''Highway to Hell'' is a 1992 American B

horror comedy film Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary genre, literary, television genre, television, and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three ty ...

directed by

Ate de Jong Ate de Jong (born 1953 in Aardenburg, Zeeland, Netherlands) is a Dutch film director. He is best known as the producer of '' The Discovery of Heaven'' (2001), nominated for a Golden Calf award, and '' Het Bombardement'' (2012). Filmography Dir ...

and starring

Chad Lowe Charles Davis Lowe II (born January 15, 1968) is an American actor. He is the younger brother of actor Rob Lowe. He won an Emmy Award for his supporting role in '' Life Goes On'' as a young man living with HIV. He has had recurring roles on '' ...

Kristy Swanson Kristen Noel Swanson (born December 19, 1969) is an American actress. She is best recognized for having played Buffy Summers in the 1992 film '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and appeared in the 1996 film ''The Phantom''. Her first starring role w ...

and

Patrick Bergin Patrick Connolly Bergin (born 4 February 1951) is an Irish actor and singer perhaps best known for his leading role opposite Julia Roberts in ''Sleeping with the Enemy'' (1991), the title character in Robin Hood (1991 film), terrorist Kevin O ...

. It was written by

Brian Helgeland Brian Thomas Helgeland (born January 17, 1961) is an American screenwriter, film producer and director. He is most known for writing the screenplays for the films ''L.A. Confidential'' and ''Mystic River''. He also wrote and directed the films ...

. The film tells the story of Charlie Sykes (Lowe) and his girlfriend Rachel Clark (Swanson), who is kidnapped by a demon and taken to

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...

to become one of Satan's brides, while Charlie must travel to the other dimension to rescue her. The film features

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...

s by

Lita Ford Lita Rossana Ford (born 19 September 1958) is an English-born American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. She was the lead guitarist for the all-female rock band the Runaways in the late 1970s, before embarking on a successful glam metal solo ...

Gilbert Gottfried Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (February 28, 1955 – April 12, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian and actor, known for his exaggerated shrill voice, strong New York accent, and his edgy, often controversial, sense of humor. His numerous ro ...

, actor

Ben Stiller Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is the son of the comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Stiller was a member of a group of comedic actors colloquially known as ...

, his sister Amy Stiller and their parents,

Jerry Stiller Gerald Isaac Stiller (June 8, 1927 – May 11, 2020) was an American actor and comedian. He spent many years as part of the comedy duo Stiller and Meara with his wife, Anne Meara, to whom he was married for over 60 years until her death in 2015 ...

and

Anne Meara Anne Meara Stiller (September 20, 1929 – May 23, 2015) was an American actress and comedian. Along with her husband Jerry Stiller, she was one-half of the prominent 1960s comedy team Stiller and Meara. Their son is actor, director, and producer ...

. In 2019, Gottfried reprised his role as

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

from the film in the comedy television series '' Historical Roasts''.

Synopsis

Charlie Sykes and Rachel Clark are a young all-American couple who decide to run away and elope in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. On the road to Vegas, they ignore the warning by the local gas station attendant, Sam. They take an abandoned backroad where Rachel is kidnapped by a

zombie A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...

Hell Cop. The kidnapper takes her to hell. Charlie returns to Sam, and Sam explains what the Hellcop is and how to save her. Sam then gives Charlie a shotgun with special ammo and a car that holds a special attribute. After a few attempts, Charlie passes through the portal to hell, an expansive desert with buildings scattered about. On the highway, Charlie meets other dead people that live in Hell and even a motorcycle gang. The gang is led by the rebel Royce. Charlie manages to catch up to Hell Cop, but his car gets shot up during the chase and becomes disabled. His car is then taken by the repair man Beezle, who is able to fix the car. Charlie continues his pursuit. Charlie eventually finds out that Beezle's kid assistant Adam had sneaked into the car, wanting to help him find Rachel and keep his dog Ben company. Adam tells him that Hell Cop killed his family. The Cop took him to hell and gave him to Beezle. Charlie promises to bring him back with him. Charlie eventually tracks down Hell Cop and Rachel at a nightclub/casino. He tries to free Rachel, but Hell Cop grabs Charlie's shotgun. The Cop fatally shoots Charlie before they both leave. Fortunately, Beezle arrives and secures a promise from Adam to come back with him. Beezle uses his repair powers to save Charlie, allowing him to continue his pursuit. Charlie decides to try a shortcut but is warned against it by Clara. Clara is Royce's girlfriend and was previously Sam's girlfriend. One of her decisions forced her to spend eternity in hell. Charlie proceeds to defeat Hell Cop and saves Rachel, who is sexually aggressive towards him. He finds out from her reflection that this "Rachel" is a demon in disguise. He realizes that he was lured into a trap. After defeating the demon, Charlie heads back on the highway. He makes it to the outskirts of Hell City. With his dog Ben distracting

Cerberus In Greek mythology, Cerberus (; grc-gre, Κέρβερος ''Kérberos'' ), often referred to as the hound of Hades, is a multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. He was the offspring of the mo ...

