I have to say that this is one of the most horrible movies I have ever seen. Now, I understand that low-budget movies are not usually as good as a big-budget movie, but this was just bad. The main guy, Greg, was portrayed by an actor that did a horrible job of showing any of the emotions that he should have been showing throughout the movie. There was absolutely no explanation for what was happened except for some cryptic comments made by Yumi. On Yumi, while she is a very attractive woman, she doesn't possess the language skills necessary to pull off the role. Somebody left a comment that this movie is like "The Ring." The only way you could compare this to "The Ring" is to say that they both are horror movies with Japanese people in them. "The Ring" kept you guessing what was happening, this movie had me guessing how much longer I had to suffer through it.
33 Reviews
It must be Thanksgiving right now....
freelybound8 August 2006
...because this is the biggest turkey i have ever seen in my life. This doesn't even hit the heights of the old b horror movies from the 50's...come to think of it, it doesn't even rate as high as the Z movies from that era. The plot was one of the weakest i have ever seen. The acting didn't just stink, it reeked of the worst sewage to the power of 10. The only good acting was of the corpse, and i am sure that most of the time that was a dummy. The special effects were non existent, and the most expensive thing i can see they spent out of the budget was perhaps for the rental cars they may have used. Let me save you time and money..don't go see this. You will never have those 90 odd minutes back, and there are far greater things you could do with your time, like cleaning out the kitty litter box, having a root canal for fun, or how about plucking nose hairs? Any of these will be far more gratifying than seeing this bomb. This movie isn't even worth seeing for free.
I think it's a shame that there isn't a minus rating on here because it would have gotten the highest (or is that lowest) minus rating i could give it.
Actually..i would tell you all what i really think of this movie if it weren't for the fact that what i would have to say would get the post deleted.
I think it's a shame that there isn't a minus rating on here because it would have gotten the highest (or is that lowest) minus rating i could give it.
Actually..i would tell you all what i really think of this movie if it weren't for the fact that what i would have to say would get the post deleted.
The Long and Boring Road
claudio_carvalho30 May 2008
The photographer Greg Ross (Rand Gamble) has an argument with his wife Amanda (Laura Putney) about his affair with the Japanese model Yumi (Hinano Yoshikawa) and he accidentally kills her. He decides to get rid off Amanda's body dumping it in the Black Lake. While driving in a road during the night, Greg recalls moments of his relationship with Amanda and Yumi and is haunted by their ghosts, driving him insane with a tragic conclusion.
The feature "Death Ride" is a long and boring journey to insanity through the guilty complex of a character that becomes delusional, blending reality and imagination. The eerie story could be a good short, but the director used a slow pace to make the movie last 84 minutes running time; as the consequence, I found it too long and repetitive, apparently going nowhere for a long time. In addition, the accent of Hinano Yoshikawa is terrible. My vote is three.
Title (Brazil): "De Carona Com a Morte" ("Riding with Death")
The feature "Death Ride" is a long and boring journey to insanity through the guilty complex of a character that becomes delusional, blending reality and imagination. The eerie story could be a good short, but the director used a slow pace to make the movie last 84 minutes running time; as the consequence, I found it too long and repetitive, apparently going nowhere for a long time. In addition, the accent of Hinano Yoshikawa is terrible. My vote is three.
Title (Brazil): "De Carona Com a Morte" ("Riding with Death")
As bad as it gets!
alecsz995 August 2006
When I first decided to see this movie I wasn't expecting much, I have to admit. But I wasn't expecting something as bad either! The movie makes no sense, it has no real plot, it gets boring from the very beginning and the acting...Oh, the acting! The situations the characters get into make no real sense and worst of all (as it is supposed to be a horror movie) it is not one bit scary. Stay away from this one, use your time and money for something else. Even siting down on a chair and staring at the wall in front of you will be more rewarding then watching this. I have seen some bad movie but I haven't seen one as bad as this one in some time!
Wow, What can I say...?
MsMamaBaby16 August 2006
You'd better prepare to be driven insane because that's what this movie will leave you feeling...INSANE... and angry that you began watching it in the first place. Based on the summary of this movie, I was expecting cults, witches and the like but no such luck. I sat there for an hour and a half waiting on the 'good stuff'...well, it never happened. What a waste. Not even enough about the plot of the movie to comment on it without telling the the premise of the movie and spoiling what little is left for future viewers to balk at. I would, though, advise against anyone else suffering through this movie and its long, drawn-out, thinly veiled attempt at horror. I gave it 3 stars simply because, well, it tried. But try it might, it failed. Watch this if you must but remember, that'll be 90 minutes you can never get back.
