Starring: Rory Calhoun, Paul Linke, Nancy Parsons
Director: Kevin Connor
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Shout! Factory
DVD Release Date: August 12, 2014
Run Time: 101 minutes
Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Back in 2005, there was an amazing, no a perfect, TV station called Monsters HD. It gave us all our favorites and many lost horror films available in new HD transfers for the first time all in one channel. Of course it didn’t last very long because there is never any love for horrors channel, i.e. FearNET but there are 100+ different reality channels. Either way, on there was the first time that I caught this 80’s classic “Motel Hell”. It is a mix of “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” with “Psycho”. The film is still good for a few laughs and is quite of fun but not really one of my favorites.
This film has one very simple premise and it is either that it or leave it. “A brother and sister use their remote motel to turn tourists into sausage”. HAHA, it doesn’t get anymore basic than that. Classics 80’s slasher horror. It stars Rory Calhoun (“Angel”), Nancy Parsons (“Porky’s”), Nina Axelrod (“Cobra”) and John Ratzenberger (“Cheers”), and is directed by Kevin Connor (“From Beyond The Grave”, “At The Earth’s Core”).
Shout! Factory is releasing this film as a Collector’s Edition including a Blu-ray + DVD. I would love to see them everything start breaking into the world of Digital HD since having some of these films digitally would be great in the future. I have to admit though, The 1080p transfer is quite issue ridden. I was not blown away at all. It felt like I was watching it on a TV, where it was not full HD and there is tons of grain showing throughout. The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 isn’t as bad as the video and sounds rather decent, especially Lance Rubin’s score.
The special features, like always for Scream Factory’s releases, deliver the good for horror fans. “It Takes All Kinds: The Making of Motel Hell” is a nice brand new collection of interview and behind-the-scenes retrospective. “Shooting Old School with Thomas Del Ruth” is chat with the film’s cinematographer. “Ida, Be Thy Name: The Frightful Females of Fear” talks about the lead female horror villain. “From Glamour to Gore: Rosann Katon Remembers Motel Hell” is an interview with the star, same goes for “Another Head on the Chopping Block: An Interview with Paul Linke”. There is a brand new audio commentary with director Kevin Connor, moderated by filmmaker Dave Parker, that is worth checking out. Lastly there is a trailer and some photo galleries included.
