Quicksilver Highway (1997 TV Movie) User Reviews

Strangely entertaining

[MovieAddict2016 · 4/10 · 1 October 2005]

I was in a mediocre hotel in England, up at two in the morning and couldn't get to sleep. I decided to put the TV on and one of the first channels I flipped to was a show starring Christopher Lloyd. It looked pretty bad, but there was something about it that was strangely fascinating...

I later found out that it was not actually a TV show, but rather a television movie. (Wow, big difference.) Christopher Lloyd plays Quicksilver, a mysterious old man who roams the country delivering moral tales. His first he delivers to a newlywed bride whose car has broken down, and whose husband has wandered away looking for a gas station.

His tale involves a similar fate involving a man named Charlie (Matt Frewer) who picks up a hitchhiker and is nearly killed by him.

The next involves a man whose hand is chopped off by his other hand (!) and all the hands in the world start a revolt. Yes, it's as silly as it sounds, and hilarious to watch.

The movie is perhaps unintentionally bad, but I was entertained. It's a very corny, silly movie that is easy to watch. The special effects are simply awful in the hand-attack narrative. I loved it.

Lloyd is overacting (or overREacting?) in a script full of clichés. Author Clive Barker and director John Landis even offer their not-so-subtle cameos.

All in all, if you have nothing better to watch, this WILL keep you very entertained...a huge guilty pleasure.

Pretty good, for a made-for-TV horror film

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 6/10 · 28 July 2004]

I'll start this review by saying that I've read neither of the short stories that this movie is based on, neither Stephen King's Chattery Teeth, nor Cliver Barker's The Body Politic, so I can't comment on whether or not they're accurate conversions of the stories. I will say, however, that based on my limited knowledge of King's work(and my even more limited knowledge of Barker's) that I do believe that they did a pretty good job on bringing the stories to life in this movie. The plot for both stories is good(yes, even the King story, I have to admit, though I despise his works), and it's both involving and interesting, for both segments. The acting ranges from made-for-TV standard, and slightly better; all four of the leads did a good job, as far as I'm concerned: Christopher Lloyd, Matt Frewer, Raphael Sbarge and Missy Crider. I especially enjoyed Lloyd, and his character, the storyteller, who is in both the prologue and the epilogue for both segments, and gives a further chill down the spine with his afterthoughts for both stories. The characters are well-written, credible and easy to relate to, which, I guess, can be credited almost as much to the original authors(King and Barker) as the script writer and director(who, incidentally, is the same person). Both segments are about equally chilling and horrifying, though the first has more buildup and the second has more actual action, which shows the difference in the authors' styles. The direction is pretty good, especially for a TV movie. The special effects are about as good as they get for a TV movie budget. The horror in both segments is fairly chilling and disturbing. They also both give you a little something to think about, once the story is over; this is also pushed a little further in the epilogue for both segments, by the storyteller, Lloyd, which obviously proves that the director/scriptwriter Mick Garris certainly understood both stories, as well as their underlying themes. All in all, a pretty good way to spend 90 minutes if it's on TV and you've got nothing spectacular to do, but not something you'll be watching over and over again. Good for one or two viewings, if you're into this type of horror. I recommend it to fans of King, Barker and Lloyd, and possibly also Garris. Good for spending 90 minutes watching if it's on, and you've got nothing better to do. 6/10

Highway to Film Hell?

[Mister_Gordon_Shumway · 6/10 · 3 December 2007]

'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 Lloyd (Back to the Future). But do they terrify the average film-goer? 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 bizarre and disturbing story with a twist in the tail (think '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 (dir. '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.

Matthew J Lee-Williams, Review.

Enjoyable, but not a classic

[CQKRIS · 6 March 2002]

Fans of Stephen King and Clive Barker will love the two horror stories told in this swift refreshing movie. Stephen King fans will remember "Cat's Eye" from 1983 which starred James Woods and a young Drew Barrymore which told similar tales. Both tales are both horrifying and funny and they are joined together by Christopher Lloyd acting as a deviant soul looking for "America's lost heart". This movie is never a classic, but it was never supposed to be. It's a light hearted look at horror with sarcastic overtones. A refreshing horror movie.

Doesn`t Feel Like A TVM

[Theo Robertson · 5/10 · 20 March 2004]

It`s misleading to describe QUICKSILVER HIGHWAY as a TV movie because it feels like two episodes of an anthology show like THE TWILIGHT ZONE stuck together . By that I mean Mr Quicksilver relates the stories at two different locations , a desert(ed ) highway and a funfair . Is there any reason for this apart from the denounements ?

