Highway to Hell (1991)

Charlie: "Can you tell me the quickest way to Hell?"
Hitchhiker: "Sex, drugs and rock 'n roll."

A young man must rescue his girlfriend from Hell.
Starring: Chad Lowe, Kristy Swanson, Patrick Bergin, CJ Graham, and Richard Farnsworth

Link to IMDB

Charlie and Rachael are a couple of young lovebirds eloping to Las Vegas, but as they drive through the desert in a rusty car they get lost on the back roads at night. Stopping at a gas station they are warned by an old man that some of the roads should be avoided. Sure enough, they find danger when a mysterious police car pulls them over and a paranormal cop kidnaps Rachael!
The old man explains to Charlie that she's been taken to Hell, and he gives our hero a new hot rod and a blessed shotgun so that he (and his dog Ben) can rescue Rachael before it's too late.

"There's a road within a road. It's the highway to Hell." - Old Sam

Hell Cop

Hell is basically just like Nevada, except that everything is dilapidated and everyone is an undead weirdo. Rachael does her best to try and escape, but Hell Cop is as unstoppable as a terminator and he must deliver her to Satan.
Charlie pursues them across the desert, but is always caught-up in trouble and antics as he meets the disturbed residents of Hell. Most notable is a rowdy biker gang that terrorizes everyone, and a "satanic mechanic" named Beezle that helps Charlie keep his hot rod running.
He meets a lot of oddballs and visits sleazy bars during his time in Nevada the underworld, and even though it's delivered tongue-in-cheek there's still a feeling of mystery at what is going to happen next. It's clear that most of the characters are more than they appear to be, but who can Charlie trust to help him rescue Rachael?


This could be seen as a re-imaging of the Greek tale of Orpheus rescuing Eurydice from hell, but designed for the early 90s MTV crowd. The story is presented well, staying on track and actually showing some restraint when it could have easily dived into spoof territory. It's still demented and wacky, yes, but the movie has heart to it and honestly tries to be compelling and provide some sentiment.

Hell race

The car chases and action are reminiscent of Mad Max, but with demons and mythological references mixed in for some unique zest. Unfortunately, it feels like it never uses its full potential, although this is probably due to budget constraints. There's still enough special effects and laughs to keep it enthusiastic, and the stakes are raised even higher when Charlie has to make a deal with the devil and survive a hot rod race to Hell City before he's out of time!

Be sure not to miss:
- Chad Lowe's lack of charisma... Well, I guess that's actually hard to miss.
- Cameos! Ben and Jerry Stiller are both here, as well as Lita Ford. But the most memorable is Gilbert Gottfried as Hitler. Yeah, let that one sink in.
- Good Intentions Paving company.
- Ben the dog gets lots of camera time, and yet barely does anything. (But still cooler than Chad Lowe)

Internet review:
"Sometimes comical, sometimes awesome, but all around fun." - robotGEEK

Should I watch it?
It's not going to blow your mind, but it was worthwhile.

Where can I find it?
Viable links here.

Highway to Hell gets...