Motel Hell (1980)

Director:

Kevin Connor

Writers:

Robert Jaffe (writer)
Steven-Charles Jaffe (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

18 October 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

You might just die...laughing!

Plot:

Farmer Vincent kidnaps unsuspecting travellers and is burying them in his garden. Unfortunately for his victims...

Plot Keywords:

Farmer | Slasher | Chainsaw | Black Humor | Cult

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Rory Calhoun	...	Vincent Smith
Paul Linke	...	Sheriff Bruce Smith
Nancy Parsons	...	Ida Smith
Nina Axelrod	...	Terry
Wolfman Jack	...	Reverend Billy
Elaine Joyce	...	Edith Olson
Monique St. Pierre	...	Debbie
Rosanne Katon	...	Suzi
E. Hampton Beagle	...	Bob Anderson
Everett Creach	...	Boris 'Bo' Tulinski
Michael Melvin	...	Ivan
John Ratzenberger	...	Drummer
Marc Silver	...	Guitarist
Victoria Hartman	...	Female Terrible
Gwil Richards	...	Mr. Owens
Toni Gillman	...	Mrs. Owens
Shaylin Hendrixson	...	Twin #1
Heather Hendrixson	...	Twin #2
Dick Curtis	...	Guy Robaire / 1st TV Preacher
Margot Hope	...	Dixie
Barbara Goodson	...	Voice #1 (voice)
Kim Fowler	...	Voice #2 (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Donna Lee Miller	...	Barbara
Max D. Adams	...	Big Gyna (uncredited)
Tony Agee	...	Blue Cochster (uncredited)
Rob Farrier	...	Norm Wester (uncredited)
Kerith Ann Hersey	...	Penelope (uncredited)

Directed by
Kevin Connor

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Robert Jaffe		writer
Steven-Charles Jaffe		writer
Tim Tuchrello		uncredited

Produced by
Herb Jaffe	....	executive producer
Robert Jaffe	....	producer
Steven-Charles Jaffe	....	producer
Austen Jewell	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Lance Rubin

Cinematography by
Thomas Del Ruth

Film Editing by
Bernard Gribble

Casting by
Stanzi Stokes

Art Direction by
Joseph M. Altadonna

Set Decoration by
W. Joe Kroesser		(as Joe Kroesser)
William James Teegarden

Makeup Department
Patricia Burck	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Austen Jewell	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Richard Allen	....	second assistant director
Jack Barry	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Steven Curtis Husch	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Joseph Holsen	....	sound editor
Jerry Jost	....	sound mixer
William Manooch	....	cable person (as Bill Manooch)
Malcolm Rennings	....	boom operator (as Mel Rennings)
Martha Burns Holsen	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Duncan McEwan	....	sound loader (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Adams Calvert	....	special effects (as Adams R. Calvert)

Stunts
Richard E. Butler	....	stunts
Bill Catching	....	stunts
Laurie Creach	....	stunts
Vicki Creach	....	stunts
Gene Hartline	....	stunt coordinator
Gene Hartline	....	stunts
Leslie Hoffman	....	stunts
Chris Howell	....	stunts
Gary Jensen	....	stunts
John Moio	....	stunts
Sharon Schaffer	....	stunts
John Sistrunk	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Danny Buck	....	gaffer
Buzz Feitshans IV	....	second assistant camera (as Fred Feitshans IV)
Cary Griffith	....	key grip
Greg Guillo	....	best boy grip
Kyle T. MacDowell	....	electrician
Bradford May	....	camera operator (as Brad May)
Don Nesmith	....	best boy

Casting Department
Victor J. Kubitschek	....	casting (as Victor Kubitschek)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Karen Hudson	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Julian Semilian	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Lance Rubin	....	conductor

Other crew
Jan Dennehy	....	production accountant
Lina Shanklin	....	script supervisor

Thanks
Christopher Outwater	....	special thanks (as Chris Outwater)
Frank Vacek	....	special thanks
Vera Vacek	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Camp Hill

Distributors

• United Artists (1980) (USA) (theatrical)
• Acteurs Auteurs Associés (AAA) (1981) (France) (theatrical)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Hotel zur Hölle (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Granja macabra (Argentina) [es]
Helvetes motellet (Sweden) [sv]
Hotel Hell (Denmark) (video title) [da]
Motel 'I Kolasi' (Greece) [el]
Nuits de cauchemar (France) [fr]

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Argentina:18 (re-rating) | Argentina:X (original rating) | New Zealand:R18 | Australia:R | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | France:-16 | Germany:18 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Golden Oak Ranch - 19802 Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall, California, USA

Company:

Camp Hill

Trivia:

The screenplay for this film was written years before it went into production. The film had a difficult time finding backing. In 1978 it was picked up by the Camp Hill Company and was shot and completed in 1980. In all, it was nearly three years from the time the script was written to the final release of the film.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Toward the end, when the saw is turned on during the fight, the object on the "conveyor" would not index toward the saw. That is a "skatewheel" conveyor, it just has a series of rollers that only allow a person to easily push something down the line. There are no motors, belts, etc. to automatically drive or feed anything down the line to the saw.

Quotes:

[Vincent uses human flesh to spice up his meat]
Vincent Smith: It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent's fritters.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "The Facts of Life: Seven Little Indians (#8.12)" (1987)

This low-budget film is a treat!

"Motel Hell" just seems to work for me. It's a low-budget little nothing of a movie, but it's very fun to watch. I guess it's the way the dark content mixes with the good-natured atmosphere that makes it so compelling for me. The music, the color of the film, the episodic quality, the familiar way the characters interact, etc... Plus, Nancy Parsons is hilarious; she chooses to do self-irony in a way that makes me laugh really hard. I always wished that she, Pat Ast and scary Shirley Stoler would have done a movie together, but la Stoler is dead now... "Motel Hell" is the ideal movie to watch when you're slumming.