, Charlie convinces

Charon In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon (; grc, Χάρων) is a psychopomp, the ferryman of Hades, the Greek underworld. He carries the souls of those who have been given funeral rites across the rivers Acheron and Styx, which separate the wo ...

to give him a ride over the

River Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; grc, Στύξ ) is a river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the Underworld. The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, whic ...

to the city. Charlie is able to sneak his way around and make it to Rachel. Satan then appears, wanting Rachel as a bride. Since Charlie went through all that trouble, Satan decides to let them go. But when Charlie looks back, a large group of minions appear. The young couple manages to break into Hell Cop's car. They use its power to break through the wall and jump over the river to their car. When he goes back to Beezle's place to get Adam, his repair shop had become a mansion. Beezle comes out, revealing that he is actually Satan. He refuses to allow Charlie to take Adam. Charlie proposes a deal: a race against Hell Cop. If he loses, both Rachel and Adam would stay. As the race begins, Royce drives up to Charlie, demanding to be let inside. He wants to return to the real world. Charlie refuses, and Royce responds by trying to stab Adam. Clara covers his eyes, causing both to crash into a ravine. Just as Hell Cop is about to disable Charlie's car, Rachel finds a switch which releases nitro. It propels their car through the portal, winning the race. However, Hell Cop follows them, seeking revenge. As he is about to kill Charlie, Rachel shoots Hell Cop in his shades, causing him to blow up.

Cast

as Charlie Sykes *

as Beezle *

as Rachel Clark * Jarrett Lennon as Adam *

Adam Storke Adam J. Storke (born August 18, 1962) is an American actor who has starred in television and film. He is best known for playing Julia Roberts's love interest in the 1988 film '' Mystic Pizza'' and as Larry Underwood in the 1994 Stephen King m ...

as Royce *

Pamela Gidley Pamela Catherine Gidley (June 11, 1965 – April 16, 2018) was an American actress and model. She began her career as an actress in 1986, debuting in the film ''Thrashin, before appearing in a number of films, including '' Dudes'' (1987), '' C ...

as Clara * C.J. Graham as Sgt. Bedlam, Hellcop *

Richard Farnsworth Richard William Farnsworth (September 1, 1920 – October 6, 2000) was an American actor and stuntman. He was twice nominated for an Academy Award: in 1978 for Best Supporting Actor for ''Comes a Horseman,'' and in 2000 for Best Actor in '' T ...

as Sam *

as The Hitchhiker *

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...

, Waitress in Pluto's * Amy Stiller as

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

as Pluto's Cook/

Attila Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European traditio ...

as The Desk Cop * Be Deckard as Dentist, Royce's Gang * Michael Reid MacKay as Rachel Demon *

Kevin Peter Hall Kevin Peter Hall (May 9, 1955 – April 10, 1991) was an American actor. Hall stood tall, and frequently played monster characters during his career. He was the original title character in the science fiction ''Predator'' franchise, appearing ...

Production

The film was shot in

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

and

Page Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young m ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. Antelope Canyon was also a location. Parts of the film were also shot at

Glen Canyon Glen Canyon is a natural canyon carved by a length of the Colorado River, mostly in southeastern and south-central Utah, in the United States. Glen Canyon starts where Narrow Canyon ends, at the confluence of the Colorado River and the Dirty D ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

Release

Completed in 1989, Hemdale shelved the film for over a year before finally giving it a limited release. It was released to home video on August 21, 1992 and on DVD and Blu-ray on February 2, 2016.

Reception

Kevin Thomas of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' wrote: "Although ambitious, amusing and even romantic, replete with lots of striking sets and jazzy special effects, its humor is not sophisticated enough to attract the wide audiences of a ''Beetlejuice''". Michael Dare of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' called it "smart, witty, and incredibly imaginative". ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

'' rated it 2/5 stars and wrote: "''Highway to Hell'' is no masterpiece, but it is a genuine video find". Todd Rigney of Beyond Hollywood called it a "deliriously enjoyable satanic road trip" film that is "fun if you approach it in the right frame of mind". HorrorNews.Net called it "one of the greatest campy horror films to never arrive on DVD". ''Highway to Hell'' has since developed a

cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

References

External links

* * * {{Amg movie, 22448 1992 films 1992 comedy films 1992 horror films 1990s comedy horror films American comedy horror films American fantasy comedy films American independent films American satirical films The Devil in film American supernatural horror films American road movies Films about kidnapping Films set in hell Films shot in Utah Films shot in Arizona Films with screenplays by Brian Helgeland 1990s English-language films Films directed by Ate de Jong 1990s American films