering their time making this film—Bret not remembering because he wasn’t there and Kennamer only remembering half because he had to hand over direction to the crew after he had a family emergency. There are also two video interviews that cover the same ground as the commentary with McCormick and Kennamer filmed individually. Packaging includes reversible sleeve art featuring new art for Highway on one side and the original VHS art on the other. A folded Redneck County Fever mini-poster, video store stickers and limited edition sleeve/o-card.
- Todd Doogan