Hitch Hike to Hell (1977) User Reviews

Man-child misses sis

[Tromafreak · 6/10 · 23 July 2009]

Anyone out there looking for some honest-to-God quality B-horror that not only holds your attention but is just inept enough to be funny? Well, look no further, because Something Weird Video and Harry Novak have brought us yet another unknown, Drive-in obscurity from the 70's. About a mama's boy named Howard, who, of course, lives with his clingy, over-protective mother. Mama hasn't always been this bad, you understand, but since Howard's sister ran away (moved out) , Howie is all she has, so it's understandable why she would treat a 20-something year old man like a total infant. Howard has mama, he has Root Beer, he has his hobbie, hell, he even has a job, one would assume Howard is doing OK, considering he's a man-child and all. Unfortunately, Howard has so much repressed rage against his sister for abandoning the family, that every time he picks up a hitchhiker, he ends up blacking out, and killing them. Unfortunately, Howard likes to pick up hitchhikers every single day, probably more than once. What I find odd is that every single time, the hitchhiker turns out to be a girl who's running away from home, which would kinda clear up as to why Howard always kills them, although, it's still odd.

One of the most entertaining and all-around best movies Something Weird Video has to offer. Some may think that that's not saying much, but it totally is, that is, if you dig vintage exploitation, if not, then you're definitely wasting your time here. Hitch-Hike To Hell isn't necessarily a frightening horror movie, but rather a quality movie with a good story that happens to be horror, hence the killing, and if you can't get enough grainy, unintentionally funny 70's B-charm, then Hitch-hike To Hell should make you extremely happy. If the antics of Howard the mama's boy seriously doesn't do it for you, then I would recommend checking out the other half of the double-feature, Kidnapped Coed, just to see how inept B-horror can really be, although, I kinda liked that one too, God help me. Unless we're talking about a Herschell Gordon Lewis gore-epic, or something else awesome like The Psychedelic Priest, then I can't think of anything more worthwhile from Something Weird Video than Hitch-Hike To Hell. Check it out. 9/10

Sordid, but not too shocking seventies exploitation

[The_Void · 6/10 · 27 September 2006]

Hitch Hike to Hell certainly can't be considered a 'great' slice of seventies exploitation, and while this type of film has been a lot better; there are far worse examples to choose from also. The film's influences are wide and largely obvious, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and, of course, Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left standing out the most. It's also obvious that the film didn't have the greatest scriptwriter on board, as while the tacky dialogue can easily be ignored, the numerous coincidences and obvious plot devices stick out too much, and lowered my enjoyment of the film. For example, just how many runaway girls can one man run across? Anyway, the plot focuses on Howard Martin, a weird shy man that drives a laundry truck. Beneath his harmless exterior, the man is a raving lunatic who is obsessed with his mother and can't stand to hear that a young girl is running away from hers. This leads him to begin killing the runaways by strangulation, but it's not long before the police catch on and begin hunting for the mysterious stranger murdering women on the highway.

Hitch-hiking is a common theme within horror cinema, and has lead to some of the greatest genre movies of all time. The main problem with this movie, however, is that it gets a bit monotonous after a while. Basically, the central psycho picks up a woman, she tells him that she's run away from home - and then he kills her. It's clear that the film was shot on a low budget, and indeed; it looks very, very cheap. But despite that, director Irvin Berwick manages to create a great country atmosphere, which is built up by the spacious locations and a relaxed soundtrack. There's not a great deal of violence in the film, and the style of the movie is such that we never really get the impression that the lead character is a bad man. He commits acts of violence, and then in the next scene everything seems OK. It's a rather odd tone for a movie like this, but the mean spirit comes in at the end with a climax that really is quite shocking, as well as being unexpected given what we've seen of the character earlier. Overall, I can't give this film a high recommendation as it really isn't all that good; but in spite of that, it's worth seeing for the exploitation fan.

Hitch Hike to Hell (1977) **1/2

[JoeKarlosi · 6/10 · 25 August 2007]

A clean-cut Mama's Boy (Robert Gribbin) works as a delivery man for a dry cleaner, and has a tendency to pick up young people hitch hiking along his daily route on the highway. When he finds out that they're running away from home and they despise their mothers, he twitches and turns into a maniac who goes berserk and slaughters them. This actually plays unintentionally funny in many places, and it's hilarious watching gray-haired Russell Johnson (the professor from "Gilligan's Island") portraying a frazzled police captain who has to deliver horrible dialogue with a concerned face. But there are also some gruesome moments too. I watched this with a couple of friends and while it's certainly not a good movie, my friends and I had a good time with it, MST3K-style. There's also a delightfully silly redneck theme song for the credits... "therrrrre's no way you can teellllll when you Heeetch Hiiike to Heelllll". If you get a chance to see the narrated trailer, it's also a riot ("He doesn't drink anything stronger than root beer!"). **1/2 out of ****

It's a true grade b classic ...

