Over the last few years it seems that all the cult gory horrors of the 80s have been remade for mainstream audiences, culminating in the ultimate 80s gorefest Evil Dead, the remake of which hit cinemas this year. Motel Hell, a notoriously splatter filled horror-comedy, hasn’t been updated. That’s perhaps not surprising as modern cinemagoers probably aren’t prepared for the tale of an amiable middle-aged brother and sister who run an isolated motel and enjoy drugging their guests, removing their vocal cords to prevent any complaints, before planting them up to the neck in their secret garden until they’re “ripe and then killing them, smoking their flesh and selling it as a delicacy.
Unlike a lot of 80s slashers, such as Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street, which set out to scare but now seem kitsch and unintentionally amusing, when Motel Hell is funny it’s on purpose. All horror comedies have to decide whether they want to tip the balance in favour of scares or laughs, and Motel Hell concentrates on the comedy. I can’t imagine many people would find it genuinely scary although I’m sure a lot of people will find it queasily disgusting.
It’s directed by British B-Movie veteran Kevin Connor, who is perhaps best known for micro-budgeted 70s adventure films like The Land That Time Forgot and At the Earth’s Core, and believe it or not Motel Hell has the same spirit of childish glee. To attract the video-nasty crowd there’s plenty of gore and nudity, but despite this it’s so good naturedly goofy that it’s actually kind of sweet. This is largely down to Rory Calhoun as chief cannibal Vincent. He hadn’t worked for a few years when Motel Hell came along, having made his name in TV westerns in the 50s as a handsome, square-jawed salt-of-the-earth type and he plays Vincent in much the same way, making him a likeably cheeky, twinkle-eyed old gent who simply has some rather unwholesome proclivities.
It’s a truly bizarre movie filled with plenty of staggeringly strange moments, such as a chainsaw maniac sporting a severed pig head, an ill-fated punk band called Ivan and the Terribles and Cliff from Cheers being lovingly butchered and smoked by Beulah Balbricker from Porky’s. A lot of the jokes fall flat and even those that work will probably only make you laugh if you have an unhinged sense of humour and ideally have had a drink or two. But it’s a pleasantly enjoyable remedy to the solemn, squalid seriousness of most of its fellow early 80s blood-drenched horrors.
Overall Verdict: Not the usual grimly straight-faced 80s slasher; this is an entertainingly gruesome comedy that’s almost as funny as it is weird.
Special Features:
Audio commentary
“Another Head on the Chopping Block Interview with star Paul Linke
“From Glamour to Gore -Interview with Co-Star, and former Playboy Playmate Rosanne Katon.
“Ida Be Thy Name A look at female horror villains.
“Back to the Backwoods Dave Parker, director of 2006 horror film The Hills Run Red speaks about the importance of Motel Hell.
Original Trailer.
Reversible sleeve.
Collector’s booklet.
Reviewer: Adam Pidgeon