Motel Hell ** (1980, Rory Calhoun, Paul Linke, Nancy Parsons) – Classic Movie Review 8745

Rory Calhoun stars as an extremely creepy old man called Farmer Vincent Smith, who runs the Motel Hello with his sister Ida (Nancy Parsons), and sells meat that originates with the customers – unsuspecting kidnapped travellers. Farmer Vincent has a roadside stand with a motto: ‘It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent Fritters.’

Director Kevin Connor’s gruesome and gory 1980 black comedy horror thriller movie Motel Hell is an exceptionally revolting horror flick, with a very nasty sense of humour. But it nevertheless does have a few admirers for its visual style, sick laughs and chainsaw Grand Guignol climax. It might have a tiny bit of cult status, but, mostly, though, it is more than flesh and blood can bear.

Wolfman Jack (as the Reverend Billy) and John Ratzenberger (as Drummer) are notable among the victims. Also in the cast are Paul Linke, Nina Axelrod, Elaine Joyce and Dick Curtis.

Writers Robert Jaffe and Steven-Charles Jaffe want their cake and eat it too, with a full on horror movie and a parody of slasher movies such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Last House on the Left, and, as such, in its bizarre way, Motel Hell does deliver.

Universal Studios considered but eventually rejected the bizarre project, and assigned director Tobe Hooper quit. Universal should have stuck with it. It cost $3,000,000 and grossed $6,342,668 in the US. Hooper directed The Funhouse (1981) instead.

The 1986 UK Warner video was cut by two seconds to remove a closeup of a chainsaw wound at the climax. But the 2002 DVD is uncut.

The film starts with the neon Motel Hello sign with the letter O burnt out. For the closing credits the whole sign is burning out and finally explodes as the credits end.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8745

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