As for the stories themselves CHATTERING TEETH is probably the better but only when it`s being played straight devoid of its silly supernatural tones. Giving a ride to a hitch hiker who seems to border on the psycotic , yeah a good premise that ends up being ignored which seems to have been a problem with Stephen King stories for many years

I did read Clive Barker`s THE BODY POLITIC many years ago . It`s an imaginative story and one which I couldn`t help admiring Barker`s writing skills . However it`s one of those fantasy tales that is unfilmable since a revolution involving hands will come across as totally bizarre and unintentionally funny when realized on screen . So I`ve got to disagree with the chap who said THE BODY POLITIC is both tongue in cheek and misunderstood - No it`s not , it only comes across that way down to using a different meduim to what Barker envisaged

And also got to repeat my criticism that this " TVM " feels like a failed anthology series with two episodes stuck together

Borrriinng!

[Ace-33 · 2/10 · 17 January 1999]

It shocks me to think there are IMDb reviewers out there who would give this sordid piece of uninteresting, uninspiring, unsurprising, total waste of potential film acting a 10 rating! Never had I painfully sat through such a bomb hoping that the film would just get better because others enjoyed it. Don't waste your time. You're better off getting a cheap B-flick that is campy and fun. This ain't it.

Oh boy oh boy.

[Gassit · 1/10 · 15 April 1999]

This was incredible! Incredibly stupid that is! This is not worth watching. Quicksilver highway does not do any good for the reputation of two of the most admired horror writers, namely Stephen King and Clive Barker! If IMDB had had an option of 0/10 points it would've got just that. I'm hugely disappointed.

Quicksilver Highway

[Scarecrow-88 · 6/10 · 19 May 2007]

"I'm chronicling the real America, not the ideal America..the warts, the coarse black hairs, the dark underbelly of a nation trying to fool itself that it has none..

..There is no light without darkness, no life without death, no peace without war, no God without Satan..

..I'm a boatman on the River Styx in Black Asphalt..a traveler on Route 666."

Introducing himself to recent, wedding-dress clad bride, Olivia(Missy Crider)is Aaron Quicksilver(Christopher Lloyd , dressed as if he walked off the set of THE ADDAMS FAMILY)a storyteller of the absurd and macabre and does he have quite the tale for her. Olivia is awaiting her husband off to find assistance due to their car having a flat tire.

In the story Quicksilver tells her is Bill Hogan(Raphael Sbarge, also portraying Olivia's husband Kerry off to get some help)a bar-code label salesman who runs into a psycho hitchhiker on his way home through a bad dust storm that doesn't let up. Luckily, Bill has aide when a vehicle crash, during the hitcher's threats to kill him, causes his van to run off the road and upside down into a gully. Unable to unlock his seat, it seems as if Bill is sure bait for the killer, but is assisted by a steel toy he received by an old man running a grocery store nearby. That steel toy is chattery teeth with legs! This tale is based on a Stephen King story called "Chattery Teeth." In the wraparound, Olivia finds that this story hits closer to home than she could possibly ever realize.

Matt Frewer, a Mick Garris vet, is Charlie, a pickpocket who happens across a gallery of oddities at a carnival, operated by...Aaron Quicksilver. Charlie spots a wax hand which serves as a candle for Quicksilver on display. Quicksilver has a tale for Charlie and it consists of a plastic surgeon, Dr. Charles George whose hands are rebelling against him! We see them actually talking to each other in conversation, the hands I mean(I'm not joking, we hear them speaking words as certain fingers act as lips!), planning to escape the tyranny of the body seeking freedom! Poor Charles George can not understand why his hands would wish to kill his beloved wife or sever ties with him. The rest of the tale consists of one hand, severing itself from Charles' arm, causing turmoil amongst a hospital staff telling the hands of everyone to revolt! Charles must make an ultimate decision..one remaining attached hand seems to be a "messiah" for the other hands and will have to die with his suicide the possible only viable option left to make. And, in the wraparound, pickpocket Charlie might not have the chance to use his hands for criminal activity any longer. Based on Clive Barker's story, "The Body Politic."

