Customer Reviews

Quick Silver Highway [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've always enjoyed a good horror anthology movie (although I'm not sure after watching this film it actually fits in that category), some of my favorites being (in no particular order) Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965), The House That Dripped Blood (1970), Tales from the Crypt (1972), Asylum (1972), The Vault of Horror (1973), and Creepshow (1982), so, when I Quicksilver Highway (1997) appeared on my radar, I was naturally curious...a curiosity that wasn't necessarily rewarded as I got around to watching it last night...this made for TV feature is based on two short stories, one titled `Chattery Teeth' by Stephen King, and another titled `The Body Politic' by Clive Barker, both well known authors in the field of horror literature. Adapted and directed by Mick Garris (Critters 2: The Main Course, Sleepwalkers), the film stars Christopher Lloyd (The Addams Family) and Matt Frewer (Max Headroom). Also appearing is Raphael Sbarge (Risky Business, My Science Project), Missy Crider (Gigli), Silas Weir Mitchell (The Whole Ten Yards), Bill Nunn (Spider-Man 2), Veronica Cartwright (Alien, The Right Stuff), and Cynthia Garris, who just happens to be married to the director and all of her credits happen to be productions her husband directed...whatever...

The film begins on a lonely desert highway where we see a recently married young couple stranded due to a flat tire and an even flatter spare...the knuckleheaded husband decides the only thing to do is to leave his wife, who's pregnant by the way, at the car and go off in seek of help, but not in the direction they came from (which would seem the logical choice, since one would know what was behind), but forward, into the unknown...anyway, while the woman waits nervously, aide appears in the form of a Rolls Royce with motor home (with a Victorian interior) in tow, driven by a weirdo named Aaron Quicksilver (Lloyd), who offers the safety of his company while waiting for the husband to return. He describes himself as a traveler and a collector of interesting stories and facts, to which he proceeds to relate a particularly stupid tale about a traveling salesman, a sinister hitchhiker (aren't they all), and a pair of murderous, oversized, chattering, novelty teeth (seriously). After this we switch to scenes of a carnival and we're witnessing a pickpocket on his rounds, ducking into an exhibition called `Exposition of Delightful Horrors' in hopes of eluding the police. Guess who happens to be running the exhibition? Aaron Quicksilver...who then begins to tell a tale of a successful cosmetic surgeon (Frewer) suffering from a severe case of the `jimmy' hands, in other words, his hands begin acting of their own accord, and even to the point where they begin plotting a revolt...a `digital revolution', if you will...

Okay, I'm not really sure what kind of look they were going for when they made Christopher Lloyd up the way they did, but he comes off like some unholy hybrid of Liza Minnelli and Carol Burnett...which is pretty creepy (in a sleazy sort of way), but really didn't put me in the mood for receiving tales of terror (of which there are none here, by the way)...and I love the fact that the only people Lloyd's character could get to listen to his particularly lame stories are those who were essentially trapped into doing so...you see, the newly married woman got stuck with him because night was falling and the coyotes began howling, while the thief was forced into Quicksilver's company to avoid being arrested...and both of these people asked virtually the same question after the end of each tale in that of `Is their any point to your story?' So essentially what you have is a cross-dressing, psuedo-metaphilosophical, freaky deaky traveling around the back roads of America in a Victoria style motor home telling pointless stories to people whose only other choices beyond listening to said stories are incarceration or death? Great premise for a film...as far as the movie itself, the production values were decent, the actors professional (I hope Lloyd got paid really well for having present himself in such a manner), the direction capable, the music exceptional (composed by Mark Mothersbaugh) with the main weakness being in the material. This just served to confirm my ardent belief that not every bit of literature necessarily deserves to be turned into a movie or TV show, even if they're based on material written by the likes of Clive Barker or Stephen King. I haven't read either of the stories these adaptations are based on, so I couldn't tell you if this was a case of weak source material or just a rather lame adaptation. Did Stephen King really write a story about a pair of chattering novelty teeth coming alive and biting people to death? Perhaps the once deep waters of inspiration have since suffered a drought...maybe it was from his Bachman days...as far as the Barker story, I'm sure it came across much better on paper than it did on screen. There were some comical moments, specifically with regards to the hands `communicating' with each, talking about freedom and revolution in high pitched voices sound a lot like those little Brownie characters from the George Lucas/Ron Howard film Willow (1988). One aspect that did creep me out a little was the fact the director had his wife Cynthia cast in the 2nd story, as the surgeon's wife, specifically the scenes when her character and Frewer's began making out, all while her husband was behind the camera giving direction...so he got paid to film his wife, who is also got paid, making out with another man? That's beautiful...I know, I know...actors and directors are supposed to be professionals, but still, wouldn't you feel the least bit off watching your spouse getting it on with another?

