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Mountaintop Motel Massacre
After several years in an insane asylum, Evelyn, the keeper of the Mountaintop Motel, is released and resumes doing business. She kills her young charge out of anger, but convinces the police it was an accident - and pushed into insanity, she then proceeds to target her guests, first by releasing vermin into their rooms, but then by using her trusty sickle.
Release : | 1983 |
Rating : | 4.6 |
Studio : | New World Pictures, |
Crew : | Production Design, Director of Photography, |
Cast : | Bill Thurman James Bradford Amy Hill Gregg Brazzel |
Genre : | Horror Thriller |
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Reviews
I love this movie so much
The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
I picked this one from an ICM-list and hoped for the best: an above average slasher. Well, it's not the best, but it does have its pros, so let's start with those:The best thing about 'Mountaintop...' I found to be the idea of having a motel (there's never a mountaintop in sight, so you'll have to imagine that bit) with an underground passage (something which isn't obvious at first) that leads to all the (shabby) little cabins .Second, I loved the very, very understated roles of some of the main parts, particularly Al 'the Lying Salesman Trying to Get into the Pants of Some Lovely Singing Brokedown Ladies' and Crewshaw - intended (unlikely) or not (very likely). Correct me if I'm wrong.(third) The gore is very adequate. Every kill seems to be the same (Evelyn coming at them with that sickle), but there is enough variety (and blood) to keep things interesting. And what about that ugly, ugly snakebite?Then, there are some things which are just mediocre, like the character of Evelyn; there is potential there, but somehow she doesn't get the depth / attention she deserves. From the get-go, she is presented as a simple crazy, and nothing changes. The teen daughter (I'm guessing that's Prissy by Amy Hill?) deserved a little more attention, too (outside the short ghost appearance in the end)...Particular downsides are the slow evolving of the 'story' and... well, that's just about it; it's a rather slow, slow piece of slasher horror with just enough pros to counter the cons (the soundtrack left me mostly indifferent, even if the ghostly voice of Prissy tried hard enough).6 out of 10. Of course, the roadside wet t-shirt competition did help.
Typical slasher flick about a deranged motel owner (hmm, now which movie does that sound like?). There are a few neat scenes, but otherwise nothing special. I can see why "Mountaintop Motel Massacre" didn't get released for three years after getting filmed, and why it didn't spawn any sequels.For the record, some of the most creative '80s horror flicks came from Italy. Dario Argento's "Phenomena" (aka "Creepers"), Lamberto Bava's "Macabre" and Michele Soavi's "Stage Fright" are examples. The best one from the US was "A Nightmare on Elm Street". As it was, at the age of seven I interpreted "Ghostbusters" as a horror movie (no really, it SCARED THE HELL out of me), and it wasn't until I was nine that I realized that it was a comedy.Anyway, this is no great movie.
Originally filmed in 1983 but distributed in 1986, Mountaintop Motel Massacre was directed by Jim McCullough. Sr. You've probably never heard of this man, and neither have I for that matter, as his filmography as director, producer, and writer is extremely limited compared to the other masters of horror in the genre. His son is also in the business, credited as the writer and co-producer for this film. For those of you who are acquainted with 1980's Motel Hell or Eaten Alive starring Robert Englund from 1977, you may be pleased to know that Mountaintop Motel Massacre (that really is a mouthful isn't it?) slightly resembles the two but cannot be considered a reproduction of either.The story begins with a brief introduction of Evelyn Chambers, a middle-aged woman who was admitted to Arkansas State Mental Hospital from 1978 to 1981. The film brings us to present day and we quickly learn that Evelyn runs a mountain-side motel with her daughter Lori. After discovering that Lori has an interest in the occult and secretly performs rituals in the bowels of the complex, Evelyn loses her sense of composure and reason; causing her to relapse into insanity and resort to her murderous tendencies. The death of her daughter raises suspicion among the community, especially that of the town Sheriff and the Reverend Bill McWiley (played by Bill Thurman - I drew a connection to him from the 1985 western Silverado). The Sheriff does not believe that the heinous act was a result of an accident but murder. In the aftermath of Lori's funeral, Evelyn continues doing business at her motel with various strangers from the road looking to shack-up for the night - only there's one problem: Evelyn's mental state is in disarray and her psychotic behavior upon the denizens of the motel has just begun.One of the best features contained within this title is the soundtrack - it's wonderfully eerie. Fans who are curious of this film shouldn't expect a full musical score with a brass and wood section but a more synth-based medium and a few notes played at a time in a slow and ghoulish manner. In some cases, that's all a film requires - especially one with a premise like this. The motel environment is dark and foreboding (perhaps a little too dark in certain areas but the copy I was watching is a VHS rip) and for fun, a macabre and bizarre doll motif is tossed into the tumbler of horrors. Naturally, there's a storm brooding on the horizon and eventually we see a flash of lightning through the windows - just a typical illustration to heighten the experience for the audience. In modern film, this cliché is often mocked or ridiculed; understandable of course but every genre has over-used and vapid expressions of mood.Individuals who have seen Moutaintop Motel Massacre compare it laterally with 2007's Vacancy starring Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale. Give it a rest, guys. The two movies aren't anything alike, at all...the only correlation that's apparent is the use of a secluded motel with a crazed owner. Is Mountaintop Motel Massacre a rip-off of Psycho? No. Elitists need to stop drinking the "we hate the mainstream because it's popular" Kool-Aid. I'm not an ardent supporter of all things trendy but a line needs to be drawn somewhere. What can we learn about this rant? Mountaintop Motel Massacre is a film of its own.This film wallows in a Slasher concoction but it's not exclusive to it. The term "mood piece" has been used to describe this movie - it's a perfect label, too. The spree-killings are not ingenious or original and the actor who plays Evelyn is less than impressive. Aside from Bill Thurman, most of the cast started and ended their careers with Mountaintop Motel Massacre; accurately designating it as a B-rated flick. Nevertheless, with a cheap budget and an amateur assemblage of thespians, the end result is gratifying and stands as a deserving inclusion to my collection.
"Mountaintop Motel Massacre" will appeal to those horror fans like myself who often have to see a movie just because of the ridiculous title. Sometimes we get snowballed and the movie sucks but other times, we are treated to a semi-entertaining gem that stands out from the rest. "Mountaintop Motel Massacre" stands out.The whole setting of the movie is creepy as hell, kind of a mix between Tobe Hooper's "Eaten Alive" and "Motel Hell." Mountaintop Motel is in the country, off a dirt road, itself a collection of small 'cabins' and they are all linked together by an underground passageway. The lady who runs the joint is a psycho, she offs her kid in the beginning of the flick and then proceeds to off some guests in her cabins.My only complaint is that this movie takes way too long to get going. If it had the pace of the final twenty minutes during the entire movie, it would have been amazing. But hang in there, you won't be disappointed in this one. Some nice, genuinely creepy scenes and some decent gory killings.5 out of 10, kids.