Mystery Highway
| Mystery Highway | |
|---|---|
| File:MysteryHighway24x36 poster(newlogo).jpg Release poster | |
| Directed by | Clarke M. Smith |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Reber Clark |
| Cinematography | Mike Peterson |
| Edited by | Clarke M. Smith |
Production company |
|
| Distributed by | Filmhub |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5,000 |
Search Mystery Highway on Amazon.
Mystery Highway is a 2023 American anthology film directed by Clarke M. Smith and written by Clarke M. Smith and David S. Dawson, and stars Randy Davison, Larry Poole, Whitney Wegman-Wood, and Walter M. Nowosad Jr.
Plot
Radio DJ George Bell hosts a weekly radio drama series called Mystery Highway, where truckers tune in to listen to stories of science fiction and the paranormal. The truckers imagine themselves as characters in separate stories told by Bell. After the show's intro, Bell begins telling the first of six dramas.
The first story is called Stover Hill, where a group of 30-something friends are socializing one evening at one of their homes. One of the friends, Will, begins acting strangely. A power failure plunges the group into darkness, only to be blasted by intense lights coming from outside. Will runs outside, leaving the others confused. He returns and begins to use an unearthly power to take over the rest of the group. The mother tells her 10-year-old daughter to hide, which she does. When the lights outside subside, the mother later finds her daughter, but it’s unclear as to which has been taken over by the alleged alien presence.
The second story is called Crazy Joe. Joe is a widower who takes care of his 12-year-old daughter. A local bar fly named Rumsfield teases and taunts Joe, as he often sees him talking to himself in public. It is revealed via a nightmare that Joe was responsible for his wife's death in an automobile accident, where Joe and their daughter survived. In the end, it is revealed that the daughter did not survive and she is a ghost, remaining to take care of, and defend, her now alcoholic and guilt-ridden father against people like Rumsfield.
The third story is called Dark Chocolate, where a dock worker is asked by an elderly boat captain to come aboard for a drink. The worker politely agrees, and the captain tells him that he’d like to give him his boat if he wins a game of poisoned chocolate roulette. The worker reluctantly agrees, and they begin eating each chocolate piece, one of which is injected with poison. The scene fades out, and it is revealed that the captain is eyeing another blue-collar worker, and asks if he’d like to come and have a drink.
The fourth story is called The Loyal Remnant, where a group left behind by the rapture roam the empty countryside. One evening, a man joins the group, as they continue to search for redemption. It is revealed that the man is Satan, and he tries unsuccessfully to kill them, as they pray him away.
The fifth story is called Discontinuance, which follows a man who wakes up in the desert after an apparent alien abduction. He walks to a bar and begins talking to another customer, and learns that his daughter, who was with him when he was abducted, has become famous for spewing irrational rhetoric about how her father was abducted by aliens. Hearing this, the man rushes to go find his daughter, and they reunite.
The sixth and last story is called You Are Me. Greyson is a brilliant scientist who is dying of a disease from being infected in a mining town in his youth. He builds a robot/clone hybrid of himself in order for it to carry on with his wife, unaware of his illness. He dies, and the clone takes over his life. It is revealed that his wife, who was also infected in the mine town, had previously died and is a clone herself. Because they are now both clones, their mechanical bodies cancel the other out, and they malfunction and freeze.
Returning to the disc jockey studio, George Bell recaps the stories and bids farewell to his listeners, and invites them to return next time for another evening of exciting and interesting stories.
Cast
- Randy Davison
- Larry Poole
- Whitney Wegman-Wood
- James Steinberg
- Rachel Elizabeth Ames
- Christopher Cendana
- Shane P. Allen
- Walter M. Nowosad Jr.
Production
The film was made for a budget of $5,000.[1]
Release
The film was distributed by Filmhub, releasing on January 10, 2023.[2] It was later released on YouTube on June 14, 2024.[3]
Reception
Critical response
Film critic Michael Knox-Smith recommended the film, scoring it 5 out of 5, comparing it to Tales of Halloween and The ABCs of Death.[1] Film Threat scored the film 7 out of 10, calling it "a fresh take on various subgenres in a genuine way."[4] Celia Payne at Let’s Talk Terror praised the film, saying "Mystery Highway is a psychological work of art that creates space for you to add your own what ifs."[3]
Jim McLennan at Film Blitz gave the film a C+ rating, stating that "its almost exactly an even spread of the good, the bad and the indifferent" but that "the ideas for the segments here are generally interesting too."[5]
Accolades
| Festival | Year | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Movie Awards | 2021 | Best Feature Film (All Genre) Honorable Mention | Clarke M. Smith | Won | [6] |
| Best Actor (You Are Me segment) | Randy Davison | Won | [7] | ||
| San Diego Film Awards | 2022 | Best Narrative Feature | Clarke M. Smith | Nominated | [8] |
| Best Original Composition | Reber Clark | Nominated |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Knox-Smith, Michael. "Mystery Highway (2024): 6 Stories of Love, Death and Horror". Mikes Film Talk. Mike's Film Talk LLC. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
- ↑ "Mystery Highway". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Payne, Celia. "REVIEW — Mystery Highway (2023)". Let’s Talk Terror. Celia Payne. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
- ↑ Padgett, Ethan (2025-07-03). "Mystery Highway". Film Threat. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
- ↑ McLennan, Jim (May 31, 2025). "Mystery Highway (2024)". Film Blitz. TrashCity.org. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ↑ "2021 San Diego Movie Awards Winners". 2021 San Diego Movie Awards. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
- ↑ "2021 San Diego Film Award Winners". 2022 San Diego Movie Awards. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
- ↑ "2022 San Diego Film Award Nominations". 2022 San Diego Movie Awards. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
External links
- Official website
- Mystery Highway on IMDb Search this movie on
- Trailer on YouTube
- Intellexual Podcast on YouTube
This article "Mystery Highway" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Mystery Highway. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
.jpg){kind=link}