The original full screen format (it was a made for TV movie, remember?) looks very sharp and clean, and the audio comes through clearly. There are actually some special features including a recent interview with Matt Frewer (9:32) where he talks about his experiences filming his piece, tending to get a bit gushy about director Mick Garris probably because Garris continues to help keep him employed by putting him in other King televised and big screen adaptations like Riding the Bullet (2004) and "Desperation" (2005). Also included is a commentary track with director Garris and his wife/actress Cynthia Garris, who happened to be in the film for all of about 10 minutes so I'm sure she'll have a lot to offer...she is really hot, though, but that's not really something that'd come through on a commentary track. Along with these features, there's also a trailer, a storyboard gallery, and a teleplay, which is on the DVD-ROM portion of the DVD.

Cookieman108

On the cover, it reads "by Stephen King & Clive Barker". Man, I was dissapinted when I saw this one. The stories are amazingly weak, and it wasn't scary at all. If you're a huge horror-fan, and love Stephen King and Clive Barker, this movie is interesting to have seen. But if you're looking for a good scare, than this one is last of your choice!

'Quicksilver Highway' is the collaboration of two of the world's most talented literary horror writers, Stephen King and Clive Barker. It is a rather short anthology of two terrifyingly twisted tales, with an inset story featuring Christopher Llyod (Back to the Future 1, 2 & 3). But do they terrify the average filmgoer?

A wandering storyteller, Aaron Quicksilver (Lloyd), narrates the tales in two strikingly different locations: Stephen King's 'Chattery Teeth' along a deserted stretch of desert highway and Clive Barker's 'The Body Politic' within the carnivalesque setting of a funfair.

The more interesting of the two tales is 'Chattery Teeth', which tells of a psychopathic hitchhiker who falls prey to a relentless and dangerously-sharp set of chattering teeth owned by the travelling salesman driving the car. 'Chattery Teeth' is taken from a short story written by King and first published in 'Cemetery Dance' magazine in the nineties. Similar to the stories found in 'Creepshow' and 'Creepshow 2', it is a bizzare and disturbing story with a twist in the tail, very similar to the 'Twilight Zone' and the 'Ray Bradbury Theater'.

The lesser of the two is Barker's 'The Body Politic'. Here, a hand comes alive, goes completely out of control, and eventually attacks its owner. The story is taken from Clive Barker's 'Books of Blood: Vol 4' and is actually quite an entertaining and intelligent story ... in print. However, attempting to re-create this story on film just doesn't work. The effects are nothing short of laughable, which inevitably ruins a good tale.

'Quicksilver Highway' is directed by Mick Garris, who has collaborated with Stephen King on more than one occasion (see 'Sleepwalkers', 'The Stand', 'The Shining' (TV), and the forthcoming 'Riding the Bullet' and 'Desperation'. He is also the man behind some of the 'Twilight Zone' episodes and 'Freddy's Nightmares', the latter explaining his less than efficient effort with 'Quicksilver Highway'.

Nevertheless, the cast is well chosen - Matt Frewer (The Stand), John Landis (Director of 'An American Werewolf in London'), Bill Nunn (Kiss the Girls), and Clive Barker - and although the movie does have its tedious and ridiculous moments (check out Lloyd's fetishistic leather garb), it is watchable. Fans of 'Tales from the Crypt' and 'Tales from the Darkside' will certainly want to give this film a look-see.

Rating: A good weekday watch after the witching hour ... but time spent reading the short stories would be considerably more prudent.