Bad acting
ReeJMonD12 August 2006
From the beginning till the end of the movie no feeling of fear from horror and no good action scenes. It is one of the worse movies i have ever seen. The whole time plays the movie in the car of the killer. a little bit outside the car action things. I will forget this movie fast. Also the end is prediction to standard movies you will see. Overall feelings about this film is very bad that is also the reason i gave a '1' (awful) for this movie. Go see the movie and agree with me ;) This is my first comment for a movie. but 10 lines of comment is very much to give about this bad movie.I hope that my comment was useful.
Great Eerie Feeling, Not as Bad as Some Will Say
gavin694217 March 2007
After accidentally killing his wife (whom he's cheating on), a photographer puts her body in the trunk and brings her to Black Lake. But along the way he gets visions of his dead wife and encounters other obstacles (mentally unstable men, police officers, etc.) and will have to battle to retain his sanity.
Before I say anything else, I want to give a huge round of applause to the band Maximum Indifference. When I saw their name in the opening credits, I was confused -- what is a "maximum indifference"? Aren't you either indifferent or not? But they provided the music for this film, and it is fantastic. I strongly suggest you check out their web site and if you're a filmmaker consider hiring them to make some music for you. They are specifically prepared to help with movie background tunes, and I can't say I've ever heard better. If there was a strong point to the film, it was them.
Now, I also have to defend this movie. I have seen other reviews that say the acting is horrible and that all negative comments are understatements. Yes, the acting is not the greatest. But it's not the worst I've seen. And some other qualities about this film cannot be ignored. I found some of it to be quite creepy: a dark road, middle of the night, strange occurrences... with camera shots trapping us in to see only what comes into the light at the last second. I never knew what would jump out next.
The suspense and tension were well done. When the cops visit him (more than once) I wasn't sure if he was going to be busted, or if he wasn't how he was going to get out of it. I enjoyed the blood splatter. There was a lot going for this film, especially if you consider the fact everyone involved is a fresh face. Also, despite starring Americans, this film had more of an Asian feel -- if you judge it as an Asian film, it was actually much better (as I've said in other reviews -- I believe "Dream Cruise", for example -- Asian films have an element of the supernatural that would seem cheesy or stupid in American films but works for them).
What made this film fail, besides the less than stellar acting, was the fact there really was no story. Time was filled with extra shots of his driving, we see some repeated things (lighting cigarettes, similar road scenes). Most if not all of the flashbacks told nothing crucial or helpful to the story. In short, this film could have been a 30-minute television feature. Compare this to the "thanks for the ride, lady" sequence from "Creepshow 2". That was only about 15 minutes and got the point across. This could have been done in the same way... it never should have been a full-length film.
When the film wasn't giving me bad acting or boring me to death, it was a good film. I cannot make something like this myself (well, probably not). 2006 saw more horror DVD releases than any time in world history (or at least it seems that way), so unless you're watching as many as I do, you'll never find this one floating to the top of your must-see list. I guess the Japanese girl is sort of cute, but not cute enough to really sell this film. Sorry, "Haunted Highway", you're a dead end.
Before I say anything else, I want to give a huge round of applause to the band Maximum Indifference. When I saw their name in the opening credits, I was confused -- what is a "maximum indifference"? Aren't you either indifferent or not? But they provided the music for this film, and it is fantastic. I strongly suggest you check out their web site and if you're a filmmaker consider hiring them to make some music for you. They are specifically prepared to help with movie background tunes, and I can't say I've ever heard better. If there was a strong point to the film, it was them.
Now, I also have to defend this movie. I have seen other reviews that say the acting is horrible and that all negative comments are understatements. Yes, the acting is not the greatest. But it's not the worst I've seen. And some other qualities about this film cannot be ignored. I found some of it to be quite creepy: a dark road, middle of the night, strange occurrences... with camera shots trapping us in to see only what comes into the light at the last second. I never knew what would jump out next.
The suspense and tension were well done. When the cops visit him (more than once) I wasn't sure if he was going to be busted, or if he wasn't how he was going to get out of it. I enjoyed the blood splatter. There was a lot going for this film, especially if you consider the fact everyone involved is a fresh face. Also, despite starring Americans, this film had more of an Asian feel -- if you judge it as an Asian film, it was actually much better (as I've said in other reviews -- I believe "Dream Cruise", for example -- Asian films have an element of the supernatural that would seem cheesy or stupid in American films but works for them).