[mannorama · 1/10 · 10 September 2005]

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.

Psycho Nerd vs. Gilligan's "Professor!"

[Flixer1957 · 4/10 · 27 February 2004]

*May Contain Spoilers*

Nerdy Howard lives with his mother, drinks A&W Root Beer (blatant product placement here!), assembles model autos, drives a laundry van for a living--and rapes and kills hitch-hiking runaways he picks up along his route. Seems his sister was a runaway who broke Mommy's heart when she took off, which has turned Howard into a maniac. (Come to think of it, using model glue in a closed room probably didn't do his brain any good, either.) Howard slaps his victims around (with his hands visibly some distance from his victims' faces) and strangles them; the chokings, as in most movies, take about twenty seconds. The slayings are shown but the rapes aren't, making for an uncomfortable suggestion of necrophilia. Most of his victims are female but another of them is the sort of swishy, light-in-the-loafers man you won't see in movies today. Russell Johnson, dear to GILLIGAN'S ISLAND'S two dozen fans, appears as a police captain who tries to steer hitch-hikers out of harm's way and makes reference to The Zodiac Killer. The ending is another imitation of PSYCHO. Nancy Adams sings the not-too-bad theme song and the background score also turned up in Cronenberg's RABID. The director's son Wayne served as sound man and "harmonicist" on the theme. The film overall is no masterpiece but it's above average for a Harry Novak release and was made more professionally than I'd been led to expect. Now available on DVD along with KIDNAPPED (sic) CO-ED and a number of incredible short features, including a grand tour of Novak's headquarters.

Stick Out Your Thumb And Flag Down This Enjoyable Flick...

[P3n-E-W1s3 · 5/10 · 9 April 2021]

Hi and welcome to my review of Hitch Hike To Hell - 1983

What with a splendid title like this, it would have been hard to keep it from my B-Movie and Horror radars. If you're a loyal fan of these genres, then the title will attract you to your doom, like a moth to a flame. Surprisingly Hitch Hike To Hell turned out to be an entertaining, though mildly annoying, watch.

The story gets a 1 out of 2: John Buckley does his best to convey an Ed Gein psychopath to the screen. If weren't for Robert Gribben's over the top portrayal of him, it would have been a competent representation. Hitch Hike To Hell is the story of Howard. Howard is a Momma's Boy. When he gets ill, Mother's there to squeeze his hand. When Howard has trouble at work, Mommy jumps to his aid. Even when he has nightmares, she will get into bed with him for a supportive cuddle. These affections wouldn't be too harmful if Howard were a child, but he's an adult. All of this over devotion and care has given Howard a misconstrued idea of love. Though he merely wants to help, which is his true nature, when he learns the Hitch Hikers are runaways who don't love their Mothers, he loses control and punishes them. His actions are further supported in his mind because his own sister abandoned his Mother. Therefore, every hiker he punishes assumes her face in his cracked mind.

Here's the chief drawback though, even though the film deals with rape and murder, it's a little too light. The flippancy becomes particularly evident when an eleven-year-old girl runs away from home. We see her jump into the van, and we begin to hope and wonder if this story will follow a more sinister path? It's here I realised precisely how upbeat the film is. Now I don't know if this is down to the story or the direction. Because of this crucial moment, I think the film needed to be a tad darker in outlook.

The Direction and Pace receive a 2.25 out of 4: Irvin Berwick could have decided to keep the feeling light as it would help to portray Howard in a more human light, which it does. We know he's the killer, but the upbeat feel helps prove him to be the bumbling, unsure, nervous, yet kind man he is to everybody... until the switch is flipped in his mind, and the beast is released. This merry feel provides interest and engagement for the audience, and the speedy pace keeps the story moving happily along.

Though Berwick tries to capture some iconic and disturbing imagery, it falls short. The best of these is after Howard's first kill. He opens the vans rear doors and kicks the lifeless body into the dirt. Berwick shoots this from a distance, and we see the wasteland behind an abandoned building. It's a splendid shot and adds a depth of despair to the proceeding. But it all too quickly disappears. For the most part, the filming is standard and average. It's the tempo and story which kept me watching.

