QUICKSILVER HIGHWAY (1997)
This is another title I remember seeing on video shelves in the late 90's. Made for the tube - Fox, to be specific - Quicksilver Highway is a cut above most of the dregs that find their way to the small screen (at least in terms of production design). It could squirt through on name-dropping alone. It was directed by Mick Garris. If you need more names that horror goons will swoon over, how about Stephen King and Clive Barker? Yes, this is an anthology, a double bill with Christopher Lloyd as toastmaster general. He spins the yarns, but the two halves aren't actually connected. He simply regales a bride who is broken down on the side of the road. Once he finishes with that bit of business, he suddenly appears at a carnival where he spooks a pickpocket. Er? Pickpocketer? That doesn't sound right. Anyway, the first story is a King adaptation called "Chattery Teeth." I won't bother with a blow-by-blow synopsis, except to say that it's Stephen King-y as hell. Also, it's a little light on true horror, but hey, I was entertained.
The second segment stars Matt Frewer as a plastic surgeon who loses control of his hands. It's...weird. Fingers literally talk to each other. They plot to overthrow their host body, and eventually, we see hands running around a hospital causing general mischief. I realize that my job here is to give my opinion on the movies I watch, but I don't know that I have an opinion on Matt everloving Frewer doing his best Ash impersonation. It certainly happened. I'll give it that much. Quicksilver Highway ends with a resounding kerplunk. No twist. No wrap-around gimmick. Just credits. Y'know, I've never heard anyone talk about this flick. It premiered a few weeks after The Shining was revamped, so maybe it was a case of inauspicious timing. I'm feeling three Z'Dars.
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