What made this film fail, besides the less than stellar acting, was the fact there really was no story. Time was filled with extra shots of his driving, we see some repeated things (lighting cigarettes, similar road scenes). Most if not all of the flashbacks told nothing crucial or helpful to the story. In short, this film could have been a 30-minute television feature. Compare this to the "thanks for the ride, lady" sequence from "Creepshow 2". That was only about 15 minutes and got the point across. This could have been done in the same way... it never should have been a full-length film.
When the film wasn't giving me bad acting or boring me to death, it was a good film. I cannot make something like this myself (well, probably not). 2006 saw more horror DVD releases than any time in world history (or at least it seems that way), so unless you're watching as many as I do, you'll never find this one floating to the top of your must-see list. I guess the Japanese girl is sort of cute, but not cute enough to really sell this film. Sorry, "Haunted Highway", you're a dead end.
Spare Your Self The Torture.....
Kgoodnight22 September 2006
This pathetic excuse for a horror flick makes my teeth itch, and my hair hurt. Trust me, you do not want to be another victim of possibly being emotionally scarred for life. This is by far, "The WORST Movie" that has ever been put into my DVD player. All of the negative comments left here for this piece of trash are all complete understatements.
The worst thing about it is: All of the months that i waited, and as much as i couldn't wait to get my hands on this movie, and the pure excitement of finally getting it..... will now take many sessions of therapy & medication to remove such *beep* out of my head. I have truly seen better acting on cheap porn. (Really Cheap porn)
The worst thing about it is: All of the months that i waited, and as much as i couldn't wait to get my hands on this movie, and the pure excitement of finally getting it..... will now take many sessions of therapy & medication to remove such *beep* out of my head. I have truly seen better acting on cheap porn. (Really Cheap porn)
84 Minutes of your life will vanish!
silverrain-48 August 2006
There are no words to begin to describe how God awful this 'movie' is! From the very first opening frame to the final black screen it screams AMATEURS WITH VIDEO CAMERAS. Everyone involved in the making of this rot should be rounded up and branded, making them easily identifiable and all should forever more be prohibited from owning and/or operating ANY equipment capable of capturing an image! Also, anyone who rented this tripe should automatically be given a refund and a free trip to a park of their choice for the 84 minutes of their life that was stolen by the morons who made this. Surely the 'crew' has seen a movie before? Perhaps not. Sure looks this way. I want to know how they get this stuff into circulation. This way, we can all shoot a movie with our camcorders and rake in the cash. Anyone know how I can get my home movies of my dog catching sticks on DVD and into Blockbuster? Oh, I could call it 'horror' as it would be a lot scarier than this movie. Anyone who watches more than 30 minutes of this junk seriously needs a life, or is a die-hard movie masochist. The entire production crew should be criminally charged with; 1. Impersonating a movie, 2. Stealing the public's life timer, 3. Conning the innocent public out of movie rental fees, and 4. Operating a body without a brain. The 'plot'? None. The acting? BARF! Direction? I wish. As movie cameras become smaller, we are going to see an increase in this kind of drivel as movies can now be churned out by a couple of kids with camcorders. Who is backing these movies is what I want to know, and who is performing the bulk lobotomies on the crews?
This movie is very bad
richdickwalker6 August 2006
This is a low budget film with no frills and lacks any scary content whatsoever that would justify the title Haunted Highway. For any movie fan looking for horror stay well away from this. The only scary thing about this film is that someone stumped up the money for this turkey to be made! The plot is wafer thin and holds no surprises and you'll ultimately be left wondering - what was the point? I guess if you're afraid of the dark (or your own shadow) then there may be something in this film for you, otherwise leave this well alone. My advice to anyone thinking of watching this film would be to go watch the proverbial paint dry - 'cos that'll be more entertaining!
Deserves a chance... maybe
carolinefranck8 August 2006
Even though the movie got off to a terrible start, I think a big chunk of this movie is very watchable. In fact I think if it were done better, it would be a personal favorite of mine. However, the movie had some serious problems. Particularly the flashbacks are just hard to watch, badly acted and even poorly scripted. I really liked the idea behind the movie, it's too bad certain aspects took a lot of wind out of it's own sails. Low production values didn't help but the effects weren't horrible and the movie was overall pretty scary.