Now, both stories are insane dealing with bizarre tales of horror. The outrageous nature of both tales might work for those willing to suspend disbelief. The beautiful, fluid camera-work, often always an asset in even director Garris' worst films, is on display here. The hands running free in a hospital causing havoc has to be seen to be believed. If one has seen the ADDAMS FAMILY feature films, they have an inclination of what I'm talking about. Seeing a toy with chattery teeth and legs leaping at the throat of an evil hitchhiker(Silas Weir Mitchell)isn't exactly something I remember seeing before so that might be novelty for those interested in the silly and weird. This anthology can be a lot of fun for undemanding viewers expecting true terror because these tales seem more geared towards chuckles than horrifying it's audience. If you enjoy Christopher Lloyd, you might enjoy his creepy storyteller, whose cracking, demented smile is memorable as those who hear his stories are effected by them.

Quicksilver Highway

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 15 August 2021]

It was a smart idea to take a story by Stephen King - "Chattery Teeth" - and Clive Barker - "The Body Politic" - and turn it into a portanteau. Oddly, the whole idea came about because of agents.

Creative Artists Agency met with Garris about writing the pilot script for a John McTiernan-directed horror series that would have the same actors every week and a storyteller named Aaron Quicksilver - played here by Christopher Lloyd - introduce each story.

After writing a pilot script based on "Chattery Teeth," Garris pitched the series to Fox, who wanted a two-hour movie, which brought in the Barker story. McTiernan then left the project, with Garris taking over.

In the film King-penned tale - the home video flips the order - Quicksilver meets a hitchhiking couple who are newly married and tells them the story of a man who grabbed some poorly made novelty teeth at a gas station, teeth that somehow become alive and devoted to protecting his life. Then, a pickpocket learns the Barker story, all about a world in which our hands become their own people and rebel against the people they are attached to.

Matt Frewer being in both stories really helps. He's the kind of actor who improves every role he touches. And Garris is able to turn this material into a gripping film; it helps that he was friends with both authors, as they had cameos in his film Sleepwalkers and Garris also directed the original The Stand, The Shining TV movie, Riding the Bullet Desparation and Bag of Bones.

Not exactly revolutionary but also not a complete loss

[Robert_duder · 6/10 · 14 December 2010]

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

TV cheese at its best (Well, worst!)

[laurathistle · 1/10 · 15 July 2005]

When I say 1/10 I really mean awful in a cringing but enjoyable sort of way.

This movie was shown late at night because it is supposed to be scary but I found it hilarious!

Any body who tries to analyse the characters or seeks hidden meanings needs to watch more movies like "Atomic train" and "Tales from the crypt."

Christopher Lloyd must have had De ja vous of "Thing" from "The Adams family" when filming this little beauty.

A fun movie to watch with your mates when your all broke and drunk on cider and cheap wine! I urge you to add this to your DVD collection or a very least borrow it from someone.

Fun to watch.

[spoken · 8/10 · 27 August 2005]

At the time of this writing I'm a bit confused because the version I saw gave the "hand" story first followed by the "teeth" story, but comments here and on Amazon say the movie presents the two stories the other way around. And it should be noted that I haven't read the original stories; I judge the movie as a stand-alone form of entertainment.

So, imagine what would happen if your hands stopped responding to commands from your brain and began doing whatever *they* wanted to do. And what if your hands plotted a revolution requiring an army of hands from other people. If you happened to see the modern "Addams Family" remake then you can extrapolate: picture a bunch of "Thing" hands running around free. I thought the army, and how they got that way, were very funny. OK, there is a rather serious horror story going on in the background, and Matt Frewer does some excellent hand-acting.

As for the second story, well, I can't say much without giving too much away. But I was blown away by my favorite character, the wind-up teeth. I have a small collection of similar wind-ups, similar in that they walk or play instruments, but I never saw anything like these teeth. I felt totally torn between the seriousness of a hitchhiker-horror story and the humor of a wind-up character. Enjoy, just for fun.

Two of my favorite writers

[Bored_Dragon · 6/10 · 19 October 2018]

"Quicksilver Highway" is another in a series of films, typical for the eighties and nineties, in which several unrelated "horror" stories are more or less clumsily connected by the common narrator. This time we have two stories of cult authors directed by Mick Garris.

The first story is an adaptation of "Chattery Teeth" by Stephen King, about the traveling salesman who picks up a maniacal hitchhiker. Although the atmosphere is pretty good, and Silas Weir Mitchell nailed the role of the maniac, the story itself is stupid, and I could not have guessed that it was Stephen King, not in a million years. It's not a crap, but it is pretty lousy.

