Motel Hell

How fun to view the cannibalistic "Motel Hell" again after all these years and discover that it's actually a scathing comedy. The cult hit comes on the market on Blu-ray & DVD finally from Shout Factory, along with a plethora of features sure to entice fans to purchase it.

"Motel Hell" blends horror and comedy nicely, long before there were "Scream" and various other self-referential horror films. The Kevin Connor-directed feast roots for its villains, a rare feat in the horror world. Played straight by Rory Calhoun and Nancy Parsons ("Porky's"), the aforementioned villains own and operate Motel Hello, as well as a meat product business, and trap unsuspecting victims and bury them on the motel's property. The brother and sister duo have a long withheld secret ingredient, and when a stranger (Nina Axelrod) falls in love with Vincent (Calhoun), the secret of Motel Hello comes to the forefront.

That's the plot in a nutshell. Various cameos from budding actors (Elaine Joyce, John Ratzenberger from "Cheers") dot the movie; they all play victims in "Motel Hell." But what about Scream Factory's bonus features? They're amazing as usual and one, "Ida, Be Thy Name," looks at the rare female villains in horror, including an examination of Ida from "Motel Hell."

"It Takes All Kinds: The Making of Motel Hell" is a half-hour documentary and interviews the writers and director of the film. Kevin Connor also does an audio commentary. A look at the career of Playboy bunny Rosanne Katon gets done in the feature "From Glamour to Gore," and actor Paul Linke has an interview in the campy titled "Another Head on the Chopping Block." And coming in at a whopping 132 photos is a tremendous photo and poster gallery. Shout Factory, you've outdone yourself again.

"Motel Hell"
Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack
$29.93
www.shoutfactory.com