It's important to keep in mind that this is a very low budget, independent horror movie. Rent it one night if you can't find anything else, it's better than a lot of "movies" currently hitting the DTV market.
6/10
It's important to keep in mind that this is a very low budget, independent horror movie. Rent it one night if you can't find anything else, it's better than a lot of "movies" currently hitting the DTV market.
6/10
Not a bad Jap/American movie!
reeves200220 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I rented this movie last night because the cover and story looked good.Thank Christ I never read all the bad reviews on here because i probably wouldn't have rented it.I will never rely on the comments on here again because i thought it was alright.It was a low budget film but not the worst one i've seen.I have seen a lot of bad ones recently but honestly liked this one and could watch it twice.Of course some parts were stupid but every movie has it's flaws.I really liked the soundtrack to this movie as well.The acting in some scenes was a bit lame but this movie was anything but boring.It was quite interesting from the moment it began.At least it was more original and not another remake.
No matter what, don't watch this movie unless your life depends on it (and even then be hesitant)
tek87386 December 2006
i give this movie a one only because you can't put zeros or halves if i could i would sue the writer, director, actors, and everyone else involved in this film's production for the time in my life this movie took away. I could (and am working on)write much better and I can act much better than them too. I have nothing against low budget movies but this movie isn't low budged, it's nonexistent budget. No blood, no gore, no plot, no meaningful dialouge, no acting that doesn't suck more than anything i've ever seen (and i've seen some really bad acting), no climax, no anything at all which makes a movie bearable.
I would've stopped watching it by halfway through but I thought it might improve by the end, it didn't and it sucked through
This is truly a horror movie...but not in a good way, the horror is in the fact that it was actually made and you are watching it
I would've stopped watching it by halfway through but I thought it might improve by the end, it didn't and it sucked through
This is truly a horror movie...but not in a good way, the horror is in the fact that it was actually made and you are watching it
Worst movie ever.
ajc263 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I don't know where to start with this movie. Let's start with the original title.. Haunted Highway. Highways have something that separates the right from the left side such as a double yellow line. The road that was used to represent a highway looked like a driveway. The acting is AWFUL. I don't know who this Rand Gamble is, but he does not have a future in movies, commercials..nothing. When he speaks it sounds like he is whining. The kissing scene between him and Yumi is horrific; it was almost like he was resisting to make out with this hot Asian. More worse, this movie contains so many bad lines. For instance while they were kissing Yumi stops abruptly and says "I want you to stop having sex with your wife." What kind of line is that? Her English is terrible so I laughed hysterically. Rand Gamble is a photographer and it's funny to watch him take a billion pictures on his tripod in one position. When he plays with the radio he presses the AM/FM button and the station stays the same, but the music changes... And every time he turned it back on it was at a different station... go figure. The lighting is terrible. Except for the very beginning the entire movie is dark. It looked like it was edited with windows movie maker too; the cuts and transitions are bad. The whole time I was waiting for something good to happen, but never happened. The makeup was too much. The guy was driving for five minutes and had dark circles under his eyes. The make-up would also change from scene to scene. Every time there was a gore scene the director would go overboard with the blood and 'Greg' would pull out his paper towels and clean the mess half ass. I cannot believe I sat there for a whole hour and twenty minutes. Here's a summary..
Greg is a photographer and has yellow fever so he starts to bang his subject Yumi. Greg's wife finds out and they get into an argument and he throws the bitch and kills her. He cleans up the mess with paper towels (LOL) and drives on a driveway for the remainder of the movie. He thinks about all this crazy sh*t while he is driving. He meets up with Yumi at the end of the movie and decides to choke the bitch out because he thinks she knows he killed his wife. (This was a poor decision because instead of getting some from both his wife and Yumi now he can't get any). Then he cuts her up in his bathtub and tells the cops everything when they knock on his door.
The movie was so bad it was funny. Thanks Japanese people.
Greg is a photographer and has yellow fever so he starts to bang his subject Yumi. Greg's wife finds out and they get into an argument and he throws the bitch and kills her. He cleans up the mess with paper towels (LOL) and drives on a driveway for the remainder of the movie. He thinks about all this crazy sh*t while he is driving. He meets up with Yumi at the end of the movie and decides to choke the bitch out because he thinks she knows he killed his wife. (This was a poor decision because instead of getting some from both his wife and Yumi now he can't get any). Then he cuts her up in his bathtub and tells the cops everything when they knock on his door.
The movie was so bad it was funny. Thanks Japanese people.
