PlatinumRead Just so...so bad

Freaktana A Major Disappointment

Kodie Bird True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Edwin The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

wes-connors After phoning to tell his family he will be home for Christmas, an jolly well inebriated Dana Andrews (as Tom Phillips) crashes his car. He yells, "That stupid drunken fool!" and survives with a bad back. Shapely raven-haired wife Jeanne Crain (as Peg) arranges for Mr. Andrews to enjoy rest and relaxation as the owner of a sleepy desert motel in California. Bored, horny daughter Laurie Mock (as Tina) and preteen son Tim Stafford (Jamie) are along for the ride. Driving to their new home, the family is terrorized by "Hot Rods to Hell"! dragsters full of sex-crazed, thrill-seeking teenagers. Unfasten your seat belts! Swinging sixties punks Paul Bertoya (as Duke), Mimsy Farmer (as Gloria), and Gene Kirkwood (as Ernie) are awfully nice! And, Andrews' daughter is ready for action! She may not know it, but is told, "Some girls like to be sneaked up on." Later, Ms. Crain adds, "There isn't a woman alive who doesn't want a man!" Yeah, right... Now, if Andrews and family survive the trip, they are in for a horrific surprise. The motel they bought turns out to be a boozy, smoke-filled dive populated with the same young hoodlums they met on the road. There, house band leader Mickey Rooney Jr. and his combo help keep tight, sweaty bodies in motion. The departing owner can barely keep it from getting raided before Andrews takes over... Lurid fun!****** Hot Rods to Hell (1/27/67) John Brahm ~ Dana Andrews, Jeanne Crain, Mimsy Farmer, Mickey Rooney Jr.

sonya90028 Hot Rods To Hell revolves around a middle-aged man, who decides to purchase a hotel located in the southwestern US. He's from Boston. And he realizes that the change in locale will be difficult for himself, his wife, and their kids. Still, he decides to give it a shot, and so he and his family pack-up and head out west. But some reckless teenagers driving fast hot rods, harass them along the way. The man finally decides to stand-up to the delinquent teens, who keep menacing him and his family, during their journey. This film was typical of most mid-60s movies, which highlighted the consequences of the notorious generation gap. It emphasized how wild and uncontrollable young people were becoming in the 60s, in the opinion of their bewildered elders. Most 60s teens were no where near as dangerous, as the older generation believed them to be. And this film did a spectacular job, of exaggerating how malignant young people appeared to be, to older folks during the 60s. Overall, this film managed to milk the suspense element, for all it was worth. There were many hair-raising scenes, that made this movie quite an adrenaline rush. For those that crave a film with plenty of nail-biting moments, Hot Rods To Hell will certainly do. It's a 60s B movie, with a heavy jolt of electrifying thrills.

BaronBl00d Dana Andrews stars as Tom Phillips who undergoes some changes after having survived a bad car accident. He moves his family - wife, son, and daughter - from Boston to a desert location to run a motel. Little does he and his family know that soon they will be thrust into a sinister world of souped-up hot rods, loose teenage girls, and terror hitherto unseen in their "normal" and "average" lives. Okay, so Hot Rods to Hell(otherwise known as 52 Miles to Terror) sells itself a little strong, but despite the hokey script, the over-acting, and the kitchy music - I really found that I liked this film a lot more than I thought I would. Dana Andrews growls his way through the film with a bad back trying to regain normalcy after his accident. Jeanne Crain - who bears most of the over-acting in my opinion - plays his wife. As the family moves closer to Mayville, they are accosted on the road by two kids in a red hot rod who think they own the road and the world. Things travel quickly into Andrews and family pitted against these two degenerates. While the seriousness taken with the subject matter is very heavy-handed and surely can be taken as hyperbole, the film does - believe it or not - try and make a point about how the young of the sixties were looking for something other than what their lives provided. It tries to address the younger generation being understood to some degree as well. What it doesn't do is deteriorate into mindless exploitation which would have been so easy to do. The acting was good enough to make me care about Andrews and his family and dislike the two boys intensely. The cops were shown in a very positive light as well. George Ives gives a good performance as a swinger middle-aged man who is the previous owner of the motel. Mimsy Farmer(a beautiful blonde) and Laurie Mock(a sensational brunette) spice up the film's landscape. Much of the dialog is a real hoot as Andrews barks out his frustration with the younger generation either specifically or in general. He looks like he has a body brace on through much of the film as he seems so tight. Director John Brahm is good at creating some tense scenes and much of the road scenes have a definite flair to them. Hot Rods to Hell is really nothing more than one of those 60's kids against the world films but is nonetheless enjoyable, suspenseful, and amusing for intended and unintended reasons.

Michael_Elliott Hot Rods to Hell (1967) ** 1/2 (out of 4) John Brahm (The Undying Monster, The Lodger) directs this outrageous film that tries to be hip but comes off as realistic as Reefer Madness. An old man (Dana Andrews) takes his wife and two children from Boston to Arizona so that they can open a motel but along the way they run into hot rod's with a gang who is constantly terrorizing them. Warner recently released this as part of their "Camp Classics" line and camp isn't strong enough of a word to fit this film. Everything in this movie is so over blown that you can't help but laugh your ass off from one scene to another. The performances are among the worst I've ever seen and you have to wonder what the hell Andrews was doing in a film like this. He comes off so-so but Jeanne Crain as his wife delivers quite possibly the worst performance I've ever seen by someone who has talent. From her fake tears to her trying to be scared, every single second of her performance brings laughter. The supporting cast isn't any better but Mimsy Farmer steals the show as one of the hot rods who gets horny with speed. Some might remember her later Italian horror films including Lucio Fulci's The Black Cat. This is certainly a film that's so bad it's good so cult movie fans should eat it up. Others beware. Oh yeah, Mickey Rooney, Jr. does the soundtrack.