5/10

The second story is an adaptation of Clive Barker's "The Body Politic", about the hands that decide to become independent of their owner. The very premise is horrifying, and Matt Frewer in the leading role made it frighteningly convincing. To this story I really have no objections. Everything from the scenario, through acting, directing, sound and effects, is well executed and leaves a really strong impression. Unlike the first story, this one can rightly be called a horror.

8/10

Overall impression:

6,5/10

Amusing... ehh horror?

[p-stepien · 5/10 · 13 November 2009]

The two horror greats combine with Quicksilver Highway... Stephen King and Clive Barker side by side make the... unscariest horror movie ever. But one has to admit it is an amusing watch. The attack of the killer teeth (based on King's short story "Chattery Teeth") and the bloody revolution of hands (based on Barker's short story "The Body Politic") just doesn't scream 'HORROR'...

The narrator and part hero of the story is Aaron Quicksilver (played skillfully, if unremarkably by Christopher Lloyd), a quirky collector of the weird side of evil. He presents two tales to two people... with the moral of the story... Quicksilver is no moralist. He is more than happy to leave the preaching to the preachers. But these tales intertwine with the lives of the unwillful listeners and the wacky stories come to life in the most awkward of fashions.

The King story is bland and uneventful. Naturally with a story about murderous teeth I don't expect "It" type stuff, but it never really unfolds and really makes you uninterested with watching the much better second half of the movie. And it is worth a watch. The story is undeniably superwacky and on some level just plain idiotic... Oh but it is quite brilliant. And Matt Frewer plays the lead here quite masterfully and really is the biggest highlight of this movie.

All in all a tale of two halves... one boring and just dull. The second a real nut-case extravaganza and well worth the 45 minutes.

Don't have words for it !

[laurens-3 · 15 October 2000]

I'm sorry I had to spent my money on this movie, because this definitely has to be the worst movie I have ever seen in my life !!!

The reason I didn't like the movie is that the whole movie I was waiting for something to happen, but it just didn't !!

Also the whole idea of hands on the loose isn't quite what I expected from a Stephen King-based movie...

So my advice to you is : DON'T RENT IT !! it's a waiste of your precious dollars.

Lame comedy/thriller attempt, made for TV

[Coventry · 3/10 · 29 March 2004]

Christopher Lloyd's name on the cover, Clive Barker in the writing credits and a nice enough sounding titles…those indicators were enough for me to give this film a chance….A decision I already regret. Quicksilver Highway tells two lame and tedious stories, even though the respected authors Stephen King and Clive Barker wrote them. Lloyd stars as the host and he looks like some kind of goofy masochist with a fetish for the occult. The first tale (by Clive Barker) is laughable effort in which a salesman is saved from a criminal hitchhiker by a set of chattering teeth-toy. I kid you not… My little niece has a toy like that and I must say it really looks scary indeed. I didn't think it would be possible but King's story is even lousier. The hands of a surgeon all of a sudden decide to organize a revolution and they want to be separated from the body! Talking hands, people…give me a break! Both stories run low on creativity and they're extremely repetitive…You'd be better of watching `The Hitcher' instead of the first story and `The Beast With 5 Fingers' instead of the second one. In the film, Christopher Lloyd keeps on stressing that his tales contain no moral at all…Well, it would have been better if he also mentioned they were pointless and a complete waste of time.

I can't believe this exists.

[ArbitraryNoun · 1/10 · 14 August 2005]

Seriously, I can't believe anyone was even remotely interested in putting this on television. I caught the tail end of the "hand" portion and hated my life for however long that took to finish. There was little else on broadcast television. If there were, however, I wouldn't be writing this; I'd have changed the channel and enjoyed living and breathing.

As I write this, a new chapter has opened up, quickly becoming the obvious cliché it sets out to describe. How ironic! That was sarcasm.

This is one of the worst things I've ever opted to leave on in the periphery. As far as leaving the television on for noise is concerned, you're better off sitting in silence.

Tales of terror on the highway to hell

[Wazzathekiller · 6/10 · 13 December 2010]

Back in 1997 Garris tried to get a horror anthology of the ground and as it didn't kick off turned the pilot episodes into a TV movie working with two authors (Barker and King) he's worked with before and since. A few years later he found the right combination with the infinitely better Masters of Horror series.

