220. 31 Days of Halloween '25: MOTEL HELL (1980) dir. Kevin Connor

MOTEL HELL arrived only months after FRIDAY THE 13TH, poised to be regarded as merely another slasher imitator looking to cash a quick buck. However, Kevin Connor's horror-comedy, penned by brothers Robert & Steven-Charles Jaffe, deceptively avoided the pitfalls of its contemporaries. This movie, about a farmer and motel owner (Rory Calhoun) killing wayward travelers to grind into the blend for his famous smoked meats, dives into psychedelia, satire, even thoughtful discussions regarding social fears of the time.If the world is overpopulated, isn't Farmer Vincent doing the greater good by eliminating the riff raff? The sex workers, the weed-smoking rock and roll ruffians, the degenerate swingers, the health inspectors working as pawns for a meddling bureaucracy? Vincent's crusade might even be a calling from the Almighty.But nobody's perfect and when Vincent takes a liking to his newest would-be victim, a beautiful blonde named Terry (Nina Axelrod), the threads of this backwoods operation begin to unravel.Cue chainsaws, hypnosis, pig masks, mass hysteria and a stellar country song. Can you really ask for anything better?MOTEL HELL is available to watch on Tubi.---Follow The Movies on Instagram & LetterboxdThrow a couple dollars in the tip jar!