Quicksilver Highway (1997) (TV)

User Rating:

4.5/10   

Director:

Mick Garris

Writers (WGA):

Clive Barker (short story "The Body Politic")
Stephen King (short story "Chattery Teeth")

Release Date:

13 May 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Plot:

Two tales of terror, told by a travelling showman.

Plot Keywords:

Chattering Teeth | Hand | Hitchhiker | Car Accident | Dust Storm

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Christopher Lloyd	...	Aaron Quicksilver
Matt Frewer	...	Charlie / Dr. Charles George
Raphael Sbarge	...	Kerry Parker / Bill Hogan
Missy Crider	...	Olivia Harmon Parker / Lita Hogan
Silas Weir Mitchell	...	Bryan Adams
Bill Nunn	...	Len
Veronica Cartwright	...	Myra
Bill Bolender	...	Scooter
Amelia Heinle	...	Darlene
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Clive Barker	...	Anesthesiologist
Cynthia Garris	...	Ellen George
Kevin Grevioux	...	Police Sergeant
Christopher Hart	...	Lefty
William Knight	...	Rhinoplasty Man
John Landis	...	Surgical Assistant
Shawn Nelson	...	Driver
Sherry O'Keefe	...	Harriet DaVinci
Dana Waters	...	Hand Chaser
Constance Zimmer	...	Female Patient

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Germany:16 | Australia:M | UK:15 (video premiere)

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Movie Connections:

References Scanners (1981)

Reasonably amusing.

The always entertaining veteran actor Christopher Lloyd plays the Quicksilver of the title. Aaron Quicksilver, to be precise. He's a flamboyant, quirky individual (check out his man-in-black wardrobe, dog collar and red wig) who likes to tell bizarre yet cautionary tales to the unaware, in this television movie based on works by Stephen King and Clive Barker.

Coming across new bride Olivia (gorgeous and appealing Missy Crider), stranded in the desert with a broken-down car after her husband Kerry (Raphael Sbarge) has gone for help, he tells her the story (this is based on Kings' story "Chattery Teeth") of bar code label and scanner salesman Bill (Sbarge again), who gets menaced by a knife-wielding hitchhiker (Silas Weir Mitchell) during a dust storm in the desert, and is saved by a highly unlikely source.

In the second segment, Quicksilver, now operating a tent at a carnival, regales pickpocket Charlie (Matt Frewer) with the tale (based on Barkers' story "The Body Politic") of successful plastic surgeon Dr. George (also played by Frewer), whose all-important hands are revolting against him, and intend to rally all other human hands in a rebellion against their owners!

In the hands of writer / producer / director Mick Garris, veteran genre film-maker best known for his frequent King adaptations, horror really takes a back seat to comedy. While there is some undeniable tension, suspense, scares and atmosphere are not really in abundance here. The tone of the project, as Garris himself points out, is much more of a playful one; any points to be made here (although there is one fine moment where Quicksilver opines "Does every story *have* to have a moral point?") are mostly left to the viewer to interpret. There is a sense of fun to the proceedings, all things considered, and there are scenes involving the chattery teeth of the first story and the disembodied hands of the second that have to be seen to be believed.

An enjoyable cast gives it all they've got (Frewers' highly capable physical comedy calls to mind Bruce Campbells' work in "Evil Dead 2"); the excellent Veronica Cartwright and Bill Nunn are fine in support, and there are bits by the likes of Rick Overton, Lin Shaye (both uncredited), and Garris's actress wife Cynthia, with great cameos by Garris's peers John Landis and Barker himself.

Well paced, with a fair amount of chuckles to be had, "Quicksilver Highway" is a mildly entertaining lark of a film. Nothing special, but not bad either.

6/10