A seemingly friendly farmer and his sister kidnap unsuspecting travelers and bury them alive, using them to create the "special meat" they are famous for.A seemingly friendly farmer and his sister kidnap unsuspecting travelers and bury them alive, using them to create the "special meat" they are famous for.A seemingly friendly farmer and his sister kidnap unsuspecting travelers and bury them alive, using them to create the "special meat" they are famous for.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Toni Gilman
- Mrs. Owens
- (as Toni Gillman)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film's original screenplay was a darker, more disturbing story with bestiality and a lot more violence in it and it was definitely not a black comedy.
- GoofsReflections of the crew/equipment can be seen in the Sheriff's glasses when he is first shown.
- Quotes
[Vincent uses human flesh to spice up his smoked meat]
Vincent Smith: It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent Fritters.
- Crazy creditsThe film's opening title image is the neon-lit sign "Motel Hello" with the "o" at the end of it burned out. The entire sign is later shown to be slowly short circuiting during the closing credits and finally exploding after said closing credits end.
- Alternate versionsAlthough the UK theatrical version of the film was uncut, the 1986 UK Warner Bros. video release of it had to have two seconds cut from it to remove a closeup shot of a chainsaw wound during the ending. The 2002 ILC DVD release of it, however, was completely uncut.
Featured review
Smoke 'em if you got 'em!!!
Kevin Connor's "Motel Hell" is a tremendously fun and engaging horror comedy, impossible not to love in my humble opinion. Right from the opening sequences, the film sells itself as a light-headed and blackly humorous gem that spoofs some of the genre's biggest classics without ever disrespecting them. The references towards milestones like "Psycho" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" are obvious but, unlike many haters of "Motel Hell" claim, this is certainly not a rip off! I don't think you can compare the clearly humorous premise of this film, which handles about cultivating human beings to mix the meat with pork, with dead serious stories like the above mentioned "Psycho" or "TCM". Rory Calhoun, usually a western star, is terrifically cast as the traditional and likable Farmer Vincent who's a local demigod in his county, thanks to his uniquely flavored, homemade smoked ham recipe. Of course, nobody knows that Vincent and his sister Ida are totally insane and extract their secret ingredients from nothing less than people, who they "plant" in their garden. This simply is campy entertainment, very tongue-in-cheek, fast-paced and with a couple of adorably gross make-up effects. Connor's directing is solid and he makes excellent use of the typically eerie "redneck" stereotypes, such as the clumsy sheriff and the barbaric farmers. The chainsaw-battle sequence during the finale is a real hoot. Highly recommended for horror fans who don't take themselves too seriously.
helpful•589
- Coventry
- Jan 13, 2006
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $3,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $6,342,668
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $1,924,776
- Oct 26, 1980
- Gross worldwide
- $6,342,668
- Runtime1 hour 41 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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