The Acting gets a 1 out of 2: For the most part, the cast is more than suitable for their roles. I especially liked Russell Johnson and Randy Echols as the two detectives on the case. Johnson does well as the driven Cpt. Shaw, while subordinate Lt. Davis, is shown experiencing his own personal issues with the job.

Sadly, it's the lead of Howard Martin that lets the whole film down. Robert Gribbin wasn't the correct choice for this psycho. He's passable as the calm and bumbling Howard. However, this too could have been handled better. It's when poor Howard enters beast-mode that Gribbin losses all control. Gribbin oversells every aspect of his meltdown. Howard's twitching is too pronounced. His mental breakdowns are excessively loud and visible. These inevitably caused me to cringe and laugh when they happened. That reaction is not a good thing, especially when the film is supposed to be serious.

And, my Enjoyment level hits a 1.25 out of 2: That said, even though Gribbin deserves a raspberry for this role. The story, the direction, and the other actors and actresses nevertheless made it enjoyable for me. For a B-Movie shocker come exploitation flick, there's not much exploitation or shock. But it does possess something. And, in the end, I felt a tad guilty at finding the movie more enjoyable than thought-provoking. But, hey, it made me smile, and that's not an undesirable thing.

Hence, Hitch Hike To Hell receives a total rating of 5.25 out of 10: If you love your B-movies and Chillers, then I'd say give Hitch Hike To Hell a try. Hell, I may even watch it again... and guilt-trip myself for doing so. Guess I'll have to put this in my Guilty Pleasures list.

Stick out your thumb and hitchhike on over to my Killer Thriller Chillers, The Game Is Afoot, and Guilty Pleasures lists to see where Howard and his Momma landed in my rankings.

Take Care & Stay Well. Get Inoculated.

To Hell with all the negative reviews!

[Coventry · 7/10 · 4 March 2006]

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.

slow, tedious, and repetitive, but strangely watchable

[movieman_kev · 4/10 · 5 July 2007]

A warped and demented mother's boy, Howard (Robert Gribbin) makes a habit of raping & killing various women hitchhikers. When the bodies mount up it's up to Captian Shaw of the Crescent P.D. (played by Russell Johnson, better known as the Proffesor from Gilligan's Island) to try to catch this deviant. The film is a tad on the tedious side (Howard picks up hitchhiker, rapes, kills, back to momma's for dinner, has flask backs to the murders, rinse & repeat) Of course interspersed with the Professor hamming it up.Their IS however one scene that deviates from the standard path that the movie sets up, it has a stereotypical flamboyant gay guy (aptly listed in the credits as 'gay boy') whom Howard picks up and is obviously used for misplaced comedic effect. Oh and a pregnancy sub-plot that comes out of nowhere and feels like it should be in a different movie completely, in this one it just felt like painful melodramatic filler. Given the subject matter and the fact that this is a low-budget exploitation movie, it's pretty tame going. For all it's faults (and there are a great many of them) the film isn't as bad as it is made out to be and i've seen worse. Russell Johnson himself makes the film watchable. If you lack a pretty high tolerance for these kind of low-budget films though I'd recommend that you steer clear.

My Grade: C-

Something Weird DVD Extras: 3 shorts: "the Hitch-Hiker", "Dangerous Strangers" & "the Cautious Twins"; A 27 minute tour of Box office International with Harry Novak circa 1992; Gallery of exploitation art with accompanying soundtrack (5 minutes, 19 seconds); Theatrical trailer; and 2 trailers for the other film on the DVD "Kidnapped Coeds" (one under it's alternative title of "Kidnapped Lover")

Eye Candy: Jacqueline Poseley gets topless; Jane Ratliff shows brief nipple

Completely worthless.

[BrettErikJohnson · 1/10 · 19 June 2002]

The movie "Hitchhike To Hell" centers around a deranged laundry deliveryman named Howard. He uses his company van to pick up hitchhikers and kill them. The reason Howard does this is because six years ago his little sister ran away from home and never returned. It completely devastated their mother and Howard is determined to punish young people who want to run away from their mommies.

