Motel Hell

1980
R
1h 41m

IMDb RATING

6.0/10

14K

YOUR RATING

Rory Calhoun and Nancy Parsons in Motel Hell (1980)

Play trailer2:35

1 Video

99+ Photos

Dark Comedy Parody Comedy Horror Thriller

A seemingly friendly farmer and his sister kidnap unsuspecting travelers and bury them alive, using them to create the "special meat" they are famous for.A seemingly friendly farmer and his sister kidnap unsuspecting travelers and bury them alive, using them to create the "special meat" they are famous for.A seemingly friendly farmer and his sister kidnap unsuspecting travelers and bury them alive, using them to create the "special meat" they are famous for.

Director
- Kevin Connor
Writers
- Robert Jaffe
- Steven-Charles Jaffe
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.0/10

14K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Kevin Connor
Writers
- Robert Jaffe
- Steven-Charles Jaffe
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination total

Trivia
United Artists marketed "Motel Hell" as a straightforward horror film rather than a black comedy/horror film, fearing that any quirkiness in the theatrical trailers or the theatrical release posters would drive away potential audiences. However, the tagline "You might just die...laughing!" still appeared on several of the aforementioned theatrical release posters.

Goofs
The events in the film supposedly take place during summer according to Boris' makeshift gravestone (Boris Tulinsky 3-5-1923 to 6-7-1980) but later in it, the two young women that encounter the fake herd of cows are dressed in winter clothing, are talking about a ski instructor, and have skis strapped to the roof of their car, implying that it takes place during winter.

Quotes
[Vincent uses human flesh to spice up his smoked meat]
Vincent Smith: It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent Fritters.

Crazy credits
The film's opening title image is the neon-lit sign "Motel Hello" with the "o" at the end of it burned out. The entire sign is later shown to be slowly short circuiting during the closing credits and finally exploding after said closing credits end.

Alternate versions
Although the UK theatrical version of the film was uncut, the 1986 UK Warner Bros. video release of it had to have two seconds cut from it to remove a closeup shot of a chainsaw wound during the ending. The 2002 ILC DVD release of it, however, was completely uncut.

Connections
Featured in Sneak Previews: Hopscotch/It's My Turn/Loving Couples/The Elephant Man/Motel Hell (1980)

Soundtracks
Up to Here with You
Sung by Don Nowak
Written by Don Nowak (uncredited) and Lance Rubin (uncredited)

User reviews153

Review

Featured review

Surprisingly enjoyable black comedy. Lots of fun!

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!