“It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent fritters.” – Rory Calhoun’s dialogin Motel Hell is to die for. The design of the killer in a pig mask holding a chainsaw – as seen on the cover of an early issue of Fangoria – is as memorable as any feature from 1980. Yet, the film itself never gets the love and respect it deserves – or, does it? Let the fun begin! Thomas Mariani, Doc Rotten and Christopher G. Moore tackle another gruesome horror film from the 1980s.
Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 95 — Motel Hell (1980)
Kevin Conner, the director behind The Land That Time Forgot, Warlords of the Deep, and Arabian Adventure, steps behind the camera once again to deliver a horror film called Motel Hell. Starring Rory Calhoun, Nancy Parsons, Paul Linke, and Nina Axlrod, the slasher flick with a meal plan featuring victims buried up to their heads in a garden of evil, a couple making beef jerky that will make the Sawyer family jealous, and a killer who wears a pig head while doing dangerous battles with a chainsaw. Good times! Recently available on Blu-ray from Scream Factory, the 1980 classic is now available for a new generation of horror fans. The grue-crew dive into the deep end to see if there is anything in the recipe worth devouring. Maybe. Maybe not.
Thomas Mariani is joined by Doc Rotten and Christopher G. Moore to take a look at the fourth selection for this month’s special look at the top horror films of the decade. For this selection it is up the listeners to decide what we review for episode 95. The choices were mostly iconic horror films of the decade: The Shining, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Fright Night to name a few. The winner was the dark horse of the list, Motel Hell. To champion the film, Gruesome Magazine contributor Jeff Mohr steps in to share the positives for a film the the rest of the grue-crew have a difficult time appreciating. “Meat’s meat, a man’s gotta eat.”
We want to hear from you – the coolest, most gruesome fans: leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at thomasmariani@decadesofhorror.com or docrotten@decadesofhorror.com. We also want to be sure to thank Neon Devils for their killer track “Bone Chillin'” which we use for the intro and outro of this show.
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Doc a lifelong fan of horror films, sci-fi flicks and monster movies first discovering Universal Monsters and Planet of the Apes as a young child in the 1970's searching out every issue of Famous Monster of Filmland (and, later, Fangoria). Favorite films include Jaws, The Car, The Birds, The Tingler, Vampire Circus and The Exorcist. Still a huge fan of horror films from the 70s, Doc continues consuming horror films to this day for the site, for the podcasts and for the fun of it all.
