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Death Freaks on Hell's Highway!
"Kill everyone. Tonight, no one lives."
Roy Cobb is transporting his sick wife across state lines when they stop to pick up a hitchhiker. Carter Parx is his name, and he’s been killing all his life. He does it for fun.
But Roy is no stranger to death. And when Carter takes a shine to Roy’s wife, the stage is set for the most outrageous carnage the Mojave desert has ever seen.
From the author of Psychic Teenage Bloodbath, Death Freaks on Hell’s Highway is Carl John Lee’s most unhinged story yet. Twisted, depraved, and utterly sadistic, you’d better buckle up... For a one way trip straight to hell!
Roy Cobb is transporting his sick wife across state lines when they stop to pick up a hitchhiker. Carter Parx is his name, and he’s been killing all his life. He does it for fun.
But Roy is no stranger to death. And when Carter takes a shine to Roy’s wife, the stage is set for the most outrageous carnage the Mojave desert has ever seen.
From the author of Psychic Teenage Bloodbath, Death Freaks on Hell’s Highway is Carl John Lee’s most unhinged story yet. Twisted, depraved, and utterly sadistic, you’d better buckle up... For a one way trip straight to hell!
- GenresHorror
184 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 22, 2023
13 people are currently reading
205 people want to read
About the author
Carl John Lee
8 books229 followersA New York-based screenwriter, Carl John Lee has written a bunch of movies you've either never seen, or would never admit to seeing.
Inspired by Roger Corman and the golden age of exploitation films, Lee probes deep into the filthy underbelly of America, contrasting his bleak worldview with dark humor.
He has three dogs, two cats, and not a shred of dignity.
Inspired by Roger Corman and the golden age of exploitation films, Lee probes deep into the filthy underbelly of America, contrasting his bleak worldview with dark humor.
He has three dogs, two cats, and not a shred of dignity.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
February 10, 2025
5 stars FOR THE SHEER INSANITY I JUST READ!!!
That was absolutely BATSHIT INSANE OMG 🤯🤯🤯
This was disgusting, despicable, depraved, gory as hell and had just about every trigger possible in a horror novel... AND I LOVED IT🤣🤣🤣 Carl, or David as we now know, is just a master at graphic horror! I don't often read Splatterpunk, but when I do, it's gonna be your books David bestie🤣
If you can stomach extreme horror, you can't go wrong with this author's books. If you can't, DEAR GOD STAY AWAY FROM THIS IT WILL TRAUMATIZE YOU 🤣
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Hello. Me again reading a book with a weird cover😅
But also, recently found out Carl John Lee is also David Sodergren, aka my favorite horror author 😭 Now I must read all his books 🤷
That was absolutely BATSHIT INSANE OMG 🤯🤯🤯
This was disgusting, despicable, depraved, gory as hell and had just about every trigger possible in a horror novel... AND I LOVED IT🤣🤣🤣 Carl, or David as we now know, is just a master at graphic horror! I don't often read Splatterpunk, but when I do, it's gonna be your books David bestie🤣
If you can stomach extreme horror, you can't go wrong with this author's books. If you can't, DEAR GOD STAY AWAY FROM THIS IT WILL TRAUMATIZE YOU 🤣
_____________________________________________________
Hello. Me again reading a book with a weird cover😅
But also, recently found out Carl John Lee is also David Sodergren, aka my favorite horror author 😭 Now I must read all his books 🤷
November 20, 2025
Well, this was a chaotic mess. I mean in that in the best possible way, too. Nonstop action and violence throughout the entire story. Roy, as our lead, was a really deep, dynamic character. Something about the street smart, grizzled, veteran really made him pop. I kept imagining Tim Waltz for some reason. Only Roy, here, could actually use a gun. The story, surprisingly, kept layering itself, none of which felt excessive or overwhelming, but found a great groove. Nice pacing, plenty of blockbuster worthy scenes, and enough sex and gore to make you wanna vomit, this was a really fun experience. Rock on, Carl John Lee...rock on, you crazy bastard.
July 28, 2023
UNCLE CARL is back!
Carl John Lee is an enigma. A time traveler. Living his life off the internet grid, off the social media highway, just existing enough to share that a new book is out and kindly replying when someone tags him in a review.
I’ve been fortunate to have developed a bit of a relationship with Carl since his debut ‘The Blood Beast Mutations’ was released and I’ve been lucky enough to have him to a cover for one of my novels (Incarnate).
But that doesn’t mean Carl doesn’t have any tricks up his perverted sleeve.
