I didn't realize when I started watching Quicksilver Highway that it was a made for TV movie and as I was watching I just kept thinking...this feels more like two Television episodes than a feature film. The movie is in the same vein as The Hitchhiker, or The Twilight Zone, or Creepshow...two stories interwoven with a narrator in this case Aaron Quicksilver, a slightly creepy carnival showman who seems to have obscure stories to tell. The two stories which apparently are in various orders depending on where you see them are definitely obscure, outrageous and absolutely out there. The great thing about the two stories is they treat them so seriously, the actors, the film maker, everyone does not treat them like B-Movie fodder but serious film which is funny in itself given how outrageous both stories are. Gore is in decent amounts given that it is a TV movie and there is some strong performances but the disappointing part is I think that you expect a lot more given two powerhouse writers behind the helm like Stephen King and Clive Barker. I don't feel like they really gave this script their all.
Christopher Lloyd brings his eccentric quirky style to the narrator of the story. Some reviewers have said Lloyd isn't right for the goth like character but Lloyd does eccentric like few others and he is a legend so I enjoyed seeing him on screen. A terrific character actor Matt Frewer gives a solid performance in an incredibly strange story as a surgeon whose hands revolt against him. Ironically the thing I remember Frewer the most from is Honey I Shrunk the Kids but it should be noted he was also the man behind the 80's icon Max Headroom. Frewer is a great actor. Raphael Sbarge is another great character actor and does a great job as lonely traveller Bill Hogan. His story doesn't have quite the intensity as the other but he still does a solid job. Silas Weir Mitchell is terrific as the insane hitchhiker out for blood. Bill Nunn, Veronica Cartwright, and Missy Crider round out the supporting cast and are good in their respective roles although they don't get a lot of screen time.
Director Mick Garris has had some real success in adapting horror stories especially King's, some of his best include The Stand and The Shining TV remake and he does well when he's given the right script. Quicksilver Highway is just a little bit silly. Its fun in a lot of ways and it made me smile in a rather twisted guilty way. Between the two stories Chattery Teeth was the better of the two but The Body Politic was really bordering on absurdity. The hands revolting with their tiny voices and silly revolution was hard to buy even in the world of movies. When all is said and done die hard fans like me might find something worthy in this double dipping of horror/sci-fi stories but it certainly won't be memorable other than for its over the top style. 6.5/10
Christopher Lloyd brings his eccentric quirky style to the narrator of the story. Some reviewers have said Lloyd isn't right for the goth like character but Lloyd does eccentric like few others and he is a legend so I enjoyed seeing him on screen. A terrific character actor Matt Frewer gives a solid performance in an incredibly strange story as a surgeon whose hands revolt against him. Ironically the thing I remember Frewer the most from is Honey I Shrunk the Kids but it should be noted he was also the man behind the 80's icon Max Headroom. Frewer is a great actor. Raphael Sbarge is another great character actor and does a great job as lonely traveller Bill Hogan. His story doesn't have quite the intensity as the other but he still does a solid job. Silas Weir Mitchell is terrific as the insane hitchhiker out for blood. Bill Nunn, Veronica Cartwright, and Missy Crider round out the supporting cast and are good in their respective roles although they don't get a lot of screen time.
Director Mick Garris has had some real success in adapting horror stories especially King's, some of his best include The Stand and The Shining TV remake and he does well when he's given the right script. Quicksilver Highway is just a little bit silly. Its fun in a lot of ways and it made me smile in a rather twisted guilty way. Between the two stories Chattery Teeth was the better of the two but The Body Politic was really bordering on absurdity. The hands revolting with their tiny voices and silly revolution was hard to buy even in the world of movies. When all is said and done die hard fans like me might find something worthy in this double dipping of horror/sci-fi stories but it certainly won't be memorable other than for its over the top style. 6.5/10