With Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre as its reference point, Motel Hell is a seriously delicious horror film that exploits all the typical genre markers for the sake of comedy. And it’s all because director Kevin Connor (From Beyond The Grave, At The Earth’s Core) came aboard. What was once a standard and straight-ahead horror flick suddenly got a chance to be something different in the grocery aisle of the grotesques thanks to Connor’s influence on the screenplay.

The late Roger Ebert notoriously preached about the consequences of schlocky horror films and yet Motel Hell was one of the few he praised due to its use of comedy. Starring Rory Calhoun (Angel), Nancy Parsons (Porky’s), Nina Axelrod (Time Walker, Cobra) and John Ratzenberger (Cheers), the film concerns itself with the secret ingredients in Farmer Vincent’s famous smoked meats. Early in the picture, you know something is amiss in the charismatic Farmer Vincent and his family’s slightly off-kilter world view. Their kindness to strangers is that of a twisted type.

And yet the family’s business of running the Motel Hello – whose neon light often doesn’t burn on that final “O” – attracts all types of unsuspecting people to their den. The visitors are welcomed with a delicious variety of smoked meats and beef jerky. One victim - Terry (Axelrod) – gets the deluxe treatment and is nursed back to health after a nasty motorcycle wreck which, she is told, killed her boyfriend. She is romanced by both Farmer Vincent and his mentally slow brother, Bruce (Paul Linke), but has feelings for only Vincent. Unfortunately, she doesn’t yet know the truth of Farmer Vincent’s farm. But she will.

Gloriously suspenseful and full of great comedic moments, Motel Hell is ripe with meaning, leaving humans in places usually reserved for animals. This is another in a long line of “meat is murder” horror films and the message is clear.  Of course, the horror also works without understanding the driving understatement in the film. The cult movie is a horror rite of passage, a must-see film that no horror fan feels complete without having experienced. Despite its immense cult fan base, the film has still managed to evade distributors’ eyes. Scream Factory rescues another title with their gorgeous handling of the film and the blu-ray packaging.

For fans of black comedy, this should be more than enough to place the film at the top of their must-see list. You really are what you eat with Farmer Vincent's smoked meat!

4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Edition - Collector's Edition

Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray - June 27, 2023
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Video: Native 4K; HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray locked to Region A

Smoked meat!  Farmer Vincent's popular products contain a special ingredient that the psychotic farmer and his sister would literally kill to keep a secret! Starring Rory Calhoun (Angel), Nancy Parsons (Porky's), Nina Axelrod (Time Walker, Cobra) and John Ratzenberger (Cheers), and directed by Kevin Connor (From Beyond The Grave, At The Earth's Core), this darkly funny flick has the meats!  The limited edition slipcover comes with the first pressing.

VIDEO

It’s a damn godsend!  The NEW 2023 4K Transfer From The Original Camera Negative is a thing of pure beauty.  The neon sign of the hotel damn-near radiates through the screen!  The colors are vivid and not at all as dull and lifeless as they once were when this one arrived on blu-ray.  Blacks remain inky and retain their edges and the kills are splatterific through and through. 

AUDIO

The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix suffers from problems that a lot of low budget films do: lack of definition/clarity. With that being said, the transfer is not bad in particular, it just lacks a bit of oomph in the lower registers.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• Included in the bonus material is a wonderful commentary track with director Kevin Connor and filmmaker Dave Parker.

Special Features:

Shout Factory has put together an excellent array of assets to dive into. Interviews with the cast and crew are strewn across five featurettes, resulting in nearly an hour and a half of material. Motel Hell features a great interview with cinematographer Del Ruth, where he discusses the restraints of low budget filmmaking. Another worthy and appreciated addition is the Ida, Be Thy Name: The Frightful Females of Fear featurette, where a panel discusses the image of women as horror villains. Rounding out the package are two galleries, and an original trailer for the film.

DISC ONE (4K UHD):

• NEW 2023 4K Transfer From The Original Camera Negative
• In Dolby Vision (HDR 10 Compatible)
• Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo
• Audio Commentary With Director Kevin Connor, Moderated By Filmmaker Dave Parker

DISC TWO (BLU-RAY):

• NEW 2023 4K Transfer From The Original Camera Negative
• Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo
• Audio Commentary With Director Kevin Connor, Moderated By Filmmaker Dave Parker
• "It Takes All Kinds: The Making Of Motel Hell" – Featuring Interviews With Kevin Connor, Producers/Writers Robert Jaffe Ad Steven-Charles Jaffe, And Actor Marc Silver
• "Shooting Old School" With Cinematographer Thomas Del Ruth
• "Another Head On The Chopping Block" – An Interview With Actor Paul Linke
• "From Glamour To Gore" – An Interview With Actress Rosanne Katon
• "Ida, Be Thy Name" – A Look Back At Motel Hell's Frightful Female Protagonist, Ida Smith
• TV Spots
• Theatrical Trailers
• Still Galleries

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 101 mins
Director: Kevin Connor
Writer: Robert Jaffe; Steven-Charles Jaffe
Cast: Rory Calhoun; Paul Linke; Nancy Parsons
Genre: Horror
Tagline: You Might Just Die laughing
Memorable Movie Quote: "Meat's meat, and man's gotta eat!"
Distributor: United Artists
Official Site: https://shoutfactory.com/products/motel-hell-collector-s-edition
Release Date: October 24, 1980
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: June 27, 2023
Synopsis: 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.