I liked it
Conwad-124 November 2006
I don't understand all the hatred toward this film. Yes, it stars people you've never heard of and will probably never see again, but it's better than a lot of other movies ... and I rent a lot of them! At the very least, you can appreciate that: the Lead Actor was GORGEOUS; the Japanese lady Yumi? was gorgeous; scenery was pretty; car was cool -- makes me want to upgrade from my Camry to a Lexus. I was actually surprised when Yumi appeared crawling up the driver's window while he was driving -- I thought that was cool. Oh and her apartment, with the green and purple walls, and the zen like -feng shu furnishings ... I just thought this was a very nice movie to look at, at least. I liked it better than that piece of crap THE SIXTH SENSE, don't get me started on that!
Eh.
christo65 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Don't bother renting this. I wish I could say I hated it. I wish I could say I thought it was utter, horrible ... crap... But really... It's just... utterly forgettable.
I should have known better than to rent a Lionsgate film without looking it up first, but so help me, I'm a sucker for horror. So. I rented it, brought it home. It deserves its low rating. I wasn't scared even once. I wasn't frightened, I did not empathize with the characters and I did not enjoy a moment of it. The main character is utterly unsympathetic, while both of his victims are, too. I stayed up late to watch this, hoping to see something decent. Instead, I was almost bored to sleep. It's not bad. There's no horrible, horrible acting, the lighting's well done, as is the audio. I'm not giving it 1 star because it's horrible. I'm giving it 1 star because it couldn't even creep me out a little during the most gruesome scene.
I should have known better than to rent a Lionsgate film without looking it up first, but so help me, I'm a sucker for horror. So. I rented it, brought it home. It deserves its low rating. I wasn't scared even once. I wasn't frightened, I did not empathize with the characters and I did not enjoy a moment of it. The main character is utterly unsympathetic, while both of his victims are, too. I stayed up late to watch this, hoping to see something decent. Instead, I was almost bored to sleep. It's not bad. There's no horrible, horrible acting, the lighting's well done, as is the audio. I'm not giving it 1 star because it's horrible. I'm giving it 1 star because it couldn't even creep me out a little during the most gruesome scene.
Totally bad!!
trina197910 September 2006
This movie, thankfully, was rented on DVD and I only had to pay a rental fee. Really bad acting, very stupid storyline and overall just poor. If you must see this film, luckily you'll get to rent it. I just wish Hollywood would come up with a great horror/ghost movie that will be worthwhile and not so poorly made. Movies like the Others and the Sixth Sense were pretty good. This movie had nothing to do with a real "highway" just a country road leading to a lake. The guy-"Greg" kept looking over his shoulder while driving (stupid) I don't know about you, but driving country roads is bad enough when you pay attention, somehow he kept the car going straight the whole time and didn't miss a beat. The only good actors in this film were the two African American cops-they actually tried to do a good job. Overall, skip this one and enjoy something else!!
I want my money back . . .
myst-lizard8 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This is an obviously low budget film that looks like it was made out of somebody's garage. The film has very stiff and emotionless actors who don't help matters by having horrible timing with their lines.
There doesn't seem to be much reason for anything that is happening in the plot. Yumi is this model, who ends up sleeping with Greg, the photographer, (and has a hard time with English). Eventually we gather that his wife has found out about her. Greg and his wife get into a shoving match over her within the first 5 minutes of the film and she falls, cracking her skull open. After cleaning up the blood and packing up her body, Greg sees a woman's reflection in the mirror. Spooked, he takes off to Black Lake. The flashbacks wherein I guess they were trying to portray his 'Love' for both women are all corny lines and makeout scenes. The next hour is Greg driving, Greg sweating, Greg smoking, Greg hearing things. Eventually there is a very out of place scene involving a man flashing his lights just to reach through the window and grab Greg's shirt and ask if he's feeling alright. There is NO need for this scene and I don't know anyone who would flash their lights at a car just to do this, nor do I know anyone who would lower their window more than a crack to talk to a creepy looking stranger. It's un-needed, un-realistic and unpractical moments like this that really sink this film.
If there is a good part to this movie, it's in the last 30 minutes, when the hauntings get semi acceptable. The two best are probably when Yumi, in a manner similar to 'The Ring's Samara, climbs up the driver's side window while the car is going 80mph. The other scene is when there is knocking from the trunk, he slams the brakes and the trunk opens and closes, then blood pours over the windows and the dead body flops it's un-shrouded head on the windshield.