Not surprisingly, every single facet of this movie is atrocious. From the acting to the direction, from the cinematography to the worthless plot...this is one awful flick. Not a shred of humor is to be found in this macabre tale. It is simply a monotonous pattern of showing Howard picking up hitchhikers and killing them. Terrible! 1/10

Very Satisfactory 'B' Film

[Greatornot · 8/10 · 11 February 2010]

Surprisingly , this film was pretty good. The acting was fine and the facial expressions of the lead character- Howard , was outstanding. The story of a social misfit at around 30 yrs. old, still tugging to Moms apron strings. A sister that ran away from home , causes torment to Howard , trying to protect his mother in perhaps the most sinister ways, involving Crescent City Ca. runaways. There were some fine, creative twists in this film , that entertained from start to finish. There was one particular scene with a not so ordinary runaway, that had me laughing hysterically. I do not want to give away the scene; I will keep quiet. The film , though not gory was still very watchable. There are some loose ends about Howards family that took away from the film, but it took away not much. The movie did allow for the expansion of some of the other character bios , but did not overdo it.The scenes where folks were supposed to have violence inflicted, were not done well;Reminding me somewhat of the 'Batman' show of the mid 60's. I think the film wanted those scenes to be a little spoofy on purpose. Russell Johnson of Gilligan fame was the only actor of note. The rest of the cast was more than acceptable . This film passes with high marks, in my opinion.

Silly and lame exploitation flick, for fans only.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 4/10 · 23 November 2009]

Well, no doubt about it that the fans of '70's exploitation will still really enjoy this movie. I know I did but I of course still can't call this a very good movie really.

Everyhing about this movie is making it obvious that it had a very low budget. It's one of those movies that seemed to be shoot with only one camera, who every now and then switched positions to capture the other character's responses. The movie also being filled with some needlessly overlong sequences which just drag on. It also has some simple editing, simple directing and some simple acting. It's fair to say that this movie is not really very surprising in any way. Of course besides the movie has a pretty simple story in it, that relies purely on it's principal concept.

It's a movie about a killer who picks up hitchhiking runaways and then goes completely berserk once he discovers that they had run away from home and do not love their mother. This is something that happened as well to the movie it's poor main characters. His sister had run away from home and his poor old mother, which he loves very much, has never got over this. As a sort of revenge for his mother this man kills these runaways.

The concept itself isn't too bad really and I guess this is the only reason why the movie still works out within its genre. The movie is being pretty silly and lame at times, which also gets really due to its dialog and the actors performing. Most actors had very little experience before appearing in this movie and most actors had not appeared in very much ever since.

Really for the genre fans only.

4/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

A bona fide bummer.

[punishmentpark · 3/10 · 22 June 2015]

In Holland I found this one in the 'American grindhouse' series, and even though there's a lot of fun titles in there, this was a bona fide bummer. The protagonist slash bad guy slash bumbling loser killer was doable and the story is in itself is pretty okay, but was stretched out way too long. The pretty nice (vintage) shots of a desolate American area and the city that is located in it, were also a plus. But beyond that, there's not much positive to discuss here.

My advice would be to skip this. Also, the attractive ladies on the DVD cover (which is pretty much the same as here on IMDb) are nowhere to be found - or any other pretty ladies...

3 out of 10.

Standard "B" thriller of the late 60's.

[Serpent-5 · 2 April 2000]

Johnson (Professor from GILLIGAN'S ISLAND) plays a cop in this low-budget film. Gribbins stars as a mama's boy laundry driver who picks up Hitchhikers and kill them. The victims are runaways and it triggers him to see them because his sister ran away from home many years ago. Some nudity and violence will be cut for TV, and the film I hear wasn't release till 1970. Gribbin played a opposite role in another drive-in classic TRIP WITH A TEACHER. Johnson actually does a fantastic performance and I am suprised he didn't do more "B" film back then. Not recommended.

Pretty Standard Fare...

[suspiria10 · 4/10 · 16 May 2010]

Hitch Hike to Hell (1977) Synopsis: Howie is a hard working, timid young man who is having troubles at work and home. His blackouts are straining his work relationships and his lack of appetite is worrying his mother. Elsewhere in town a killer is murdering runaways and the police are helpless to end the crime spree. Thoughts: "Hitch Hike" could have been much better. It was too timid for the grindhouse seventies much like the lead character. I was hoping for much more nastiness but sadly all we are given is a simple script and below average acting. However it will play better with enthusiastic, drunk fans of 70's oeuvre. (Stars: Robert Gribbin, Russell Johnson,John Harmon, Randy Echols, Dorothy Bennett) (Dir...Irvin Berwick) (DVD) (Film Rating: 2/5) (Fun Rating: 3/5)

It's a bad movie!

