Hot Rods to Hell

"Hot Rods To Hell (also known as 52 Miles To Midnight) was the final film made by director John Brahm, whose work across most of his career was in black-and-white, and whose best work was in atmospheric thrillers, bookended most notably The Undying Monster (1942) and a brace of Twilight Zone episodes two decades later. Hot Rods To Hell is not The Undying Monster, or his best work -- it's in color, for one thing, and decidedly of its time, as a kind of topical 60's juvenile delinquency thriller -- and watching the DVD, one wonders how much Brahm could possibly have contributed on a creative level to the picture. On a technical level, however, the transfer is stunning -- having seen this movie on television in numerous showings during the late 1960's and early/middle 1970's, this reviewer can say that it never looked this good on the small-screen; and quite possibly, it never received as good a presentation in any of the theaters where it ran (one wonders if it ran anywhere but in drive-ins). The letterboxed non-anamorphic transfer (1.85-to-1) has given it a crisp, bright image and the sound is also set at a good volume, and has a good, healthy presence -- that's especially important in the second half of the movie, when the juvenile delinquency aspect of the plot comes into play, and the rock 'n' roll elements of the score, provided by Miickey Rooney, Jr. and his combo, turn up; and from there on the picture takes off along with the music. The movie has been given an astounding 24 chapters, and the menu opens automatically on start-up. The only bonus is a trailer, but it is difficult to imagine what kind of special features -- other than interviews with surviving cast members (and there are a few) -- there could be in a film such as this."