IMDb RATING
4.6/10
2K
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A mentally-unstable elderly woman recently released from a mental asylum proceeds to slaughter all the guests staying at her motel.A mentally-unstable elderly woman recently released from a mental asylum proceeds to slaughter all the guests staying at her motel.A mentally-unstable elderly woman recently released from a mental asylum proceeds to slaughter all the guests staying at her motel.
Gregg Brazzel
- Vernon
- (as Greg Brazzel)
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You want schlock? THIS is schlock! This is technically a bad movie. It's not directed well and the acting quite bad. But I found it to be quite proficient in the mood and atmosphere department. The old lady who plays Evelyn is very creepy. There are some surprisingly bloody moments in this film that will probably even make you cringe. After you watch this you'll probably feel kind of weird like I did, what with that moody synth music playing over the credits and all. And for a film to make me feel all oogy like that, I have to recommend it to horror fans.
Again, it's bad film-making, but I have a special place in my heart for this one.
Again, it's bad film-making, but I have a special place in my heart for this one.
There must have been hundreds of these things made in the early '80s.If you are familiar with this type of film and New World Pictures you almost know what to expect.
Typical "B" drive-in slasher film shot in the woods of Louisiana for about $5.27.Falls a bit short on the sleaze and gore you might expect such a film to have,but is still interesting enough to keep your attention.Although I found it watchable,it's just not that interesting.As a "B" film it has a cast and crew are a little too good to make fun of in a "so bad it's good" way.To me this takes away from the fun that can be had looking out for the mistakes that make low budget films so enjoyable.I love bad movies,and this one wasn't bad enough.It falls flat right between too bad to be good and too good to be bad.Recommended for lovers of drive-in cheeze,New World Picture fans,and folks who just can't get enough of the early "80s slashers only.
5/10 on the Drive-in-Freak-O-Meter
Typical "B" drive-in slasher film shot in the woods of Louisiana for about $5.27.Falls a bit short on the sleaze and gore you might expect such a film to have,but is still interesting enough to keep your attention.Although I found it watchable,it's just not that interesting.As a "B" film it has a cast and crew are a little too good to make fun of in a "so bad it's good" way.To me this takes away from the fun that can be had looking out for the mistakes that make low budget films so enjoyable.I love bad movies,and this one wasn't bad enough.It falls flat right between too bad to be good and too good to be bad.Recommended for lovers of drive-in cheeze,New World Picture fans,and folks who just can't get enough of the early "80s slashers only.
5/10 on the Drive-in-Freak-O-Meter
After borrowing it off a friend and not expecting much, "Mountaintop Motel" aka "Mountaintop Motel Massacre" turned out to be a nice little surprise from the 80s (which was originally shelved for a couple years before its "86" release). While being on the cheap with limited resources, its low-key approach doesn't hamper the fun of this dark rural psycho shocker. Well it didn't for me. After getting off to a glum, slow start, it gradually grows suspenseful in its taut layout (secluded backwoods setting) where its creepy, twisted underlining breaks out (although that eerily offbeat music score provides an unnerving tone throughout). Leading to some savage attacks (despite some tacky gore) and a collected, spaced out performance by Anna Chappell as the motel owner who uses the tunnels beneath the motel rooms to terrorise her guests.
The solemn, paper-thin story probably could have made much more of the situation (ending on a lacklustre cat and mouse climax) and especially its supernatural angle/ or maybe it was the emotional breakdown into insanity, but its conventional structure conceals many strange surprises. Nothing is really brought up about the central character's unstable mind; especially why she was had spent time in a mental hospital. We just watch her slowly lose it, after accidentally killing her daughter she begins to hear her whispering voice in her head. The methodical direction grinds away, but there are some effectively lit set-pieces. There's okay bunch of performances by the cast; led by actor Bill Thurman as a boozy Reverend.
The solemn, paper-thin story probably could have made much more of the situation (ending on a lacklustre cat and mouse climax) and especially its supernatural angle/ or maybe it was the emotional breakdown into insanity, but its conventional structure conceals many strange surprises. Nothing is really brought up about the central character's unstable mind; especially why she was had spent time in a mental hospital. We just watch her slowly lose it, after accidentally killing her daughter she begins to hear her whispering voice in her head. The methodical direction grinds away, but there are some effectively lit set-pieces. There's okay bunch of performances by the cast; led by actor Bill Thurman as a boozy Reverend.
"Mountaintop Motel Massacre" will appeal to those horror fans like myself who often have to see a movie just because of the ridiculous title. Sometimes we get snowballed and the movie sucks but other times, we are treated to a semi-entertaining gem that stands out from the rest. "Mountaintop Motel Massacre" stands out.
The whole setting of the movie is creepy as hell, kind of a mix between Tobe Hooper's "Eaten Alive" and "Motel Hell." Mountaintop Motel is in the country, off a dirt road, itself a collection of small 'cabins' and they are all linked together by an underground passageway. The lady who runs the joint is a psycho, she offs her kid in the beginning of the flick and then proceeds to off some guests in her cabins.
My only complaint is that this movie takes way too long to get going. If it had the pace of the final twenty minutes during the entire movie, it would have been amazing. But hang in there, you won't be disappointed in this one. Some nice, genuinely creepy scenes and some decent gory killings.
5 out of 10, kids.
The whole setting of the movie is creepy as hell, kind of a mix between Tobe Hooper's "Eaten Alive" and "Motel Hell." Mountaintop Motel is in the country, off a dirt road, itself a collection of small 'cabins' and they are all linked together by an underground passageway. The lady who runs the joint is a psycho, she offs her kid in the beginning of the flick and then proceeds to off some guests in her cabins.
My only complaint is that this movie takes way too long to get going. If it had the pace of the final twenty minutes during the entire movie, it would have been amazing. But hang in there, you won't be disappointed in this one. Some nice, genuinely creepy scenes and some decent gory killings.
5 out of 10, kids.
When I go to see a movie, I want to see a good one. This one is totally opposite this subject. Mountaintop Motel Massacre really sucks. It says on the case that it is approximately 94 minutes, well, this movie seems like it lasts for 5 hours. I kept on having to get off the couch and stop the movie. I agree with one reviewer who said in his or her review that the movie is only for people who get drunk. I own this movie and trust me, the next yard sale we have (which I hope is soon), I will sell this for a penny.
I hate this movie.Don't waste your money on it. Watch a horror movie like POLTERGEIST or THE EXORCIST. I'll say it once, I'll say it twice. This movie is crap!
I hate this movie.Don't waste your money on it. Watch a horror movie like POLTERGEIST or THE EXORCIST. I'll say it once, I'll say it twice. This movie is crap!
Did you know
- TriviaWas originally simply titled "Mountaintop Motel" when the film was made in 1983. New World Pictures added the "Massacre" to the title, and commissioned a new, and gorier, ending when they picked the film up for distribution in 1986.
- GoofsOn all the artwork, Evelyn's daughter's name is spelled "Lorri" yet in the credits, the character is listed as "Lorie".
- Alternate versionsThe alternate ending shows the sheriff killing Evelyn with a single gun shot, this can be seen on the dutch VHS version from the label RCV 2001.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Slice and Dice: The Slasher Film Forever (2012)
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