No tolls… only mutant trolls.

Lost Highway is a desolate road trip through the backwoods of b-movies and cult films. At Lost Highway our roadside stops include horror, sci-fi, grindhouse and cult films from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s as well as new films we deem worthy of the b-movie title. Does it contain in excess any of combination one of the 3 b’s…beasts, blood, or breasts? If so then it meets the stringent guidelines set forth by Joe Bob Briggs the master of B-movie knowledge. The Lost Highway is preserved and maintained by Steve “Retroman” Jencks and Drive-in Dan. They are your tour guides on this winding road bringing you fun satirical reviews of some of the best and worse b-movies you’ve ever seen or never heard of. Read a little more about them below.

Steve “Retroman” Jencks
My b-movie obsession started young as my parents didn’t regulate much of what I saw on television and we were one of the first in our neighborhood with cable and then the holy top loading VCR. My first horror movie I ever saw was Halloween 3: Season of the Witch. I believe I was about 9 years old and was invited to a sleep over at a friend’s birthday party. To say the least I didn’t want to watch it and viewed most of it hiding under my sleeping bag. Looking back first I can’t imagine why parent’s would let 9 year old kids watch something like that but this was also a time where nobody wore seat belts and people coated their walls with lead paint.

After a few more horror nights at friends houses I realized that
1. the things on the screen can’t hurt me
2. They’re not really scary but actually pretty hilarious at times.
3. horror movies contain lots of boobies.

I stayed up late watching horror movie marathons and sci-fi shows. Series like Monstervision were a part of my regular routine. TNT ran old 80’s movies like Roadhouse and Friday the 13th marathons much to my delight. Then in the late 80’s came the holy grail for b-movie fans, Mystery Science Theater 3000. I never laughed so hard in my laugh. These guys truly understood how much fun a bad movie can be. That show got me through some tough times in my life and I continue to re-watch them laughing every time.

I’m a graphic designer by trade so this writing thing is somewhat new to me so bear with my occasional typos and grammatical error. Please come back every week (or so) for a new review. I usually watch a new movie each weekend and try to get the review written by the beginning of the week which can be challenging at times with so much going on and family obligations. Feel free to drop me an email here to chat about the greatness of the b-movie and may I suggest a helping of Troll 2 to start you on your way.


Drive-in Dan

Raised on a steady diet of Rosen’s Drive-In’s “Famous Double-Decker Dogs”, and peach iced tea, Dan began to cultivate at a young age a life-long appreciation for the B-movie genre and it’s many sub-genres.

“Drive-In Dan” got his nickname after being born at Rosen’s Drive-In, where his mother worked. She went into labor while serving a customer at the concession window and gave birth while the film “It’s Alive” was playing on the big screen. Dan Rosen (owner and long-time friend of Drive-In Dan’s mother), along with his wife, Marlene, helped deliver the baby. Some of the “regulars” who were standing around at the time started to say his nickname, and from that point forward he became known as “Drive-In Dan.”

That night, Dan became a part of the drive-in’s family, and today he continues to be a local celebrity in his hometown. There is even a hot dog eating contest (that has gained national attention) bearing his name at the drive-in every August 13th to honor his birthday. The added exposure has helped breathe new life into the once dying establishment by putting it on the map as a favorite tourist attraction. Rosen’s Drive-In has become known for its showing of old B-movies from the 70’s and 80’s. In the fall Dan used to put on a yearly haunted house attraction that had sci-fi and horror-themed rooms, complete with traditional “pop-out gags” that developed quite a cult following.

As a young boy, double-billed “creature features” served as his babysitters while his single mom would work the night shift. Around the same time, Dan also started to take an interest in the poster art featured on the drive-in’s marquees for upcoming releases, and began drawing his own versions of his favorites such as “The Thing”, “Halloween 3″, and “Phantasm.” As the years passed, his fondness for the genre grew. He not only enjoyed the movies for their entertainment value, but was also fascinated by the special effects and makeup wizardry used to create the on-screen magic. When Dan isn’t busy running the drive-in’s film projector or greeting hordes of eager movie patrons in the parking lot, he spends his free time dreaming up and bringing to life his own cast of crazy B-movie characters inspired by the many films he has seen over the years.

While searching the Internet for a designer to create a web presence for his horror merchandise business, Drive-In Dan came into contact with graphic artist, Steve “The Retroman” Jencks, who owns and operates Retro DC, which specializes in web design, illustration, and logo branding. During the brainstorming and design phase of the project, Steve mentioned that he also ran a site dedicated to the B-movie genre called “Lost Highway.” The first time Dan visited Lost Highway, it was like he had just entered a paradise for low-budget movie lovers. From the genre-inspired layout to the written reviews, it was clear that this site was created by a true fan who celebrates the fun and cheesy universe of B-movies. In June 2008 Dan was invited to be a part of the Lost Highway family. He hopes that new and regular visitors will enjoy his contributions to the site.