The tagline may mention the occult and gruesome hauntings, but there is no such thing in this film. It's mainly Greg's paranoid trip to the lake to dump his wife's body. There are a few mundane threats, such as the cop who pulls him over for speeding. In the end, Greg's psychosis does him in when he throttles Yumi, thinking that she was the woman he saw in the mirror and that she "knows too much". He cuts her body up with a chain saw (behind closed doors). He's caught when two police men come to the door and instead of two men, he sees the ghosts of both women.
All in all, this was a bad movie, but would have made a nice episode of 'Tales from the Crypt' or some other ghost-story/urban legend TV show.
There doesn't seem to be much reason for anything that is happening in the plot. Yumi is this model, who ends up sleeping with Greg, the photographer, (and has a hard time with English). Eventually we gather that his wife has found out about her. Greg and his wife get into a shoving match over her within the first 5 minutes of the film and she falls, cracking her skull open. After cleaning up the blood and packing up her body, Greg sees a woman's reflection in the mirror. Spooked, he takes off to Black Lake. The flashbacks wherein I guess they were trying to portray his 'Love' for both women are all corny lines and makeout scenes. The next hour is Greg driving, Greg sweating, Greg smoking, Greg hearing things. Eventually there is a very out of place scene involving a man flashing his lights just to reach through the window and grab Greg's shirt and ask if he's feeling alright. There is NO need for this scene and I don't know anyone who would flash their lights at a car just to do this, nor do I know anyone who would lower their window more than a crack to talk to a creepy looking stranger. It's un-needed, un-realistic and unpractical moments like this that really sink this film.
If there is a good part to this movie, it's in the last 30 minutes, when the hauntings get semi acceptable. The two best are probably when Yumi, in a manner similar to 'The Ring's Samara, climbs up the driver's side window while the car is going 80mph. The other scene is when there is knocking from the trunk, he slams the brakes and the trunk opens and closes, then blood pours over the windows and the dead body flops it's un-shrouded head on the windshield.
The tagline may mention the occult and gruesome hauntings, but there is no such thing in this film. It's mainly Greg's paranoid trip to the lake to dump his wife's body. There are a few mundane threats, such as the cop who pulls him over for speeding. In the end, Greg's psychosis does him in when he throttles Yumi, thinking that she was the woman he saw in the mirror and that she "knows too much". He cuts her body up with a chain saw (behind closed doors). He's caught when two police men come to the door and instead of two men, he sees the ghosts of both women.
All in all, this was a bad movie, but would have made a nice episode of 'Tales from the Crypt' or some other ghost-story/urban legend TV show.
Road Cheese
Mondus23 December 2006
This film makes Ed Wood, Coleman Francis, Bert I. Gordon, and Roger Corman all look like Oscar-winning producers and directors. At least the films these guys produced usually fell into the 'so-bad-they-are-good' category and provided hours of unintentional humorous entertainment. "Haunted Highway" is simply 'so-bad' it is not even funny. Bad story, bad acting, bad cinematography, bad lighting, bad everything. I bet even the crew at Mystery Science Theater 3000 would have passed on the chance to riff this bomb.
As everyone else has said.... don't waste your time on this film. It might induce brain rot.
As everyone else has said.... don't waste your time on this film. It might induce brain rot.
Prepare to be driven...to boredom
Cosmo32227 August 2006
As I sit here, trying to think of something positive, I draw only a blank. Well, wait a minute, the movie did end. I guess that could be a positive. This movie had many titles. "Death Ride" was changed to "Haunted Highway" and could have been changed again to "Driving. The Movie". This movie was like the many driving scenes. Pointless. The Japanese Horror Gods must have been looking the other way and not been able to stop this movie from coming out.
And then there was the acting...or lack thereof. The main character apparently had no way to show emotion on his face so they used makeup to help him out. And I'm guessing that Hinano Yoshikawa either spoke no English or broken English, so they dub her voice for one that is worse? It would have been better if she spoke her native language and they just had subtitles. Now, it wouldn't have made any sense in the movie, being as the main character probably wouldn't understand her but hey, if you've seen the movie, why try to make sense of it.
This movie fails at getting any scares. The scare shots are so predictable that you are sitting there waiting for them to just get it over with. If you want to see a low budget but well made movie, go out and rent "Dead End". It will make "Death Haunted Highway Ride" look like it was made by pre-schoolers.