Quicksilver Highway involves Doc Emmett Brown (Lloyd) as Aaron Quicksilver, (a guy dressed in fetish gear that hasn't seen the sun in years) traveling America and digging up stories from its dark heart. The first story he tells is King's 'Chattering Teeth' which is woeful in the extreme. The second is Barker's 'The Body Politic' which is a far greater story but still not done particularly well here.

Chattering Teeth has virtually no element of horror to it whatsoever. A guy picks up a vaguely menacing hitchhiker but he sure ain't no Rutger Hauer. They crash the van and the toy teeth the guy was given at a road-stop start mauling the hitcher and then cut the guy free of his seat-belt. Short but pointless. But as Lloyd himself says, his stories have no moral and no point, 'they're just stories'.

Now while I haven't read 'Chattering teeth' (and have no desire to after this) I have read 'The Body Politic' and its an amazing story as are pretty much all those contained in Barker's 'Books of Blood' anthology. A classic tale of revolution where body parts rebel against the governing body. Not so good here. The voices of the hands are a bit too cute. They should be mean muthas ready to take on the world. The hand effects are pretty ordinary as well. The hands were much better on Frewer who turns in a great performance which saves this. There's also a lot of people running around clutching bloody stumps which straight away makes it better than the previous story.

Overall not great but it would have been hampered by the low budget and the fact that as it was made for a prime-time TV slot the gore was left back on the highway. The acting is good (Lloyd, Frewer) but Mick doesn't really get it right here. I was gonna give it 5/10 but the fact Clive Barker is it in when they're pumping fat from a bloated carcass raised it up a notch.

"Oh shut your mouth, you make my fillings ache." Watchable supernatural TV film, nothing special though.

[poolandrews · 5/10 · 16 July 2005]

Quicksilver Highway starts in a desert deep in the the middle of nowhere as a newly married couple Kerry (Raphael Sbarge) & his babe of a wife Olivia Harmon Parker (Missy Crider) have a flat tyre on their car, Kerry says he will have to walk to the nearest town for help & sets off. Olivia sits in the car for hours waiting for her husbands return, eventually a travelling showman in a Rolls-Royce pulls up, he gets out & offers assistance & company while she waits. In his rather spacious looking trailer he introduces himself as Aaron Quicksilver (Christopher Lloyd), a traveller who collects bizarre stories about the dark side of America. He begins to tells Olivia one of these stories...

Travelling salesman Bill Hogan (Raphael Sbarge again) is trying to get home for his sons birthday but is finding the going tough as a huge sandstorm makes driving the desert highways hazardous. He stops off at a road-side store run by Myra (Veronica Cartwright) & her husband Scooter (Bill Bolender) whom give him a pair of large metal mechanical novelty teeth as a present for his son. While there Bill gives a lift to a hitchhiker named Bryan Adams (Silas Weir Mitchell) who at first is polite but soon turns nasty as he pulls a knife & tries to rob Bill, during the confrontation they crash & Bill is trapped. Bryan isn't happy & decides to 'hurt' Bill but help comes in a very unexpected form...

Back in the desert & Kerry returns, however it's not a happy reunion...

Next we're off to an amusement park called 'Pacific Park' where pickpocket Charlie (Matt Frewer) makes a good living stealing wallets. Charlie comes across an attraction named the 'Exposition of Delightful Horror'. Inside he is welcomed by Quicksilver who shows him the 'Hand of Glory' & tells yet another tale...

Dr. Charles George (Matt Frewer again) is a rich & very successful plastic surgeon catering for the wealthy, he is regarded as the best in the business. However strange things begin to happen to Charles as he seems to be suffering from hand spasms. It isn't long before it becomes clear that something sinister is going on as his hands strangle his wife Ellen (Cynthia Garris) & one chops the other off with a meat clever which sets a disturbing plan into action...

Back at the amusement park Charlie leaves Quciksilver's attraction & is promptly brought to justice...