No, he surprised everyone by stealth releasing this, his newest piece of filth, just last Saturday, the 22nd of July. We’d had a few emails back and forth, with him asking me my thoughts on the Godless website, he was curious, and I swore up and down that it was the perfect home for Uncle Carl’s brand of voyeuristic debauchery. When I got an email from him saying – ‘hey, here’s my newest, it’s on Godless today,’ I was over the moon and once I was back home from our mini-vacation dove right in.
What I liked: ‘Death Freaks on Hell’s Highway’ is everything you would expect from a Carl release and more. We have horny men, horny women, dicks, pussy, tits, death, gore, sodomy, rape, cemetery filth, forced voyeurism, blood drinking, and slit throats. And that’s all in the first section of the book at the hotel.
We follow Roy and his wife Michelle, as Roy escorts her to a wellness retreat. Roy has severe PTSD from Vietnam. Michelle has some sort of complex mental condition where she blacks out, kills things and doesn’t remember it. After they pick up a hitchhiker, things go balls out as Michelle turns on her husband and joins forces with the hitchhiker, a man named Carter, who lives to kill and fuck. And kill. Leaving Roy for dead, they continue on to the aforementioned hotel, where blood is painted on every wall and semen almost follows after. Almost. But I won’t spoil the ‘why,’ and I don’t want to get ahead of myself. There’s a funny pun there, but you’ll have to read the book to understand it!
As the story goes on, we get a new female character with a mysterious backstory, who Roy uses to steal her car and continue on his way, trying to track down Carter and Michelle.
Look, the closet I can get to describing this is as though Rob Zombie released an NC17 version of The Devil’s Rejects, but before anyone was allowed to watch it, they had to do a bag of coke, wrap an elastic around their cock or have a vibrator shoved up their vagina turned on to full blast and then sit back and enjoy it.
It’s a lot to take in and a fucking great time while you’re entrenched in that world.
The ending is a two-parter, Roy’s storyline finishes as does the secondary female character. I’ll talk about that in a second, but with Roy’s part coming to an end, it was as fitting way for it to conclude and made for a gruesome adios.
What I didn’t like: Well, for other readers, this hits every single trigger warning well out of the park, so reader – enter at your own risk. Carl just may get himself cancelled with this one.
As for me – I had no care in the secondary character. She came, was there, and then her story returned at the end and was closed off. I don’t think she was necessary and other than adding in some grotesque kills, the story would’ve been just fine without her.
Why you should buy this: Carl John Lee writes the books that were the movies we all snuck back out to the living rooms after our parents went to sleep, to watch. They are the soundtrack to us kids born in the early eighties who loved Easy Rider just as much as Friday the 13th. We get fun characters, tons of T & A (and C for the ladies), and we get a story that is such a fun distraction from everything else, you just can’t help but smile.
I’m a huge fan of Carl John Lee and I’m hoping that with this one being his first entry into the Godless world, more extreme horror fans will find his work and discover a refreshing writer from a bygone period.
Carl John Lee is an enigma. A time traveler. Living his life off the internet grid, off the social media highway, just existing enough to share that a new book is out and kindly replying when someone tags him in a review.
I’ve been fortunate to have developed a bit of a relationship with Carl since his debut ‘The Blood Beast Mutations’ was released and I’ve been lucky enough to have him to a cover for one of my novels (Incarnate).
But that doesn’t mean Carl doesn’t have any tricks up his perverted sleeve.
No, he surprised everyone by stealth releasing this, his newest piece of filth, just last Saturday, the 22nd of July. We’d had a few emails back and forth, with him asking me my thoughts on the Godless website, he was curious, and I swore up and down that it was the perfect home for Uncle Carl’s brand of voyeuristic debauchery. When I got an email from him saying – ‘hey, here’s my newest, it’s on Godless today,’ I was over the moon and once I was back home from our mini-vacation dove right in.
What I liked: ‘Death Freaks on Hell’s Highway’ is everything you would expect from a Carl release and more. We have horny men, horny women, dicks, pussy, tits, death, gore, sodomy, rape, cemetery filth, forced voyeurism, blood drinking, and slit throats. And that’s all in the first section of the book at the hotel.
We follow Roy and his wife Michelle, as Roy escorts her to a wellness retreat. Roy has severe PTSD from Vietnam. Michelle has some sort of complex mental condition where she blacks out, kills things and doesn’t remember it. After they pick up a hitchhiker, things go balls out as Michelle turns on her husband and joins forces with the hitchhiker, a man named Carter, who lives to kill and fuck. And kill. Leaving Roy for dead, they continue on to the aforementioned hotel, where blood is painted on every wall and semen almost follows after. Almost. But I won’t spoil the ‘why,’ and I don’t want to get ahead of myself. There’s a funny pun there, but you’ll have to read the book to understand it!
