6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Farmer Vincent kidnaps unsuspecting travellers and is burying them in his garden. Unfortunately for his victims, they are not dead.
Starring: Rory Calhoun (I), Paul Linke, Nancy Parsons, Nina Axelrod, Wolfman JackHorror | 100% |
Dark humor | 6% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
1980’s “Motel Hell” entered the box office race at a special time in horror history, trying to find an audience for the Halloween holiday after “Friday the 13th” managed to dominate the early summer, inspiring studios to scramble for similar low-budget endeavors. Writers Robert and Steven-Charles Jaffe weren’t looking to crank out yet another slasher offering with the picture, trying to infuse the material with as much humor as they could get away with, delivering a screen nightmare that’s more about oddity than offing victims. Studio interests eventually tried to bend “Motel Hell” into a more generic direction, but the feature, while not really a laugh-out-loud viewing experience, is quite inventive in the ghoulishness department, representing a last gasp of storytelling eccentricity before the industry demanded nothing but “Friday the 13th” knockoffs.
Screencaps are taken from the Blu-ray
After enjoying a few Blu-ray releases (most recently in 2020), "Motel Hell" graduates to UHD for this release, listed as a "New 2023 4K transfer from the
original camera negative." The Dolby Vision viewing experience manages to deliver somewhat deeper detail than before, offering a film-like
understanding of rural activities, with distances reaching deep, exploring lake areas and farmland. Costuming stays fibrous, and skin particulars are
appreciable, examining differences in age and personal appearance. Interiors are dimensional, and decorative additions of all kinds are open for study,
including slaughterhouse gore. Makeup additions are textured. Colors are secure, with natural skin tones and clear primaries. Hotter lighting with motel
signage and hypno-wheel lighting is powerful, slightly besting Blu-ray presentations, and greenery carries real presence, capturing the remote feel of
the location. Blacks are deep with an extremely dark film at times, but crush is mostly avoided, preserving as much frame information as allowed.
Highlights are tasteful. Grain is fine and film-like. Source is in good condition.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix supplies a crisp understanding of dialogue exchanges, securing performances and emotional surges, while the ugly gurgle of the Secret Garden remains in full effect throughout the listening event. Scoring supports with a wider power, offering a warmer orchestral sound and sharper instrumentation for suspense purposes. Atmospherics are distinct, along with sound effects, giving violence some needed emphasis.
"Motel Hell" was slightly battered around by studio demands, and the final cut reflects some hesitation, with comedy coming through with full cartoon speed at times, while other scenes whiff when attempting slyness. It's not an especially riotous endeavor, struggling with a few subplots and performances, but it grows confident when exploring the horror of Vincent's body-harvesting operation. Connor can't quite connect the dots on the community effort, especially with the character of Terry (Nina Axelrod), an unnecessary addition (she's just a baffling creation all around), but he gives the smokehouse adventure his full attention, questing to create an approachable movie about the destruction and consumption of human beings. That's no easy task, making "Motel Hell" an unusual success story as it tries to be a weirder, atmospheric offering of bodily harm and backwoods madness.
Kino Cult #13
1976
Collector's Edition
1981
1982
Collector's Edition
1988
Collector's Edition
1981
1981
1986
4K Restoraton / Night Warning
1982
1987
1972
1987
1976
1985
Standard Edition
1981
Remastered | Collector's Edition
1981
Slugs, muerte viscosa
1988
1976
Collector's Edition
1988
40th Anniversary Edition
1974
Limited Edition of 5,000
1991