Quicksilver Highway was a made for TV film that was written, co-produced & directed by Mick Garris that is watchable enough but is far from special. The script is based on two short stories, one by Stephen King called 'Chattery Teeth' & another by Clive Barker called 'The Body Politic'. I have not read either story but unfortunately both of them are very thin & don't translate to the screen that well, unless it's just Garris's poor teleplay. Both stories are too long & feature very little in the way of a twist which is an absolute must as far as these anthology stories go as far as I'm concerned. They both just plod along at a fairly pedestrian pace without much in the way of shocks, surprises or horror. Having said that there are a couple of great scenes, in particular the sequence in which Bill is threatened at knife-point by Bryan which is genuinely quite unnerving to watch & the scene when Charles chops his hand off with a meat clever as you see his face reflected in the shiny steel as it comes down & a pretty good severed hand effect. However these bits are few & far between & the rest of Quicksilver Highway really isn't that great. I also think that it would have been a lot better if the filmmakers had made three shorter stories rather than just two long ones. Garris does little to liven things up, I just don't find a pair of walking false teeth scary & in fact I was trying hard not to laugh. The hand segment features some ridiculous disembodied hands running around exactly like Thing from The Adams Family only with worse special effects & even more comical results, this is all taken & presently with deadly seriousness by director Garris which was a bad move as Quicksiler Highway loses a lot of credibility with it's overall play-it-straight humourless tone. There is no real gore or violence, a brief scene with some severed fingers & a really cool shot of Charles cutting his hand off, other than that forget it. The acting is OK with Lloyd always being fun to watch & a special mention goes to Missy Crider who is one fine looking young lady. Clive Barker turns up in a small role as a anaesthesiologist as does director John Landis in the same scene as a surgical assistant. Technically Quciksilver Highway is better than I expected & at times manages to escape it's TV film origins with some nice cinematography & on location shooting, the music is very cheap sounding though. Generally speaking Quicksilver Highway is a reasonable way to pass an hour & a half but there are much better horror anthologies out there. Worth a watch but nothing spectacular.

Horror duo from a couple of great genre writers

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 22 October 2016]

A pair of quirky horror stories by top authors Clive Barker and Stephen King are the subject of this two-part anthology tale, with a wraparound segment featuring the ever-hammy Christopher Lloyd at his most insane as sinister storyteller Aaron Quicksilver. The two short films are mood pieces with stories more bizarre than horrific, although both do have a chill here and there to keep them watchable. Although fans of action and hardcore gore are likely to be disappointed, I think this quirky oddity anthology is a worthy successor to those old Amicus anthologies of the 1970s and possesses the same kind of favourable atmosphere as a film like, say, FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE.

The first story is the Stephen King tale about a man, Bill Hogan, travelling home through the desert to reach his son in time for his birthday. Along the way he stops at a truck store and is given a pair of broken 'chattery teeth' as a present. He also picks up a young hitchhiker who seems to be desperate for a lift. Later, in the middle of nowhere, the hitchhiker reveals his true colours by pulling a switchblade and planning to rob Hogan. Hogan has other ideas and causes his van to crash into a ditch. Unfortunately things don't go according to plan and he is left trapped and injured in his seat whilst his psychopathic companion is free to take revenge. But then something odd happens - the 'chattery teeth' suddenly begin to move, as if with a life of their own! Well, someone had to make a horror film about those toy 'chattery teeth' some time or other and this is good a time as any. Actually the segment works best when highlighting the growing tension between Hogan and his evil hitchhiker, rather than the cheesy pay-off which features some mild gore effects. Although 'chattery teeth' will never be scary, the story is heavy on atmosphere and bolstered by some good acting. Raphael Sbarge convinces as the driver on the edge whilst Silas Weir Mitchell puts in a nicely menacing turn as the young hitchhiker.

The second story concerns a top surgeon, Dr. Charles George, who becomes to suffer hand spasms he cannot control. They cause him to make critical mistakes during surgery and he nearly crashes his car driving home at night when they wrench the wheel from side to side. He consults a psychologist, who believes it is all in his mind and the result of a repressed childhood memory of his father's funeral. But later that night the hands take control of themselves and strangle his wife to death. One of them manages to sever itself from his body and escapes. George is taken to a local surgery where an epidemic soon breaks out.

Obvious nods to such films as THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS and EVIL DEAD II aside, Clive Barker's typical tale of bodily mutilation and self-control is a good one. The story escalates in scope throughout and has a great central performance in Matt Frewer as the man driven out of his mind by hands that cannot and will not obey him. Frewer is pretty good at convincing the viewer that his hands have a life of their own and there's some icky gore to be disgusted by. The ending of the tale is a nice spin on the old 'Pied Piper of Hamlin' myth and features some not-bad CGI effects courtesy of William Mesa, the guy who made the abominable DNA with Mark Dacascos. Cameos from Barker himself and John Landis keep things moving and on the whole it's a satisfying piece.