As the story goes on, we get a new female character with a mysterious backstory, who Roy uses to steal her car and continue on his way, trying to track down Carter and Michelle.
Look, the closet I can get to describing this is as though Rob Zombie released an NC17 version of The Devil’s Rejects, but before anyone was allowed to watch it, they had to do a bag of coke, wrap an elastic around their cock or have a vibrator shoved up their vagina turned on to full blast and then sit back and enjoy it.
It’s a lot to take in and a fucking great time while you’re entrenched in that world.
The ending is a two-parter, Roy’s storyline finishes as does the secondary female character. I’ll talk about that in a second, but with Roy’s part coming to an end, it was as fitting way for it to conclude and made for a gruesome adios.
What I didn’t like: Well, for other readers, this hits every single trigger warning well out of the park, so reader – enter at your own risk. Carl just may get himself cancelled with this one.
As for me – I had no care in the secondary character. She came, was there, and then her story returned at the end and was closed off. I don’t think she was necessary and other than adding in some grotesque kills, the story would’ve been just fine without her.
Why you should buy this: Carl John Lee writes the books that were the movies we all snuck back out to the living rooms after our parents went to sleep, to watch. They are the soundtrack to us kids born in the early eighties who loved Easy Rider just as much as Friday the 13th. We get fun characters, tons of T & A (and C for the ladies), and we get a story that is such a fun distraction from everything else, you just can’t help but smile.
I’m a huge fan of Carl John Lee and I’m hoping that with this one being his first entry into the Godless world, more extreme horror fans will find his work and discover a refreshing writer from a bygone period.
October 11, 2025
I read this in one sitting, and it felt like Natural Born Killers, on steroids, rewritten by Ed Gein. It made perfect sense when I found out it began as a screenplay that turned into a porn that never saw the light of day. The moment I learned Carl John Lee was David Sodergren’s splatterpunk pseudonym, I knew I was in for something special, and I wasn’t wrong. It’s a vicious, unrelenting bloodbath that is brutal, chaotic, and disturbingly fun.
August 3, 2023
Today’s lesson of the day is Never pick up sketchy hitchhikers on roads ever. At all.
December 26, 2024
ugh, michelle 😒
October 9, 2023
Death Freaks
Carl John Lee pulls you in and BAM!! Blood, violence, twists and turns, definitely would recommend this read , love Carl’s writing
Carl John Lee pulls you in and BAM!! Blood, violence, twists and turns, definitely would recommend this read , love Carl’s writing
June 30, 2025
this was so chaotic and sometimes that’s a turn off in a book for me but it worked this time. it was very entertaining and just NON STOP once it got started.
PSA: do not pick up a hitchhiker. i thought we’ve learned this by now 😆
PSA: do not pick up a hitchhiker. i thought we’ve learned this by now 😆
March 7, 2024
Fully enjoyed
If you enjoy a good extreme horror with lots of violence, blood and gore, then this is for you. It is extreme all the way through with a great storyline, lots of imagination and some great characters. All this topped off with some sex and plenty of twists, keeping you entertained from start to finish. I especially liked how it highlighted post traumatic stresses, and how much veterans have suffered during and after wars. When they should be treated with respect and given so much more help after serving our countries with their own lives. So a big THANK YOU! And shout out to you all for that and to Carl John Lee for highlighting it. The story is a good easy gripping read that I'd definitely recommend to anyone whom enjoys the extreme horror, it be aware it can be unsettling and not for the easily offended or faint hearted. Otherwise read away, you won't be disappointed.
If you enjoy a good extreme horror with lots of violence, blood and gore, then this is for you. It is extreme all the way through with a great storyline, lots of imagination and some great characters. All this topped off with some sex and plenty of twists, keeping you entertained from start to finish. I especially liked how it highlighted post traumatic stresses, and how much veterans have suffered during and after wars. When they should be treated with respect and given so much more help after serving our countries with their own lives. So a big THANK YOU! And shout out to you all for that and to Carl John Lee for highlighting it. The story is a good easy gripping read that I'd definitely recommend to anyone whom enjoys the extreme horror, it be aware it can be unsettling and not for the easily offended or faint hearted. Otherwise read away, you won't be disappointed.
