Motel Hell

USA 1980
produced by
Robert Jaffe, Steven-Charles Jaffe, Herb Jaffe (executive) for Camp Hill/United Artists
directed by Kevin Connor
starring Rory Calhoun, Paul Linke, Nancy Parsons, Nina Axelrod, Wolfman Jack, Elaine Joyce, Monique St.Pierre, Rosanne Katon, E.Hampton Beagle, Everett Creach, Michael Malvin, John Ratzenberger, Marc Silver, Victoria Hartman, Gwil Richards, Toni Gillman, Shaylin Hendrixson, Heather Hendrixson, Dick Curtis, Margot Hope
written by Robert Jaffe, Steven-Charles Jaffe, music by Lance Rubin, special effects by Adams Calvert

review by
Mike Haberfelner

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When Terry (Nina Axelrod) and her boyfriend Bo (Everett Creach) are riding on his motorbike, they are met with a terrible accident, which kills Bo ... but Terry is saved by local motelowner and butcher Vincent (Rory Calhoun), who invites the girl to stay with him and his sister Ida (Nancy Parsons) to help them run the motel. Soon, terry develops tender feelings for Vincent, even though he is much older than her, but he refuses her avances - unless they are married. And eventually, he sets a date for their wedding, much to the dismay of his sister, who has incestuous feelings for him.

And then there is Vincent's brother Bruce (Paul Linke), the local cop, who has fallen in love with Terry as well, and who just can't accept losing her to his brother ...

But what neither Terry nor Bruce know is the secret of Vincent's and Ida's meat ... it comes from humans, whom they trap by causing cars and motorbikes (such as Bo's) to crash, then they take oout their victims vocal chords and plant them into the earth, to be able to kill them whenever need should arise.

Of course, the whole thing ends in a bang, on one hand, Ida tries to kill Terry in the night before the wedding, on the other hand, their planted people have escaped their holes and now go after Vincent and Ida for revenge. But in the end, it is Bruce, who defeats his brother in a chainsaw duel, and in the end he gets the girl after all ...

At times this so-called black comedy is mildly amusing, but overall, it totally fails to exploit its subversive potential and is just a horror thriller with a few laughs thrown in, too much to make it work as a thriller but not enough to work as macabre comedy. The outcome is a bit boring actually.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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