Although the film does suffer a little from the low budget and contains a few plot strands that don't make much sense (why would the teeth show up again in real life after Quicksilver has finished his story at the beginning of the first half?) it is worthwhile and imaginative, providing a breath of fresh air from the teen slashers which occupied 90% of the horror genre when this was made. Not a classic by any means, but worth a look for fans seeking out more offbeat and unusual horror stories instead of the normal run-of-the-mill monster/slasher of the week fare.

not worst but definitely not scary

[kakoilija · 3/10 · 25 January 2008]

i think that a religious sermon wouldn't be scared... i guess this has something similar to all king movies with more than one tale... it's cinematography is very good, and acting is not bad.

it's just that it comes across lame and very cheesy... nothing to be seen here...

i give my points from technical aspects...

otherwise a miss... i've seen a lot worse too, but this is not a winner.

the rest of the lines i'll recommend some horror-movies: the brood the uninvited the entity changeling ...

those kinda movies have some depth

"Does every movie have to have a moral?"

[Syn316 · 8/10 · 21 July 2006]

The movie itself is not a great movie but not a bad one either. There are two stories tied together but is shown in different orders. The Body Politic and Chattering Teeth. I've seen this movie about a couple months ago on the weekends, on regular TV that is, and it was shown The Body Politic first. I buy the DVD and then it is Chattering Teeth shown first. Not that I'm complaining, some how the way it comes together in any different order makes it seem like the original. It all plays out evenly throughout the entire 90 minutes. Christopher Lloyd portrays Aaron Quicksilver as the traveling showman, and gives a chilling and spooky Gothic performance, not to mention wardrobe. A must-see movie for the Christopher Lloyd fan indeed, this is not your average quirky Uncle Fester character. Also performances by Matt Frewer who brilliantly plays two characters. One a memorable surgeon who cant seem to control his hands, a body part that turn against him and form a mind of their own. Couldn't have been played by a better actor. Finally the Chattering Teeth story is less chilling than the previous story mentioned, but in all still fun to watch. We don't realize in the beginning of the story how useful a pair of metal made choppers can be to a traveling salesman who picks up a hitch hiker along his journey. Raphael Sabarge gives a believable performance in this worst case scenario story of the classic psychotic hitch hiker, a truly psychotic and aggressive performance played by Silas Weir Mitchell. Not a must-see, but movie to get to know because after all, it is a Stephen King/ Clive Barker team project. Don't know whether to be scared or laugh out loud. My favorite Christopher Lloyd quote of the movie "Does every story have to have a moral or a point?"

good because its bad

[mr_facehead · 6/10 · 16 July 2005]

ha ha, this film is the funniest film i've ever seen the teeth! ha ha, it is purely brilliant

this film was supposed to be a chilling horror about supernatural happenings, like twilight zone mixed with the shining or something but the stupidness, and actual quality of the film, makes it hilarious

as a comedy, this is brilliant as a horror, like how it was intended to be, its absolute turd

if you like laughing at crap films, this is a must see but if you are looking for a good watch, something that is truly good film work, and you don't find crap films like Schwarzenegger and others funny, then you'll definitely hate this!

Will bore you to death rather than scare you to death.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 5/10 · 15 August 2009]

This is one of those "Twilight Zone: The Movie" kind of movie, that features a couple of different horror stories and a storyteller (played by Christopher Lloyd) who binds all of the stories together. It's not an horrible movie but it also certainly ain't among the most interesting ones that the genre has to offer.

For an horror movie it's certainly lacking in originality and good scares. It's a rather clichéd movie that is predictable to watch, though it does offer enough entertainment to still consider this movie watchable. Still the movie is too slow and too little good and interesting is ever happening, making this movie at the same time not that great to watch for the lovers of the genre.

It's still a rather good looking movie, at least for a made for TV movie it is. It's a movie made with some skilled people involved. Director Mick Garris already had some experience in the genre prior this movie and directed a couple of horror movies and TV-series episodes. None of them were anything too outstanding but it gained him obviously the right knowledge needed. Seems like he also loves to work with some Stephen King material. This movie also features a short story which got based on the Stephen King short story "Chattery Teeth".

The movie at times is still a bit of a clumsy one, which makes the movie look bad and ridicules at times, this is especially the case with the movie its last story. Not all of its writing and dialog is always convincing. Also some of the actors are pretty poor ones and even Christopher Lloyd is overacting way too much to enjoy him in his role.

All in all it isn't a too recommendable movie but it still has a certain entertainment level.

5/10

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