Hot Rods...to hell?

Hot Rods to hell (John Brahm, 1967)

What can i say, a film with a title like this should deliver. It compiles the most beautiful words in the English dictionary to create this amazing title. With that just said, I'm going to say i was a bit disappointed. It's not horrible, it's a good film and I'll get into those reasons in a bit but i just got to say one thing. That title should belong to the hands of Roger Corman and not a 60's era "old man hates teenagers" type of flick.

In Hot Rods to Hell we get a very fun Dana Andrews playing the father who recently got into a car accident and becomes tormented by driving. Sounds great so far, his two kids and his wife all decide to move from their home to go live in a motel to start a new life. Alright cool, we are getting a sweet road rage movie. Hot Rods to Hell, still remember the title? The pacing is really good within the film but it feels like it should be filled with much more. When we should be getting an amazing car chase we get an older man complaining about his back and why he can't drive.

We do however get to see some great car stuff especially within the final minutes of the film. The car stunt is amazing especially since it was done in the 60's. It's very simple but how it is captured is just breathtaking. This film does have Great parts which makes you feel like the movie is amazing but towards the end of the film we are left with a bit of emptiness. The title just doesn't deliver.

With the bad things said about this film being empty there is one aspect of this film that everyone needs to take into notice. This film was made in the late 60's before films starting going over the edge and taking cinema to a different level. If you are a fan of grindhouse and 70's film making in general, you must see this film. This is a perfect example of a film that COULD be that film but yet since it was made a few years earlier it has its restrictions. You can see where this film could have went and I'm not saying that you are making a different film in your head as it plays along.

This is a perfect example of a film lost between two periods of cinema. The film goes into the grittiness of the 70's with its plot and directions but the characters seem to be grounded into the years prior. It's just amazing to see that. This film is literally on the edge of two separate times in cinema and it's just weird and interesting to see.

Grade B-