March 7, 2025
I know I'm just begging some wiseacre to go "It's called Death Freaks on Hell's Highway, what were you expecting?" with this review, but bear with me. From the title, you might expect this to be the kind of knowingly over-the-top grindhouse type story that Robert Rodriguez has been making for the last ten years between Spy Kids spinoffs.
Surprisingly--to me, at any rate--it's not that. It's more along the lines of seventies-tinged exploitation like The Devil's Rejects... just with the same campy bloodletting as Machete might find himself in the middle of. This leaves you with a bit of a tonal clash, as we go from True Crime Lite vignettes of innocent people being raped and murdered to the actual death scenes, which are about as believable as Mortal Kombat fatalities.
The gag is... and if you read the last paragraph nodding your head like this was up your alley, turn back now, because this probably will spoil the punchline for you... that there are no heroes. Every named character is either a psychotic killer or dead meat. So there's no real conflict, no one to root for: the whole thing would almost be a net benefit to the fictitious human race, given the karmic comeuppance each cast member manages to dole out on each other, except for all the innocents caught in the middle.
I know this is some people's bag, The Devil's Rejects had its fans and this is essentially that pushed even further. But for me, it's where the narrative fell flat, because it's just a bunch of killing interspersed with action scenes of the killers trying to kill each other, which doesn't matter because they're all equally bad. The attempts at psychodrama don't work because everyone is irredeemably nuts and there's no suspense because anyone you wouldn't want to see die is only introduced when they're seconds away from unavoidable death.
Which I'm sure is what a lot of people who heard the title "Death Freaks On Hell's Highway!" showed up for, but I'd still like to see a more sincere version that has a few sympathetic characters with at least a snowball's chance of managing a happy ending. Even the Terrifier franchise has more going on than just reel after reel of gore.
Hell, ninety percent of Tales From The Crypt episodes are about some asshole getting his, but they manage to make it fun to hate these people and then see them taken out. That's what I think this story's really lacking. It's not serious enough for its nihilism to hit, but it's also not fun enough for its over-the-top nature to land either. You end up with something that, for all its shock value, is pretty beige.
October 10, 2024
I think I should have read the content warning. The last couple years I've been reading and watching much more horror, and while I thought I had become pretty desensitized, I was wrong.
I really can't comment upon how well written the first half of the book was, as I was racing through the pages, desperate to be through with the reading experience. Filled with the most upsetting scenes, I truly found where my limit is.
Thankfully, parts two and three are far more my pace. Still rammed full of over the top violence, brutal kills, and explicit descriptions, this is all happening in a context I'm much more comfortable with - plain old murder.
The writing is the usual high quality; energetic and exciting. The pacing is great too. The story rockets along at breakneck speed, and I found myself (once again) unable to stop reading.
Glossing over finer details of the first act, I really enjoyed the story of Death Freaks on Hell's Highway! A comical chain of revenge which leads to (unless I'm mistaken) every single character mentioned in the book dying. Probably the first time I've seen that happen, and was a fun and unique twist.
While Michelle's corruption is instantaneous - the result of a final snap in her fraying mind - Roy's is steadier and almost tragic. All three characters (Gabriella included) with their personal vedettes get revealed, through backstory or present action, to be a evil themselves, offering a fun cycle through prospective protagonists.
If the story had skimmed the events of part 1, I imagine I would have enjoyed it just as much as the other Carl John Lee books, but alas it was still a great read once I could bare to pay full attention.
I really can't comment upon how well written the first half of the book was, as I was racing through the pages, desperate to be through with the reading experience. Filled with the most upsetting scenes, I truly found where my limit is.
Thankfully, parts two and three are far more my pace. Still rammed full of over the top violence, brutal kills, and explicit descriptions, this is all happening in a context I'm much more comfortable with - plain old murder.
The writing is the usual high quality; energetic and exciting. The pacing is great too. The story rockets along at breakneck speed, and I found myself (once again) unable to stop reading.
Glossing over finer details of the first act, I really enjoyed the story of Death Freaks on Hell's Highway! A comical chain of revenge which leads to (unless I'm mistaken) every single character mentioned in the book dying. Probably the first time I've seen that happen, and was a fun and unique twist.
While Michelle's corruption is instantaneous - the result of a final snap in her fraying mind - Roy's is steadier and almost tragic. All three characters (Gabriella included) with their personal vedettes get revealed, through backstory or present action, to be a evil themselves, offering a fun cycle through prospective protagonists.
