Granja macabra

Having been increasingly disappointed by the recent slew of 'horror' films that have bee released I was greatly cheered when I caught this at a late night show recently. It was a timely reminder that there is good horror out there - even if it is over 20 years old!! For once, the blending of horror and comedy really works. The film is played dead straight (most of the time) and that is why it succeeds where so many recent horror/comedies fail. By not constantly tipping it's hat to the audience and pointing out how clever it's being it allows the audience to really appreciate how ludicrous it is - without the frequent reminders that the filmmakers think they're cool. In the space of 90mins we get nudity, cannibalism, amateur surgery, a hilarious 'love' story, creepy characters, a dumb policeman, a chainsaw duel, lots of gore and some very spaced out characters. What more could you ask for? It's this movies overwhelming sense of fun that really works. You can imagine the filmmakers laughing their asses off making this - and that enthusiasm comes right of the screen and is very infectious. The audience I saw this with laughed, clapped and some gave it a standing ovation at the end. Do you need a better recommendation?

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.

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.

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.

How can anybody not love the campy awfulness of this movie. It's fantastic! I remember seeing this when I was roughly eleven or so and being freaked out by the guy wearing the pigface brandishing a chainsaw, now I just laugh as I realize how funny it all was supposed to be. A camp classic all the way!