If it wasn't for everybody else in the world, I wouldn't be such a bad guy!”
Highway to Hell, (out now from Visual Vengeance) a no-budget thriller from 1990 I had never heard of, can best be encapsulated in one scene. Mass murderer Toby Gilmore, recently escaped from prison, is making his way down the road in a stolen car trying to spread his hatred and violence anywhere that he can. As he drives by a “Pavement Ends” sign, he takes a shot at it and misses. Enraged, he doubles back, gets out of the truck, takes time to aim and shoots the sign, this time hitting his target. “Fuck you!” he yells as he climbs back in the truck to continue his rampage.
This is the kind of stupid crazy shit I want from a villain. Toby (Benton Jennings) is just evil, and he fucking likes it. You can tell because he laughs constantly while doing terrible shit, like running over children or shooting random drivers. Too often, modern villains have to have some goal or some past trauma that shaped their lives. Not Toby. He’s just an old school fuckhead that needs to be put down. The closest we get to any kind of introspection from Toby is this line: “If it wasn’t for everybody else in the world, I wouldn’t be such a bad guy!” He’s a classic “I hate everyone” bad guy.
If that sounds off-putting or miserable, then Highway to Hell isn’t for you. If you’re like me, and you enjoy seeing forgotten trash, then this is going to be a good time. It’s an ugly movie, to be sure, but Jennings and writer/director Bret McCormick inject enough oddness to make it worthwhile, like Toby being utterly committed to wearing a female victim’s sunglasses for most of the movie. Or the overused musical cue that eventually distorts when shit gets truly awful.
I’ve never heard of Bret McCormick, much less seen any of this films. But there are a few trailers for his more gore-driven early work included on this disk. I might check those out one day, but they honestly looked a little too gross for my taste. Highway to Hell is plenty violent, but the low budget didn’t allow for any over-the-top gore, which actually made some of the moments more realistic and haunting.
This may be the only McCormick film I ever see, but it did give me early John Carpenter vibes. You know, if Carpenter was dealing with a little less money and a lot less talent, and that’s a compliment. Highway to Hell is no classic, but it has a unique feel that’s hard to explain, and it has a refreshingly simple villain who just wants to watch the world burn.
Special Features and Transfer
This is the first movie I’ve seen from Visual Vengeance, but I assume each one starts with the same disclaimer that pretty much states, “This is the best we could with what we had to work with, if any of it is bad, it’s because the source material was fucked up. We think you’re going to enjoy it regardless.” This film in particular was taken from a VHS copy the writer had, so you can imagine it’s not pristine. But it would honestly feel wrong if it was. This is the best way to see this movie. It’s as cleaned up as possible, but you still feel like you’re watching an old VHS tape.
The special features are plentiful, with plenty of interviews and a commentary. There’s also a short feature directed by the writer of this film, but I wouldn’t recommend checking it out unless you’re just really into these filmmakers already.