Customer Reviews

Motel Hell [VHS]

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Veteran actor Rory Calhoun stars as the delightfully fiendish Farmer Vincent in a deliciously ghoulish tale of the macabre that has now become a cult classic. "Meat is meat, and a man's gotta eat!" That was always granny's philosophy. And that's the way folks still think over at the Motel Hello (the o is burnt out on the sign) where Farmer Vincent mixes up his special blend of smoked meats. Heck, everybody in the county just loves Farmer Vincent's sausages and hams there's nothing quite like 'em. But pray tell , what's that we've heard about strangers just passing by Vincent's motel? And what are those odd things planted in vincent's "secret garden" that he only tends to at night? And, gosh, what are those strange carcasses Vincent has hangin' in the smokehouse? The Motel Hello is open for business folks. But if you're asked to stay for dinner, you may want to think twice!! Go rent motel hell at your local video store and just sit back and watch trust me you will be happy you did!!

The term Cult Classic was invented to describe films just like this. I still can't decide whether it's the funniest horror film I've ever seen or the most horrific comedy, but its refusal to fit either of those categories is what makes it so memorable. The central concept of "Meat's meat, and a man's gotta eat" is hardly original (Soylent Green, for example) but the way Farmer Vincent selects and prepares his livestock is so wonderfully macabre and hilarious at the same time. Buy this movie! I can guarantee that you've never seen anything like it, but you'll probably want to see it again and again.

Whether this film is great, or completely awful, depends on what you're looking for. If you go into this movie eyes wide open, you can have a great time. After films like Plan 9 from Outer Space became cult classics, the genre of "films so bad they're good" was born. Motel Hell is an intentional addition to this genre.

Guests check in to Motel Hell[o] (the "o" on the neon sign is burned out), but they don't check out. Think you've seen it before? just wait: this is the first slasher flick where the point-of-view characters are the slashers. You'll think the victims are idiots, and almost want to root for Vincent and Ida, makers of a meat jerky with a very special ingredient. Their motto: "Meat's meat, and a man's gotta eat!" which Ida gleefully declares in one of the film's creepier scenes. This scene, with one of their young guests inducted into the cannibal hall of fame, is a scene that reminds me of the obligatory moment in vampire movies where the vampire turns an unwitting lover into the undead.

Expect to be horrified, rather than terrified, to be grossed-out, rather than sat on the edge of your seat, and you'll have a great time laughing at Motel Hell.

Leonard is lost in space - this is a B-classic of all time. You have to see this one - it has been a cult classic in our family for many years. Rory looks like he is on chemotherapy, and the sister on fatty meat's therapy - by the way - she is the gym coach in Porky's. It is so tongue in cheek that even the kids can enjoy the "Meat's meat and we got ta eat" mentality. It ought to be remasterd in DVD - it was printed on the old laser format. Watch the guts fly in the last scene. The garden is a neurosurgeon's fantacy - only heads to work with.

B. Neely, Neurosurgery, Austin, Texas - this a warped flick for warped minds.

If you are not hungry for a hot steaming breakfast after watching Motel Hell then maybe you should watch some vintage Streisand or Doris Day/ Rock Hudson romantic comedies. This is one of the best movies of all time. Motel Hell contains the correct amount of gory violence, forced romance and sexual innuendo to place it in the elite status of horror movies. Get your popcorn and that special someone for your movie night with Motel Hell.

Motel Hell was a wonderful horror/comedy that I consider the best of the eighties gore films. Rory Calhoun gives a wonderful performance as Farmer Vincent and the final duel of chainsaws where Calhoun wears a pig's head is what makes this great horror film a classic. Truely cult film material and well worth a look for fans of this kind of film. A movie with Wolfman Jack in it can't be all that bad!

Absolutely brilliant! It's always rare to find a horror/comedy that succeeds on both fronts, but to find one that goes all-out with the weirdness factor is truly extraordinary. That "Motel Hell" does all this while remaining truly original and creative is something that few other films have done.

SEE! dueling chainsaws!
SEE! a pig's head used as a mask!
SEE! Nancy Parsons (Buella Balbricker from "Porky's") attacked by a swarm of garden zombies!
SEE! the performance that by all rights should have ended John Ratzenberger's career once and for all!
HYPNOTISM!
CANNIBALISM!
SADISM!
FRITTERISM...

Its almost been 20 years since this movie was first released but it hasn't lost any of its wit and gruesome content. It is indeed a one of a kind classic. Just don't be one of the unfortunate to spend the night at the Motel Hell(o)!

A throwback to my childhood that scared me enough to make me want to search it out again, Motel Hell combines some genuinely creepy moments with a helping of dark comedy.

Saying the movie is about cannibalism isn't a spoiler, everyone will guess the secret to Farmer Vincent's "fritters" upfront. Instead, the writers save the surprises for the viewers in the bizarre methods Farmer Vincent uses to prepare his "product." It's evident the scares were largely influenced by Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but at the same time the writers intended to provide enough humor to appeal to the drive-in crowd.

Amid all the madness, the late Rory Calhoun and Nancy Parsons deliver straight and serious performances. The rest of the cast, well... acting was never a major requirement of horror movies. Look for John Ratzenberger, aka Cliff Claven, in a bit role as a drummer - you wouldn't even recognize him unless you knew upfront.

Descriptions such as "masterpiece" and "classic" may be a little strong. The entire movie feels like it was done on the cheap and the gore can't hold a candle to the ultra-realistic violence of today's horror movies (it did get banned in West Germany, however.) Consider the double-feature DVD that includes the thriller "Deranged."

You may think twice about buying that next piece of beef jerky.

A wierdo brother and sister own a motel and make a special type of meat. Can you guess what the meat is made of? YEP, the local people disappearing down the road from the motel. A little weird but a cult classic. Rent it before buying it. Decent horror flick.