Texas Detour Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Texas Detour Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 3, 2025

Howard Avedis' "Texas Detour" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Dark Force Entertainment. The only bonus feature on the release is an exclusive new audio commentary by Demon Dave and a few friends. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

You ain't going anywhere, boy.

Few people have seen all sixteen films that Howard Avedis directed. All of these films are B- and C-grade projects that are not considered cult gems, so there has never been a compelling reason for even the most serious collectors to unearth them. There are a few that Avedis directed outside the United States, under a different name, which are virtually impossible to track down as well.

The best-known film that Avedis directed is They're Playing with Fire, starring a seriously hot Sybil Danning in her prime. During the VHS and DVD eras, They’re Playing with Fire had a nice shelf life. Kino Lorber reintroduced They’re Playing with Fire on Blu-ray, but now the release is out of print. It is difficult to tell which of Avedis’ films deserves to be placed after They’re Playing with Fire and why. Scorchy and Dr. Minx are his most polished, best-looking films, while Mortuary enjoys a bit of a reputation among slasher fans.

Texas Detour may very well be the most unusual film Avedis directed, and for a couple of different reasons. First, it boasts the most impressive cast, which is quite surprising because it was done with a much smaller budget than those used for the four films mentioned earlier. The cast includes such famous character actors as Patrick Wayne, R.G. Armstrong, Cameron Mitchell, and Anthony James. Second, the special effects in Texas Detour were managed by three F/X artists whose names appear on serious cult and box office hits like Carrie, Who'll Stop the Rain, Predator, Big Jake, and even Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. Third, Avedis scripted and produced Texas Detour, so during the pre-production process, he must have been selling a legitimately attractive film to entice all these talented people to work with him on it. Avedis may have been writing big checks, too, but assuming he was a shrewd producer, which appears to have been the case, he would not have run out of money to invest in what undoubtedly mattered the most to him -- the film he was going to direct.

In its current form, Texas Detour is easy to compare to some similarly small and slightly bigger films that Gus Trikonis and Lee Frost shot during the 1970s. It is part Americana, part exotic action thriller with a Southern sense of humor that was legitimized by the much bigger mainstream films Burt Reynolds and Sam Peckinpah made during the same period. It entertains quite well, but one must have a soft spot for the 1970s low-budget films that drive-in theaters loved to screen.

As the title reveals, all of the drama and fireworks take place somewhere in Texas. On their way to Nashville, siblings Clay (Wayne), Dale (Mitch Vogel), and Sugar (Lindsay Bloom) surrender their dingy van to a trio of local troublemakers, and they quickly disappear with it. Shortly after, the siblings meet Beau Hunter (James), who agrees to give them a ride to his father’s (Mitchell) massive estate. After the siblings agree to wait until Sheriff Burt (Armstrong) figures out what may have happened to their van, Clay steals the heart of Beau’s beautiful sister, Claudia (Priscilla Barnes), while Sugar, after rejecting Beau, falls in love with a local farm boy. When the humiliated Beau rapes Sugar, all hell breaks loose.

Texas Detour is a rough film, even when judged by the loose standards reserved for B-films, but it never appears amateurish. Its roughness, which is essential for all proper Americana films, is of the quality kind that supports authenticity. Pretty much the same can be said about the acting in it. It swings in various directions and can be pretty rough, and yet it remains effective and attractive.

The absence of a solid soundtrack with good rock or blues tunes is unquestionably the biggest flaw in Avedis’ concept for Texas Detour. Several quality tunes could have made an enormous difference.

Texas Detour Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Texas Detour arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Dark Force Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an exclusive new 4K master that gives Texas Detour a wonderful organic appearance. To be honest, the only improvement I would have loved to see done on it is additional cosmetic work to eliminate the few nicks and tiny blemishes that occasionally pop up here and there. (Placing the entire film on a double-layer disc would have been nice, too). Regardless, Texas Detour looks pretty impressive in high-definition. Delineation, clarity, and depth are very good or excellent. There are some noticeable density fluctuations, but they are introduced by the original cinematography, not digital or source anomalies. The new 4K master was exclusively graded, too, and I could not have been happier with what I saw on my system. All primaries and supporting nuances look healthy and are properly balanced, ensuring that Texas Detour has the type of convincing period appearance it deserves. Image stability is good. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Texas Detour Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

I was able to follow all exchanges without a problem. Clarity and sharpness are very good. However, it is very easy to tell that the creators of Texas Detour never thought that their film deserves an impressive soundtrack. Why? Because all of the action -- and at the end of the film there is some pretty impressive material -- and music stay within the same dynamic range. Obviously, this is an inherited limitation, and while viewing the film, I could not stop thinking how much better it would have been with a nicely mixed selection of rock/blues tracks and action material.

Texas Detour Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by Demon Dave and a few more guests.

Texas Detour Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A massive section of my library is reserved for films like Howard Avedis' Texas Detour. They are low-budget Americana films from the 1960s and 1970s, like Truck Stop Women, Hollywood Boulevard, Dirty O'Neil, Bonnie's Kids, and Trick Baby. Some visit the rural South, some visit the more unattractive areas of urban America, and I think that all of them, even the roughest ones, are fascinating time capsules. Also, there is freedom in these films, shaping the good and bad defining them, that I find very attractive. Texas, Detour gathers several famous character actors, too. This recent Blu-ray release introduces a very nice, exclusive 4K makeover of it. RECOMMENDED.