Motel Hell Blu-ray - Nina Axelrod

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

directed by Kevin Conner

USA 1980

People come from far and wide to sample Farmer Vincent's distinctively flavored dried, smoked sausages, but one might well ask why there are so few people staying at his nearby motel. This horror comedy provides the graphic answer. It seems that the good farmer only uses the highest quality, specially processed human meat in his treats. To prepare the meat, he first harvests healthy tourists from his hotel. Next, he plants them into the ground up to their necks and with a sharp knife carefully slices their vocal chords. He and his portly sister then feed the victims until the meat is tender and well marbled with fat. Afterward they are promptly slaughtered, minced with a few secret herbs, and stuffed into sausage casings, which are then carefully aged in the smokehouse. His operation is abruptly cut off when Vincent's normal brother, Bruce, learns about the secret ingredients. In the end, the brothers grab chain saws and have a hilarious, blood-soaked showdown.

***

It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent fritters! cackle the brother-and-sister team behind the finest smoked meats in the county. They also run the friendly Motel Hello (the o in the neon sign sometimes goes on the blink), and no matter how many times you ve seen Psycho or The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, you can be sure that everything will be perfectly above board here as Vincent s brother Bruce is the local sheriff.

Western veteran Rory Calhoun gives a lipsmackingly demented performance as Farmer Vincent, whose twinkling bonhomie conceals a deeply depraved secret.

Directed by Kevin Connor (maker of much-loved British genre classics The Land That Time Forgot and Warlords of Atlantis) and with legendary DJ Wolfman Jack as a fire-and-brimstone TV preacher, this is a gleefully twisted horror-comedy that climaxes with a showstopping chainsaw duel.

Posters

Theatrical Release: August 14th, 1980

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Comparison:

MGM Home Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Arrow - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas and Gary Tooze for the Screen Caps!

(MGM Home Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Arrow Video - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - RIGHT)

Box Covers
Distribution	MGM Home Entertainment Region 1 - NTSC	Arrow Video Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:41:06	1:41:22.117
Video	1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.52 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size : 34,618,399,538 bytes Feature: 26,677,770,240 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Average Bitrate: 30.00 Mbps
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: MGM Home Entertainment
Bitrate: Arrow Blu-ray
Audio	English Dolby Digital 2.0 surround; Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 surround; French Dolby Digital 2.0 mono	LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit Commentary: LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Subtitles	English, French and Spanish	English, or none
Features	Release Information: Studio: MGM Home Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1 Edition Details: • MOTEL HELL Theatrical Trailer (16:9; 2:40) • Double-sided disc with bonus feature DERANGED on A-side with theatrical trailer DVD Release Date: 27 August 2002 Amaray Chapters 16	Release Information: Studio: Arrow Video Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size : 34,618,399,538 bytes Feature: 26,677,770,240 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Average Bitrate: 30.00 Mbps Edition Details: • Commentary with director Kevin Connor moderated by Calum Waddell. • Another Head on the Chopping Block: Interview with star Paul Linke (14:50) • From Glamour to Gore: Interview with co-star, and former Playboy Playmate, Rosanne Katon (11:26) • Ida, Be Thy Name: A look back at Motel Hell's frightful female protagonist Ida Smith and the secrets of creating a convincing slasher siren, with Scream Queens Elissa Dowling and Chantelle Albers, genre commentator Staci Layne Wilson and critic Shelagh Rowan-Legg (18:07) • Back to the Backwoods: Director Dave Parker (The Hills Run Red) speaks about the importance of Motel Hell (10:09) • Original Trailer (2:36) • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jeff Zornow • Collector s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kim Newman, illustrated with original archive stills and posters Blu-ray Release Date: May 20th, 2013 Custom Blu-ray Case Chapters: 12

Comments

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were ripped directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Arrow - Region 'B' Blu-ray - May 2013': The new 1080P image is vastly superior to the older SD. Aside from showing significantly more information - mostly at the bottom of the frame - the contrast on the Blu-ray is superior showcasing more detail (notable in both lighter and darker scenes). There are far less artifacts. Grain is visible in the UK transfer and overall it gives a dramatically better presentation in all areas.

We get a reasonable linear PCM 2.0 channel track at 1536 kbps. It has some robust qualities apparent in the aggressive screams and more violent sequences. The lossless sound exports Lance Rubin's modest score with clarity. It's not overwhelming dynamic track but seems fulfilled by the uncompressed transfer. There are optional English subtitles on the region 'B'-locked Blu-ray disc.

The Arrow is stacked - we get a commentary with director Kevin Connor moderated by Calum Waddell. Production secrets are revealed and there is value here for those keen on intricacies of the filming process. There are a number of videos; Another Head on the Chopping Block is a 15-minute interview with star Paul Linke, From Glamour to Gore is a 12-minute interview with co-star, and former Playboy Playmate, Rosanne Katon. Ida, Be Thy Name is an 18-minute look back at Motel Hell's frightful female protagonist Ida Smith and the secrets of creating a convincing slasher siren, with Scream Queens Elissa Dowling and Chantelle Albers, genre commentator Staci Layne Wilson and critic Shelagh Rowan-Legg. Back to the Backwoods has director Dave Parker (The Hills Run Red) speaks about the importance of Motel Hell for just over 10-minutes. There is an original trailer and the package has a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jeff Zornow. In the package is a liner notes Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kim Newman, illustrated with original archive stills and posters.

Surely Arrow have again created the definitive package for an early 80's horror effort. I can't imagine anyone eclipsing this Blu-ray - and it's an extravagant advancement over the MGM DVD. Bravo!

- Gary Tooze and Eric Cotenas

Menus
MGM Home Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC