Skunkyrate
Gripping story with well-crafted characters
ThedevilChoose
When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
Sameer Callahan
It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
Roy Hart
If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.
Stevieboy666
Howard is a mother's boy who still lives at home, has a hobby of making model vehicles and works as a delivery driver for a laundry company. He picks up hitchhikers in his large red van, most of whom are runaways and as soon as they bad mouth their mothers they end up getting raped and murdered! Appeasr to be a lot of them in this small town.
I found myself laughing several times throughout but I am not sure if this movie was meant to be intentionally humorous or if it was a case of being so bad that it's funny. Very cheap with some incredibly wooden acting. In the UK this was released on the Hard Gore label yet the only blood that I spotted was a trickle coming out of one of Howard's victims. A bit of topless nudity, the tops of some of Howard's victims appear to open rather easily revealing bra-less bosoms.
If you're in the mood for a bad movie then this is OK. But on a serious note is does provide an important lesson - beware of mother's boys if you find yourself hitchhiking!
BA_Harrison
Having once again been lured into buying a DVD from my local 'pound' shop by a delightfully trashy title and a lurid cover (this one depicts two halter-top wearing hotties thumbing a ride), I was pretty sure that Hitch Hike to Hell would be on a par with the other choice titles available from the same store ie., cheap, shoddy, and almost-unwatchable. For once, however, the film inside the box actually lives up to its packaging: this slice of low-budget 70s exploitation is every bit as sleazy and tacky as it appears to be!Robert Gribbin stars as Howard, a bespectacled dry cleaning delivery man and mama's boy whose interests include making scale models, picking up hitch-hikers, rape, and murder. Howard, you see, has issues: six years ago, his sister ran away from home, leaving his poor mother absolutely distraught. Now, whenever Howard sees a young lady by the roadside looking for a ride, he picks her up; if, during conversation, he discovers that the girl is running away from home, his rage takes over, and he proceeds to sexually assault and then kill his unfortunate passenger!Following the discovery of one of Howard's victims, Captain J.W. Shaw of the Crescent City Police Department (Russell Johnson) launches an investigation fearing that a serial killer is on the loose.With Gribbin putting in a wonderfully overstated performance, leering like a demented loon through his mega-thick spectacle lenses, a steady supply of (mostly) pretty nubile teenagers all willing to get their knockers out to play the helpless victims of his frenzied attacks, this film, distributed by legendary exploitation producer Harry Novak, is a real treat for fans of down 'n' dirty drive-in fodder.Howard's nasty attacks are naturally the dubious highlights of the film, with our psycho opting to choke or strangle his victims (having first ripped open their tops, of course), before callously dumping their bodies in the dirt; however, there is also much fun to be had from our nutter's strange relationship with his overprotective mother, who constantly worries that her boy is not eating enough, gives his boss an earful whenever he gets told off at work, and even hops into bed with her son for a cuddle when he has nightmares!On the other hand, the movie's final death is not quite so funny: Howard loses his temper with an 11-year old runaway in a scene that one cannot quite believe is happening. I kept expecting director Irvin Berwick to wimp out, and allow her to escape, but, to his credit, the little girl gets it (the actual killing isn't shown, but we do get to see Captain Shaw taking a look at the girl's body in a dumpster whilst her mother screams hysterically in the background). This punch-to-the-gut scene is truly disturbing, and more than makes up for the film's lacklustre finalé, in which Howard is finally arrested and committed to a looney bin.7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for the hilarious inclusion of an extremely camp gay man who also falls prey to Howard (although I think Howie leaves out the rape on this particular occasion!).
Coventry
Wow, talk about a pleasant surprise! I was expecting to see a terrible, bottom-of-the-barrel exploitation fodder from the seventies, but I ended up seeing a spirited cult gem that really makes the most of its minimal budget. The story introduces Howard Martin; an introvert and rather nerdy young man who lives alone with his mother since his sister ran away from home. This event somewhat messed up Howard's brain, since he now picks up hitch-hikers in his laundry van and savagely strangles them if it turns out they're runaways from their moms. The subject matter certainly isn't original, since it's an ordinary serial killer on the road premise and the culprit is once again an oppressed mommy's boy ("Psycho", anyone?). Still, the screenplay of "Hitch Hike to Hell" is well thought out and features some really clever ideas that immediately gained my respect. The setting, for example, is a middle-sized town that serves as a junction for the state's most important highways, which makes it extra difficult for the police to keep an eye on all the hitch-hikers. The drama-element of the story surprisingly isn't an obstacle and actually rather captivating. This is all very nice so far, but what REALLY sold me to this movie is the dared ending that you can't possibly see coming! The image of what might happen will briefly cross your mind, probably, but there's no way you expect the film to actually execute it! Watch and see! There are some some dull moments and odd padding scenes to struggle yourself through, but the acting performances are quite good and the music is adorably kitschy. I really don't understand why some people write such harsh things about "Hitch Hike to Hell"...Definitely recommended if you're into rare cult stuff.
mannorama
LOL I'm watching this movie right now; I think it's a perfect time waster.Being a true B movie fan, this movie meets all the requirements of B movie fans. It requires no concentration becuz it has no story line, and watching that Gribbin guy have seizures over memories of the rapes and murders he commits is hilarious. Also hilarious is his mother. No wonder he kills women.It's great when he has murder flashbacks and freaks out.Russell Johnson is prime in the role of Chief Investigating officer.You should definitely watch it if you wanna kill some worthless time.