[Stevieboy666 · 3/10 · 9 June 2018]

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!

Proto-slasher

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 24 January 2020]

Somewhat inspired by the "Co-ed Killer" Edmund Kemper - who shows up on Netflix's Mindhunter and now reads books on tape - Hitchhike to Hell is all about Howard (Robert Gribbon, Trip with the Teacher), a mild-mannered momma's boy whose delivery job gives him plenty of time to pick up runaways and punish them for their transgressions. Can the cops stop him before he kills again?

Irv Berwick also directed Malibu High and The Monster of Piedras Blancas, so you know he's coming from a place of pure sleaze. This movie comes from the vaults of the legendary - or infamous - Harry Novak and is one of the last movies that his Boxoffice International Pictures released. You may know them from other films like Axe (AKA Lisa Lisa or California Axe Massacre), The Child, Rattlers, Wham! Bam! Thank You, Spaceman!, The Sinful Dwarf, Dr. Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks, Toys Are Not for Children and so many more fine efforts.

At one point, Captain J.W. Shaw (Russell Johnson, the Professor from Gilligan's Island and Dr. Steve Carlson from This Island Earth) mentions several real serial killers, like the Zodiac Killer, the Skid Row Slasher and "that nut down in Houston," which refers to Dean Corll, who abducted, assaulted, tortured, and murdered at least 28 teenage boys and young men between 1970 and 1973 in Houston, Texas.

Why is Howard so nutty? Is it because of his way too close relationship with his mama? Or because his older sister ran away from home as a teenager and was never heard of again? Did his sister really have it coming, like his mother mutters to herself? Your guess is as good as mine, because this movie never reveals the answers. It does, however, have teenage runaways killed with coathangers, so there's that.

Basically, don't hitchhike. You kids don't have to worry about that. You've got Uber now.

A Piece of History

[kirbylee70-599-526179 · 3/10 · 17 December 2019]

When watching a movie like HITCH HIKE TO HELL you have to keep in mind several things. The first is that a movie like his is not art, it's not a hugely successful Hollywood film and it's not the greatest thing since sliced bread. Instead it is a piece of history, a lost or potentially lost film that highlights a segment of the film industry that is only now being remembered and noticed, the grindhouse.

The movie has the lowest of budget apparently and it shows in the quality of the end result. Lights to bright, film to cheap and acting that borders on high school level in some cases, the movie is not something one would now pay $8-10 to see. And yet you will find those willing to pay the costs of this disc to add it to their collections. And for fans of the genre it is well worth it.

The story is simple and doesn't take long to tell in the scant 87 minutes the film last. Mild mannered Howard (Robert Gribbin) drives the delivery truck for a dry cleaner. He's a nice sort who sees girls hitch hiking and kindly offers them a ride. As they converse he finds out that they don't love their home life or their mothers so he drives to a secluded area and then rapes and kills them.

We later discover that all of this was brought on by his sister leaving Howard and his mother behind, something that his mom found devastating. Now she dotes on her boy, spending her every waking moment with him when not at work.

The problems for Howard begin when his boss gets upset with him. It seems during these moments of violence Howard blacks out and forgets to finish his route. His boss tells him to get his act together or he could lose his job.

The local police are at a dead end when it comes to suspects. They have no clues and can only wait until the next body turns up for more. In the meantime more and more hitch hiking girls are found dead and no one knows how to stop this serial killer.

The movie claims that the girls are raped and murdered but you'd never know it from watching. All we see is Howard killing and then blacking out. I'm guessing that they felt it would add a more lurid touch to say it took place. And there is no reason for Howard to rape given he's trying to punish the girls for leaving. But that's a small matter for others to discuss.

The film will more likely than not be remembered as the last film directed by Irvin Berwick. His biggest claim to fame was the film THE MONSTER OF PIEDRAS BLANCA, an effective horror film that began his career. It was short lived though with only 8 films directed by him. But he's developed a bit of a cult following over the years and this film will be one that fans have longed for.

Of note is the fact that the head of the police in the film is played by Russell Johnson of GILLIGAN'S ISLAND fame. Apparently that role didn't do much for his career if he ended up in films like this one. But it is nice to see him once again.

