Hell's Highway: The True Story of Highway Safety Films

Hell's Highway: The True Story of Highway Safety Films

2003 · 91 min · ★ 5.7 · Documentary

This film covers the early history of post World War II educational films, especially those involving traffic safety by the Highway Safety Foundation under direction of Richard Wayman. In the name of promoting safe driving in teenagers, these films became notorious for their gory depiction of accidents to shock their audiences to make their point. The film also covers the role of safety films of this era, their effect on North American teenage culture, the struggle between idealism and lurid exploitation and how they reflected the larger society concerns of the time that adults projected onto their youth.

Directed by Bret Wood · Written by Bret Wood

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Rent or Buy

Amazon Video
Provider data from JustWatch via TMDB →

Cast

More from Bret WoodSee all →

Lon Chaney: Behind the MaskLon Chaney: Behind the Mask · 1995
Lon Chaney: Behind the Mask
9.01995
MovieDocumentary
A documentary on the life and career of actor Lon Chaney, with clips from his films and interviews with people who knew him.
Pioneers of African-American Cinema: About the RestorationPioneers of African-American Cinema: About the Restoration · 2016
Pioneers of African-American Cinema: About the Restoration
7.02016
Movie
"About the Restoration" provides an overview of the recovery effort, hosted by Bret Wood. Also of interest are examples of movie making mistakes that remain in the pictures, with disc producers resisting the urge to correct these admittedly humorous issues.
Against the GrainAgainst the Grain · 2023
Against the Grain
6.32023
MovieDocumentary
A glimpse at how genre film-focused home video companies have taken the charge in preserving, restoring, and releasing so many works which otherwise might have been lost to time.
Children of EveChildren of Eve · 1915
Children of Eve
6.21915
MovieDramaCrime
An illegitimate child of the slums comes to faith. Later, she chooses to labor in a canning factory in order to investigate its poor conditions, not realizing she has a significant connection to the cold-hearted factory owner.
Kingdom of ShadowsKingdom of Shadows · 1998
Kingdom of Shadows
6.01998
MovieDocumentary
Narrated by Rod Steiger, this documentary examines the frightful conventions from which the modern-day horror movie has evolved, featuring clips from classics like Dante's Inferno and Leaves from Satan's Book.
The Little DeathThe Little Death · 2010
The Little Death
5.02010
MovieDrama
An erotic thriller from the director of Psychopathia Sexualis, The Little Death offers a peek into the seedy boudoirs of a Victorian-era brothel, where a strong-willed reformer and a corrupter of innocence battle over the fate of a young woman who seems to be held there in sexual captivity. While the owner attempts to mesmerize and seduce the would-be rescuer, a meek student wanders into the house and becomes a tragic pawn in the psychological game of cat-and-mouse that is rapidly unfolding.
Those Who Deserve To DieThose Who Deserve To Die · 2020
Those Who Deserve To Die
4.52020
MovieHorror
A troubled veteran returns home to resume his life, but first he must fulfill a dreadful family obligation.
Psychopathia SexualisPsychopathia Sexualis · 2006
Psychopathia Sexualis
3.62006
MovieDramaRomance
Multi-narrative adaptation of Richard v. Krafft-Ebing's notorious medico-forensic study of sexual perversity.
The UnwantedThe Unwanted · 2014
The Unwanted
3.42014
MovieDramaHorror
Carmilla comes to a rural town where her mother mysteriously disappeared years earlier. She is aided in her quest by an emotionally troubled local girl, with whom she becomes romantically involved. Their relationship ignites the wrath of the girl's father, who holds the key to the dreadful truth Carmilla is seeking. Inspired by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's famed Gothic novella.
OroyaOroya
Oroya
Movie
An exploration of La Oroya, an Andean smelting town caught in the tides of pollution and capital drain. The film charts U.S.-led industrialization and Peruvian social history in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Homes Not My OwnHomes Not My Own
Homes Not My Own
Movie
A young woman masquerades as a census taker in order to gain entry into her mother's home.
Silent EchoesSilent Echoes · 2011
Silent Echoes
2011
MovieDocumentary
Four visual essays by Silent Echoes author John Bengtson identifying Buster Keaton's shooting locations for his many short films produced between 1920-1923, many in the streets surrounding his former Hollywood studio, the same studio where, a few years earlier, Charlie Chaplin had made his brilliant series of Mutual shorts.
Sherlock Jr.: Tour of Filming LocationsSherlock Jr.: Tour of Filming Locations · 2010
Sherlock Jr.: Tour of Filming Locations
2010
MovieDocumentary
This visual essay by John Bengtson, author of Silent Echoes: Discovering Early Hollywood Through the Films of Buster Keaton, reveals the locations where Keaton's 1924 comedy feature Sherlock Jr. was filmed in Hollywood and Orange County.
Movie Magic & Mysteries: The Making of Sherlock Jr.Movie Magic & Mysteries: The Making of Sherlock Jr. · 2010
Movie Magic & Mysteries: The Making of Sherlock Jr.
2010
MovieDocumentary
Documentary about the making of Buster Keaton's silent comedy classic, Sherlock Jr. (1924).

More Like This

Couldn't load this row right now.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter