Farmer Vincent Smith and his sister Ida run a motel attached to a farm where they capture unsuspecting travelers, bury them alive, fatten them up and then harvest their bodies as ingredients for his famous brand of "smoked meats."
Practical Effects
Glorious pig-headed killer costumes and rubbery corpse gardens
Acting
Rory Calhoun's unhinged folksy charm selling human jerky
Writing
That tagline and Vincent's genuine belief he's helping people
Director
Kevin Connor
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The 'human garden' scene with victims buried up to their necks was filmed in an actual California cabbage field during a real heat wave, making the actors' suffering uncomfortably authentic.
Motel Hell arrived late to the cannibal craze (Texas Chain Saw '74, Deranged '74) but subverted it by making Vincent a beloved small businessman whose victims practically volunteer through their own stupidity.
US
