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Highway to Hell: Collector's Edition – Visual Vengeance (Blu-ray)

Release Date: USA, 1990
Director: Bret McCormick
Writer: Gary Kennamer
Cast: Benton Jennings, Richard Harrison, Blue Thompson

Release Date: March 10th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 79 Minutes 23 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"Convicted mass murderer Toby Gilmore has escaped from prison, and the open desert becomes his playground for sadism and destruction. Determined to stop him after failing to execute him years earlier, Officer Earl Dent (Richard Harrison) sets out on a relentless pursuit that turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse. But Gilmore has taken a hostage—Fran Tucker, a young woman caught in the wrong place at the worst possible time. As the chase hurtles across backroads and wastelands, Dent closes in, each mile bringing he and Gilmore closer to an explosive reckoning on the highway to hell." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 1.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "SD master from original tape elements."

Highway to Hell comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 34.4 GB

Feature: 15 GB (Highway to Hell), 9.9 GB (Redneck County Fever)

There is only so much that can be done with the source, which looks rough. That said, image clarity, and black levels are never convincing, and colors fluctuate.

Audio: 1.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital stereo mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio lacks depth, and it's a positive that there are English subtitles for this release.

Extras:

Extras for Highway to Hell include an image gallery with music from the film playing in the background (stills/poster/home video art), a Visual Vengeance trailer (1 minute 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Tom Fegan (4 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with screenwriter Gary Kennamer titled Writing A Road Map to Hell (7 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Blue Thompson titled Road Trip (12 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Blue Thompson Answers Three Tough Questions (3 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Richard Harrison titled Red Hot Asphalt (1 minute 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with director Bret McCormick (6 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Bret McCormick.

Other extras include a bonus feature film Redneck County Fever (64 minutes 40 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a Visual Vengeance trailer Redneck County Fever (57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with producer Bret McCormick (6 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with director Gary Kennamer (12 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary track with Bret McCormick and Gary Kennamer, Visual Vengeance trailers for The Abomination, Ozone: The Attack of the Redneck Mutants, and Reanimator Academy, reversible cover art original poster art, a 'Stick your own' video store sticker sheet, a folded mini-poster, and a limited-edition O-Card slipcover (first pressing only).

Summary:

Highway to Hell: Bret McCormick directed Highway to Hell, who's known for low-budget cinema like The Abomination and Repligator.

A mass murderer escapes from prison and unleashes carnage on the highway.

It’s not a coincidence that Highway to Hell and Redneck County Fever are paired together for this release since their genesis came about from a phone call that Bret McCormick had with David DeCoteau. After finishing two films, Bret McCormick sought more work and secured two projects with David DeCoteau, provided he could meet two specific goals: to produce them at an extremely low cost and to adhere to their established premises. Bret McCormick would only direct Highway to Hell, passing on the directing responsibilities to Gary Kennamer for Redneck County Fever.

Highway to Hell is a film that understood its limitations. Working with an anemic budget, resources were minimized by doing two things: having as many scenes as possible with people driving cars and having moments with the police discussing what’s happening while sitting behind a desk. While there are occasional moments of carnage (nothing gory), most of the narrative is dialogue-driven.

It’s too easy to take shots at the performances of films like Highway to Hell. Instead, I want to pose the question of how someone like Richard Harrison (Challenge of the Tiger) found himself in a film like Highway to Hell. That said, Benton Jennings, who portrays the escaped mass murderer, does deliver a highly entertaining performance. Ultimately, Highway to Hell moves slowly and never manages to gain any momentum, making it a grueling chore to get through.

Redneck County Fever: Two stereotypical stoner dudes find themselves in a predicament when their car breaks down in a rural area known for its redneck culture. They decide to transport drugs in hopes of making quick cash to repair their vehicle.

Redneck County Fever is best described as Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure set in Hazard County. The acting is atrocious and although things are played for laughs, don’t expect to laugh. Despite its short running time, it feels twice as long. Ultimately, Redneck County Fever is puzzling; one must question who the intended audience for such a film could possibly be.

Visual Vengeance continues to rescue cinema from obscurity and give them Criterion-like home media releases.