And then there was the acting...or lack thereof. The main character apparently had no way to show emotion on his face so they used makeup to help him out. And I'm guessing that Hinano Yoshikawa either spoke no English or broken English, so they dub her voice for one that is worse? It would have been better if she spoke her native language and they just had subtitles. Now, it wouldn't have made any sense in the movie, being as the main character probably wouldn't understand her but hey, if you've seen the movie, why try to make sense of it.
This movie fails at getting any scares. The scare shots are so predictable that you are sitting there waiting for them to just get it over with. If you want to see a low budget but well made movie, go out and rent "Dead End". It will make "Death Haunted Highway Ride" look like it was made by pre-schoolers.
Very bad
zarul_III13 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Agreed to what alecsz99 said.The movie is the worst i have ever imagined.First time in my life that i felt like doing something really stupid by watching it from the very beginning.It's like watching a meaningless drama,with no motive. And the arrangement of the plots is very disappointing.Yet,interesting or not,is determined by individual opinion,as this is issue of subjective thing.One may like this movie,but not me.Never ever.I'll die before i can say this movie is good.Watching this movie is a mistake.But the bigger mistake is to buy the DVD of that film,unless you are very rich,so you don't know what to do with the rest of the money,then you can buy it.Although there is a slow movement and decrease in the film making industry,we should realize that the film's industry is not that desperate as it seems to be by producing such a low quality film.Last but not least, i could conclude this movie as a priceless material,even my grandmother can produce and direct the same level and quality of this movie.
One of those amateur films that isn't the worst of them
Robert_duder2 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Haunted Highway is one of those high school class projects done on a budget of 25 dollars and their Mom's home video camera...or at least that's what it looks like. This brand of Horror film has become strikingly dominant lately and your local Blockbuster is filled with them. You just don't know what you're getting into until you've rented it. Remarkable Haunted Highway turned out to be not as bad as some of the others out there. With a decent enough story and some campy moments the film actually keeps you entertained enough to not want to kill yourself like some of the other home video shot horror films (Ghost Watcher is a prime example of pure trash.) Haunted Highway actually has a strong story along the same ideas of Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell Tale Heart. The film has moments where it is eerie, strange, twisted and violent all of which keeps you wanting to know what will happen next. The cast is a little laughable at times and the special effects are mostly done with moving a camera around and at times it seems like the makers of this film are throwing things in just to try and make it more interesting or scary.
Newcomer Rand Gamble plays the lead Greg Ross. He never really seems like a nice guy considering the extent of his character development is cheating on his wife, murdering his wife, and murdering his mistress all while driving to dump his wife's body. There really is no hero here but rather we watch Greg Ross get his just rewards in the shape of brutal guilty conscience, being haunted and basically a complete mental breakdown. A veteran and terrific actor could have made this role unbelievable but for a low budget, indie film Gamble does alright and maybe this will get him some notice. He plays the role without coming across as campy which some of the acting does. Japanese actress/model Hinano Yoshikawa plays Greg's mistress and the object that ghost of his conscience is taking to haunt him. Now I will say straight up that her voice was incredibly annoying although it made for some eerie moments. She has the right look and her role was almost entirely made to be creepy while she haunted him but her voice was so whiny and annoying. Still she accomplished her role and got some of the scarier scenes. The most experienced of the cast is Laura Putney who plays Greg's wife Amanda. Obviously within the first ten minutes she is killed but then returns a couple of times as a ghost or a body. It's hard to judge her acting ability from that but she does okay.
A film like this really can't be anything but campy considering it's budget. I give kudos to director and co-writer Junichi Suzuki for really utilizing a creepy setting and atmosphere to try and make it scary and it works some of the time. I still contend that with a bigger budget and some more experienced actors this film could have been really something but Greg's entire breakdown including the end of the film which I thought was really quite brilliant is really something. If you happen to somehow be a fan of this type of amateur film then this is one you should absolutely see because I HATE these films and yet this one was very watchable and had a strong story, well worth the hour and some it takes to sit through. Far from true brilliance but also not trash by any means. Check it out for a different kind of horror. 6/10
Newcomer Rand Gamble plays the lead Greg Ross. He never really seems like a nice guy considering the extent of his character development is cheating on his wife, murdering his wife, and murdering his mistress all while driving to dump his wife's body. There really is no hero here but rather we watch Greg Ross get his just rewards in the shape of brutal guilty conscience, being haunted and basically a complete mental breakdown. A veteran and terrific actor could have made this role unbelievable but for a low budget, indie film Gamble does alright and maybe this will get him some notice. He plays the role without coming across as campy which some of the acting does. Japanese actress/model Hinano Yoshikawa plays Greg's mistress and the object that ghost of his conscience is taking to haunt him. Now I will say straight up that her voice was incredibly annoying although it made for some eerie moments. She has the right look and her role was almost entirely made to be creepy while she haunted him but her voice was so whiny and annoying. Still she accomplished her role and got some of the scarier scenes. The most experienced of the cast is Laura Putney who plays Greg's wife Amanda. Obviously within the first ten minutes she is killed but then returns a couple of times as a ghost or a body. It's hard to judge her acting ability from that but she does okay.
