Motel Hell
| Motel Hell | |
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Theatrical release poster.
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| Directed by | Kevin Connor |
| Produced by |
Robert Jaffe Steven-Charles Jaffe |
| Written by | Robert Jaffe Steven-Charles Jaffe Tim Tuchrello (uncredited) |
| Starring |
Rory Calhoun Paul Linke Nancy Parsons Nina Axelrod Wolfman Jack |
| Music by | Lance Rubin |
| Cinematography | Thomas Del Ruth |
| Edited by | Bernard Gribble |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
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Release date
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Running time
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102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3,000,000 (estimated) |
| Box office | $6,342,668 |
Motel Hell is an American 1980 horror comedy film directed by Kevin Connor and starring Rory Calhoun, Nancy Parsons, and Nina Axelrod. The plot follows farmer, butcher, motel manager, and meat entrepreneur Vincent Smith, who traps travelers and harvests them for his human sausages. It is often seen as a satire of modern horror films such as Psycho and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
Because of its low budget nature, the original intent was to make a serious horror film, with moments of disturbing wit and irony. It was the number 1 movie for the weekend of October 24-26th, 1980.
Farmer Vincent Smith and his younger sister Ida live on a farm with an attached motel, named “Motel Hello” (but the neon ‘O’ flickers). Vincent's renowned smoked meats are actually human flesh--he sets traps on nearby roads to catch victims. He buries the victims up to their necks in his "secret garden", then cuts their vocal cords to prevent them from screaming. They are kept in the ground and fed until ready for harvest. Ida helps Vincent, as she sees the victims as only animals.
Vincent shoots out the front tire of a couple's motorcycle. The male, Bo, is placed in the garden, but Vincent brings the female, Terry, to the motel. Sheriff Bruce, Ida and Vincent's naïve brother, arrives the next morning. Vincent tells Terry her boyfriend died in the accident and was buried: a trip to the graveyard shows his crude grave marker. Terry, with nowhere to go, decides to stay at the motel. Vincent and Ida continue to capture more victims for the garden. Terry gradually becomes attracted to Vincent's honest manner and folksy charm, much to Bruce's dismay, who tries to woo her himself without success.
Vincent captures more victims by placing wooden cutouts of cows in the middle of the highway to cause his victims to stop, allowing him to capture them. He also places a fake ad and lures in a pair of swingers, believing the hotel to be a swing joint. The next day, Vincent suggests he teach Terry to smoke meat. Ida becomes jealous and attempts to drown Terry, but Vincent arrives to save her. This causes Terry to fall completely in love with him, and she tries to seduce Vincent. Vincent denies her advances, saying they must first marry. She agrees to marry the following day.
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