The Stephen King story didn't translate well, it was a little too confusing, I would like to find out what was left on the edit room floor. The Clive Barker tale translated very well, the short story it was based on was just as quirky as the short film, it was the best part of the movie. Also, the transitions with Christopher Lloyd were too clumsy and irritating. Something better and smoother was needed. A definite renter but questionable buy.

After having read dozens of King and Barker novels and seen a gazillion horror flicks in my life, you can trust me when I say to you that this is the silliest and most boring thing I've seen in a decade.

This movie, hell it's not even worth being called that, can't even scare your 5-year-old, believe me. In my personal opinion, Mick Garris and Chris Lloyd have had their days and should part from the silver screen forever..

Steven King and Clive Barker was very creative on this one. Well... think about it, possessed chattering teeth? I think the people who thought of that hand story are geniuses, plus it was a very good idea that the guy with one hand sacrificed his life to stop the revolution at an end. BRAVO!! BRAVO!! BRAVICIMO!!

Enthusiastically given 5 stars. The stories are well done. And seeing the cameos by Clive Barker, Mick Garris's wife and John Landis was fun. Good production, good actors, good editing. If you like creepy but without the blood and guts, this would be a good place to start.

Originally a made for TV movie, QUICKSILVER HIGHWAY is actually two different stories, framed by a storyteller from hell. Christopher Lloyd stars as Quicksilver, the delightful collector of oddities and such. We first meet him after a newlywed couple's car breaks down, the husband goes off for help and along comes Lloyd in his Rolls Royce and trailer, who offers the fearsome bride refuge. He then tells her the story, which is based on Stephen King's "Chattery Teeth." Rafael Sbarge (Carnosaur 2, The Hidden 2) plays a traveling salesman who stops at a rustic little diner and is given a set of "chattering teeth" for his son's birthday present. He also picks up a hitchhiker and there the trouble begins. Of course you know the teeth are alive, and the outcome is fairly predictable. Veronica Cartwright (Alien) has a nice bit as the proprietor of the diner. The tale lacks a lot of tension that a tighter script could have given it and Sbarge is miscast. The second story, as absurdly outrageous as it is, was adapted from Clive Barker's short story "The Body Politic." Matt Frewer plays a petty pickpocket who meets Lloyd in his house of "oddities" and is told the story of a plastic surgeon who discovers his hands are revolting against him for their independence. They make him do strange things including killing his wife. The talking hands screaming for revolution are hilarious and the way they crawl and run around borders on the ridiculous. But because of Matt Frewer's dynamite performance, the story works.
QUICKSILVER HIGHWAY doesn't reach the class of such collections as Tales from the Crypt or even Tales That Witness Madness, but Matt Frewer and the rebel hands make it worth it!

Christopher Lloyd plays a creepy guy who travels around America collecting creepy stories. Sounds good so far, right? A honeymooning couple is stranded on the road. The groom leaves his wife alone and Lloyd comes along and welcomes her into his motorhome to wait for him to return. He begins to tell her one of the stories he has collected. It's about a set of wind-up chattering teeth that seem to be posessed. He follows that story with one about a surgeon who's hands rebel on him, and start a revolution. This movie had a lot of potential. It's entertaining to a point, that is, if you've never seen it before. The wraparound story gets you in the mood, the chattering teeth story is pretty good too, though it leaves too much unanswered. The second story, though I hate to come down on it since it stars Matt Frewer and I do enjoy his work, starts out interesting but quickly becomes ridiculous and annoying. Giving the hands voices was going too far I'd say. This second story carries on for far too long, and it would have been better to make that one shorter and add a third story, because for a horror anthology you really should have at least 3 stories, not including the wraparound story. Overall it's like I said, a movie that entertains, until the story about the hands seems like it won't end. It's worth seeing once. It could have been so much better though.

This film is based on two stories of two famous horror writers. Certainly the stories were frightening in the books, but they are very difficult to be filmed. One is about a biting toy that becomes alive. The other tells what can happen if our hands rebel from our body and mind and we cannot control them anymore. Instead of becoming terrifiying, many situations get hilarious. The producers should have choosen stories that fit more the movies.