A film like this really can't be anything but campy considering it's budget. I give kudos to director and co-writer Junichi Suzuki for really utilizing a creepy setting and atmosphere to try and make it scary and it works some of the time. I still contend that with a bigger budget and some more experienced actors this film could have been really something but Greg's entire breakdown including the end of the film which I thought was really quite brilliant is really something. If you happen to somehow be a fan of this type of amateur film then this is one you should absolutely see because I HATE these films and yet this one was very watchable and had a strong story, well worth the hour and some it takes to sit through. Far from true brilliance but also not trash by any means. Check it out for a different kind of horror. 6/10
Bad Film-making Taken to a New Level
Zoltanko3 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I had never heard of this movie, but I saw it in the rental store and it had a cool cover and interesting description. Besides, I'll watch anything because you never know when you'll find a treasure out there.
Not this time! I agree with the other comments that this is one of the worst ever, and there's no way to blame it on the budget. Actually I think it has much more to do with a language barrier. This is a Japanese film - Japanese director, writer, cinematographer, crew - everyone but the main cast, one of which is a beautiful Japanese "actress". I get the impression that the writer simply had someone translate the script to English who either A) was not fluent in English or B) totally ignored the idiom of the target language. Why else would the main character keep apologizing to everyone he kills for killing them? Anyway, the film really isn't worth reviewing because it's so totally flawed and stilted. The few frights are equivalent to someone jumping out of a closet and yelling "BOO" - and then doing it over and over again in case you missed it the first time. I only wish video stores offered some sort of rental guarantee - didn't they used to? This is one of the few films I've ever rented for which I would ask for my money back.
Not this time! I agree with the other comments that this is one of the worst ever, and there's no way to blame it on the budget. Actually I think it has much more to do with a language barrier. This is a Japanese film - Japanese director, writer, cinematographer, crew - everyone but the main cast, one of which is a beautiful Japanese "actress". I get the impression that the writer simply had someone translate the script to English who either A) was not fluent in English or B) totally ignored the idiom of the target language. Why else would the main character keep apologizing to everyone he kills for killing them? Anyway, the film really isn't worth reviewing because it's so totally flawed and stilted. The few frights are equivalent to someone jumping out of a closet and yelling "BOO" - and then doing it over and over again in case you missed it the first time. I only wish video stores offered some sort of rental guarantee - didn't they used to? This is one of the few films I've ever rented for which I would ask for my money back.
Stay in Japan
wrlang18 August 2006
Haunted Highway tries to use acting to make up for what it lacks in style and originality. While the acting is passable, the editing is terrible. Long dramatic pauses where none were needed and camera angles that are just too close up in most cases. The camera work could have been better, but it was not too bad. The story revolves around an unstable creepy guy who makes a series of bad decisions and winds up paying for them by being haunted along a stretch of highway while trying to hide his dirty deeds. The highway was more like a rural side street, and obviously gave the viewer problems as the car took a right angle turn, according to the arterial signs, at 80mph. There was nothing endearing about any of the characters, so there was no emotional attachment to anyone. I'm sure all this would go over really well in Japan, but not in America. Watch it if you have some time to kill.
what?
aa_swish16 December 2007
Warning: Spoilers
this really is not worth your time. no. really. don't watch it unless you wanna waste about 90 minutes of your life. all it is, is the main guy driving to a lake on country roads way back nowhere, hauling his wife's body in the trunk. good job man, good job. i fast forwarded through more then half of it. its more entertaining that way. go out and drive your car for about 90 minutes minus the hallucinations the paranoia and the body in the truck, and that is the equivalent of this movie. seriously. it just shows him driving. thats it. and the 2 scenes minus the flashbacks and the hallucinations that he has, at the beginning where he kills his wife, and the end where he kills his lover, are the only ones where hes not driving.
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