Review #1131: Motel Hell.
Cast:
Rory Calhoun (Vincent Smith), Paul Linke (Sheriff Bruce Smith), Nancy Parsons (Ida Smith), Nina Axelrod (Terry), Wolfman Jack (Reverend Billy), Elaine Joyce (Edith Olson), Dick Curtis (Guy Robaire / 1st TV Preacher), Monique St. Pierre (Debbie), and Rosanne Katon (Suzi) Directed by Kevin Connor.
Review:
Motel Hell is a weird, off-beat dark comedy that has a late-night appeal and charm through the power of a game cast and a fairly consistent tone. It's a horror film with unsettling material, but it also is a black comedy that has a share of laughs that never seem overbearing in any respect. It isn't a masterpiece by any standard, but it's the kind of movie that generates some enjoyment through strange material - after all, one of the taglines for the film is this: "It takes all kinds of critters ... to make Farmer Vincent's fritters." The key to the film's success is the performances of Calhoun and Parsons, partners in a unique kind of harvest for sausages, and I suppose it makes sense that the film has had comparisons to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), directed by Tobe Hooper. In fact, the original intent was to have him direct the film (which had plenty of dark elements and violence) for Universal Studios, but when they decided to not go through with production, Hooper bowed out (with United Artists later serving as distributor). It was the bringing in of Connor (known for work such as The Land That Time Forgot) as director that led to changes to a black comedy, with a tongue-in-cheek feel. Robert Jaffe and Steven-Charles Jaffe served as writers and producers for the film, with the former having served as co-writer of Demon Seed (1977), a film just as weird as this one with its premise. It is the performances of Calhoun and Parsons that make the film click handily enough. Calhoun has a country-style manner that mixes in with a warped sense of view that seems readily easy to go along with. Parsons is a bit more bonkers with her role, but she never comes off as a full-off cartoon of delusion or too underplayed for farmers turning people into food. Linke plays the oblivious sheriff type as okay as one can play when trying to keep up with not only weird farmers but also a love triangle. Axelrod, the fourth and final one of the main group is okay, but she doesn't really have much to give to a fleeting amount of time of sitting there with Calhoun in an offbeat sort of chemistry that isn't as particularly interesting as the horror parts. In the supporting cast is Jack in short bursts and Joyce & Curtis playing swingers that get the special treatment from the farmers that proves amusing. The middle proves to be a bit of a lull, but the first third and last third makes the patience worth it. The highlight of the film proves to be the climax, involving a chainsaw fight, complete with maniacal laughing and one certain mask that makes the experience a satisfaction in sleaze, complete with a lasting line that makes more sense to watch than just have revealed in text. It won't prove too daunting at 102 minutes, and while it may not be the best type of horror-comedy for everyone's taste, I found myself enjoying it enough for its weird but interesting choices for entertainment, preferably late at night.
Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.
