Quicksilver Highway

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

Clive Barker and Stephen King making a story collection movie may seem a little weird, but it worked for me. Admittedly the stories are more bizarre and weird, and frankly, downright goofy, but still not bad. Christopher Lloyd is doing character roles more than anything these days, which is sad, because he still has acting potential. Director Mick Garris of several Stephen King movie adaptions, once again does a good job and the actors aren't too bad either.

A funny and scary movie for the entire family. Made for TV with no really bad language and not a lot of Graphic violence. Stephen King never disappoints!

Great product

If you expecting something other than what this is, such as a full length Stephen King film or miniseries, you may not like this movie... The movie features a few short stories, similar to Ceepshow. It's not necessarily great, but it's not bad either.

Awesome movie!!! My order came to me in great condition. It plays really great. No problems. It's pretty interesting. I would recommend to watch it.

I have been gathering Stephen King movies for some time as I am a pretty big fan of his work. this was a pretty good movie. Two short stories that come through in true Stephen King fashion. This product shipped on time and in good condition.

Okay movie

Was it meant to be a comedy cos I was giggling all the way through it. I did enjoy, though!

Great buy

This late 1990's TV movie is not bad. It as the right amount of cheese that you'd expect from an 80's cult horror movie. The film is an anthology of two stories based on short stories by Stephen King and Clive Barker.

It takes a while to grasp the storyline,but entertaning

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