Arrow Video has done a nice job with their release of this film beginning with a 4k restoration using original film elements. Extras are limited but one would expect that with a film like this. Still what Arrow offers is pretty nice. They include a newly filmed appreciation of the film by author Stephen Thrower, ROAD TO NOWHERE: HITCHHIKING CULTURE GOES TO HELL a brand new video essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas exploring the dark side of hitch-hiking in the real world and on screen, the original theatrical trailer, the original press book on BD-ROM, a reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by The Twins of Evil and for the first pressing only a collector's booklet with new writing on the film by Heather Drain.

Thumbs up!

[BA_Harrison · 8/10 · 10 October 2008]

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!).

Beware the deadly dweeb in the delivery van!

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 26 March 2006]

I absolutely love this delectably cheap'n'cheesy late 60's exploitation trash psycho howler. Hopelessly geeky bespectacled dweeb Howard (a hilariously histrionic performance by Robert Gribbin, who overemotes to the point where you swear he's going to give himself a nosebleed) drives a delivery van for the local laundromat service. Howard has gone murderously around the bend ever since his beloved sister ran away from home six years ago. While making his daily rounds Howard picks up stray runaway teenage lady hitch-hikers and brutally butchers them. Among Howard's victims are a token gay guy, a little girl whose bloodied corpse Howard leaves in a dumpster, and one luckless lass Howard strangles in the back of his van with a wire coat hanger (I'm sure Joan Crawford would have approved of this last one). Earnest, but ineffectual police captain Shaw (well essayed by Russell Johnson; the Professor on "Gilligan's Island"!) tries to catch Howard, but thanks to indifferent and negligent parents finds this to be a most difficult task to accomplish (nice pointed social commentary here). Not released for ten years until it was picked up by legendary soft-core flick king Harry Novak's Box Office International Pictures for theatrical distribution in the 70's, sporting suitably shoddy production values, largely atrocious acting (the scenes where Howard either experiences painful seizures or erupts into a wildly raving psychotic frenzy while killing folks are especially sidesplitting), and a gloriously ghastly country-and-western theme song ("Danger on the road/Danger on the road/There's no way you can tell/When you hitch-hike to hell/Danger on the road tonight"), this grubby grindhouse gem is well worth picking up if you're a fan of deliciously down'n'dirty drive-in dreck.

not a typical 'b' flick

[kreeper · 9/10 · 30 November 2001]

considering the title(s) and the releasing company-this is a very sincere and definitely non-exploitative film. the quality of the acting is quite good for its low budget roots, and the points it tries to get across are above those roots. it is a very sad movie, no great revelations occur and there is no gladness at the end when the killer is put in the institution. and the theme song is one of my favorites. this is worth your while to see for what can be done with local talent and a low budget.

This recklessly wrong-headed road to hell is paved with grisly-good intentions!

[Weirdling_Wolf · 9/10 · 10 July 2021]

Sleazoid supremo Irwin Berwick's far from middle-of-the-road, full-throttle freakshow 'Hitch-Hike To Hell' is a terrifically twisted, tarmac-trashing, neck-snappingly rapid terror trip into the deliriously distempered, murderously malefic mind of uncommonly deranged, Bikini-babe battering, mommy-lovin', monotonously milk-drinkin', severely skeevey serial killer Howard Martin (Robert Gribbin). These unsuspecting, hellaciously hot hitch-hiking hotties take a wickedly warped wrong turn when they unknowingly accept a fiendishly fatal one-way ride to hell in this bespectacled, disarmingly bland-looking, apron string tugging creep's curb crawlingly creepy crimson van of diabolically delivered death! 'Hitch-Hike to Hell' resolutely remains a gruesomely girl-grabbing, curb-goring grindhouse classic, lovingly rescued from grainy DVD obscurity is now finally given a perfectly pristine HD upgrade, wholly deserving its new luxuriously lurid lease of crimson-spattered celluloid life on Arrow Video's immaculately presented Blu-ray edition! This recklessly wrong-headed road to hell is paved with grisly-good intentions!

Easy to watch, fun & not too shocking

[romancberryman · 10/10 · 16 July 2023]

If you want an easy to watch film, that can occasionally make you laugh then this is the film for you. Of course, you'd have to enjoy 70s exploitation films as much as me, but if you do, you'll love this. I picked up this film as an 'arrow-video' release with no prior knowledge of the film and I'm glad I did, because it may be one of my favourites.

The soundtrack to this movie is also a highlight, sadly it has not been release externally and so remains in the confines of the film itself.

Of course, it should be noted that this film is not for the light hearted as it contains hard subjects and somewhat disturbing scenes.

In a few words: Enjoyable, fun, intriguing 10/10 👍🏻