El motel del infierno

Motel Hell is a near perfect film. It is gross, funny, intelligent, and altogether VERY well done. There is so much great dialogue and excellent symbolism, and great acting. Rory Calhoun is the most likable evil human flesh farmer I've ever seen. There really isn't too much gore in this film, but it grosses you out on so many levels, especially if you eat meat, which I do. The ending, while being awesome in its own way, leaves a little something to be desired. All in all, if you love horror, and you have a sense of humor, check this one on out. I liked it more the second time I saw it, which is a sign of quality.

In my opinion, there's only one way when mixing comedy and horror actually works, and that's when the comedy is pitch-black. Director Kevin Connor got that part all figured out, and thus MOTEL HELL can be regarded as a successful horror/comedy mixture. It also manages to give a big nod to THE Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE by paying homage to it and making fun of it (as opposed to what some people might think, MOTEL HELL is not a TCM-rip-off). I even suspect Tobe Hooper might have found some inspiration in MOTEL HELL for his end-battle in TCM 2 between Dennis Hopper and Leatherface.

The cinematography and camera-movements are surprisingly decent for this rather low-budget flick, as well as some make-up effects (I loved it when the camera slowly travels through the dark living-room only to reveal Nancy Parsons hiding behind the door, holding a big knife at the end of the travel-shot). It's best that you know nothing about the story, but then again knowing that it's about a farmer running a hotel does say a lot, doesn't it. Farmer Vincent Smith sure re-defines the word "agri-culture". There isn't very much gore to admire but the idea alone is sick enough to satisfy any horror-fan. The story itself is fun and has a satisfying climax. I only had one problem with the motivations of Nina Axelrod's character. Why wasn't she more upset about her dead boyfriend? Why did she stay with the Smiths anyway? Didn't she have places to go or weren't there friends and family waiting for her? But I guarantee you'll soon forget those questions when she provides some welcome nudity.

So MOTEL HELL has black humor, demented farmers and a creepy motel. That makes up for a good movie, I'd say.

This movie is like if someone took the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and set it in the backwoods of North Carolina, but added a little more humor. Instead of making chili, the sadistic brother and sister are making world famous jerky. The acting is surprisingly decent for a low budget, forgotten horror movie. The story is a bit more suspenseful, slowly building to murders and the suspense of the main character catching on to what the "meat" smokers are up to. Rory Calhoun (Vincent/ the old man) really stands out as he does remarkable job of switching back and forth between appearing as a comforting and compassionate figure to a sadistic and insane killer. If you're looking for an hour and a half to kill, give this a watch.

Although I never saw the film when it first came out in 1980, I never forgot the tagline "It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent's fritters." Rory Calhoun is great as the good-natured murderous Farmer Vincent, who along with his demented sister Ida (Nancy Parsons), runs the titular establishment alongside his smoked meat business. Needless-to-say, more guests check-in than check-out and 'long-pig' is on the menu. The film is a parody of the over-the-top slasher/psycho killer genre (borrowing heavily from 1974's 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre') and despite the gruesome premise, is played largely for laughs (especially the various victims such as the swinging couple and the punk band). The film was 18+ so the cartoonish violence is accompanied by gratuitous nudity and a 'mature' story line, but is essentially targeting teenage-boy slasher fans. The moody cinematography is quite good and the Hello/Hell sign from which the title comes is very effective. Fun stuff if you like this kind of film and far better than the endless Jason/Freddy/Michael sequels that characterised the genre in the '80s. As an added bonus, you get to see John Ratzenberger (Cheer's 'Cliff') playing a punk rock drummer who gets planted in Farmer Vincent's heady garden.

I love a good horror movie, and I love a good comedy, but very rarely do I enjoy a blending of the two. I expected 'Motel Hell' to disappoint for that reason, but much to my surprise I found it was an extremely enjoyable mixture of black humour and genuinely creepy scenes. One of the reasons the movie works so well is because of the excellent casting choice of Hollywood veteran Rory Calhoun in the lead role of eccentric farmer and Motel manager Vincent Smith. Calhoun was best known for his Westerns, though he made one of two genre movies in his long career including the very silly 'Night Of The Lepus', and the nutty 'Hell Comes To Frogtown'. 'Motel Hell' is quite different to those two, and mostly played straight, which makes it all the more effective. Calhoun is well supported by the less well known Nancy Parsons ('Porky's'), as his equally unbalanced sister. I really liked 'Motel Hell' a lot, and highly recommend it to viewers with a sick sense of humour. Fans of early Tobe Hooper movies, or some of Garth Ennis' comics will especially appreciate it. This movie is a lot of fun! Dig in!