If the story had skimmed the events of part 1, I imagine I would have enjoyed it just as much as the other Carl John Lee books, but alas it was still a great read once I could bare to pay full attention.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 15, 2024
Despite being an allegedly cursed screenplay, this is an absolute rip-roaring rollarcoaster from start to finish. So many twists and turns (literally) and just the most amazing scenes - the trucker bar chapter, superb. Whilst part of me is sad, this was never made into any sort of film, this one rides so well in the imagination I don't know if a director could have done it justice.
July 20, 2024
Death Freaks On Hell’s Highway started its life as a movie script in the late 60’s. If you are a fan of the Grindhouse Movies of the 60’s and 70’s you are going to love this book. From the cool Retro Cover to the non stop action, violence and sleaze of the story. I loved this book. 5 Stars…
September 8, 2024
2.5 stars
Gross, which is the main reason to read a Carl John Lee story.
Not as good as his other stories in terms of development, this one is literally just a series of disgusting people doing disgusting things.
Gross, which is the main reason to read a Carl John Lee story.
Not as good as his other stories in terms of development, this one is literally just a series of disgusting people doing disgusting things.
March 20, 2025
F*cking EPIC!! This book is definitely going to be in my top ten of the year, I already know. You want brutality, shock, and jaw dropping violence.. with an awesome storyline to go along? Then take this sick ride with Carl John Lee, you will not be disappointed. 5/5 Death Freak skulls ☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️
May 4, 2025
I often see people looking for recommendations for fast-paced, action-packed books - this is the book I'll recommend from now on. The action starts on the first page and never stops. It's the Devil's Rejects turned up to 11, and it's just massively fun to read.
September 25, 2023
Carl John Lee is a must read author for any extreme horror fan
March 30, 2024
Masterpiece. Choral story in which every piece of the chain finds his or her end, whatever It may be. Tarantino meets First Blood in a maybe-too-real-for-your-bowels sequence of scenes.
September 9, 2024
this book was fucking insane and so were the characters in it <3
September 23, 2024
This was brutal, holy shit. And can we talk about the ending? What was that? It's hilarious.
June 6, 2025
Do you enjoy bloody and violent revenge stories? You’ll enjoy this.
July 9, 2025
I love David Sodergren and was so happy to find additional books written by him. This was no exception to the splatterpunk gore and horror and I enjoyed it thoroughly
July 18, 2025
nasty!!!! the title sure did deliver!
November 15, 2025
Maybe the most violent unhinged book I’ve ever read. Loved it!
November 25, 2025
Holy hell this was insane
December 21, 2024
This was my first experience reading any of Carl John Lee's work, and hoooooh damn, what a ride! This is all-out brutal carnage from start to finish. I would get into what the story is about but tbh, I think the title tells you all you need to know. There's some wonderful, depraved violence in this, and I'm totally sold on this author, in all his secret forms.
October 4, 2024
Lesson of the day: never pick up a hitchhiker on a dessert road.
That was wild! Bloody, brutal, and depraved, this is my new favorite book by Carl John Lee. A fast pace, violent road trip on the desert, with some scenes that were just bloody brillant.
And this ending? I was shocked but oh it was good!
That was wild! Bloody, brutal, and depraved, this is my new favorite book by Carl John Lee. A fast pace, violent road trip on the desert, with some scenes that were just bloody brillant.
And this ending? I was shocked but oh it was good!
August 24, 2024
Depravity
Another Carl John Lee adventure into B-movie horror filled with blood and perversity. There are no likeable characters, no heroes. But that’s largely the point. This is the horror of the darkest depravity, horror for the fun of horror. Pure, unrelenting gore. If you want extreme, here it is with no breaks, no frills, no extras, no depth. Take it or leave it. An author and a novel that know themself and will not apologize.
Another Carl John Lee adventure into B-movie horror filled with blood and perversity. There are no likeable characters, no heroes. But that’s largely the point. This is the horror of the darkest depravity, horror for the fun of horror. Pure, unrelenting gore. If you want extreme, here it is with no breaks, no frills, no extras, no depth. Take it or leave it. An author and a novel that know themself and will not apologize.
December 9, 2025
I had a blast with this one. It’s loud, nasty, and totally unashamed of what it is. Carl John Lee leans hard into grindhouse energy, and the result feels like a chaotic road trip full of gore, weird humor, and characters who probably shouldn’t be left alone with sharp objects.
If you’re in the mood for fast pacing, splatter, and pure B-movie vibes, this absolutely delivers.
If you’re in the mood for fast pacing, splatter, and pure B-movie vibes, this absolutely delivers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews