Movies
Motel Hell
“If you enjoyed The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this film mixes Tobe Hooper’s classic with “The Beverly Hillbillies” and gives us awesome results…Overall, this is a fun watch that I recommend to fans of “fun” and cheesy horror films, especially those who love watching cannibal Hillbillys run amok.”
At least once in your life you’ve had to think to yourself, “I would NEVER stay in that place” when passing a rundown motel/hotel in the middle of nowhere. This film plays on that and gives us a charismatic and creepy motel owner who brings us many laughs and some great gore as well. If you enjoyed The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this film mixes Tobe Hooper’s classic with “The Beverly Hillbillies” and gives us awesome results.
Motel Hell focuses on a solemn roadside motel owned by Farmer Vincent, a renowned BBQ enthusiast known throughout the county for his roadside BBQ. Farmer Vincent is not keen to disclosing his recipe for his BBQ and “fritters”, and with good reason. For one, his meats are not farm raised, but consist of the XX and XY chromosome variety. Farmer Vincent’s roadside traps allow him to capture his human victims, whom he buries in a “garden” where he can feed them and get them “ready” for cookin’. Remember his motto: “It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent’s fritters”.
If you want a fun, cheesy, gore-filled Hillbilly film then Farmer Vincent has got you covered. Personally, I love horror films involving a motel/hotel in the middle of nowhere simply because most of us can relate to having the idea of staying in such a motel/hotel cross our minds at least once. We all seem to reserve space for the fear of what would happen if the person who runs the motel is a creeper who has a sinister reason for running the motel, and that is one element that makes this film so much fun to watch and relate to. If you are a fan of cooking and BBQ, then prepare for some even more fun. I liked this element because the insight provided to us makes us aware that Farmer Vincent is not serving any normal “secret ingredient”, but something we all wish to never be duped into eating.
Kevin Connor’s direction is what really makes this film a fun watch. He adds just the right amount of gore in all of the proper places, and gets the right type of performance from each actor that is needed to add some quirk to this flick. Some scenes are very Texas Chainsaw Massacre-esque, and from what I have read about this film Kevin Connor was highly influenced by Tobe Hooper’s classic. The end scene involving Farmer Vincent welding a chainsaw and wearing a pig’s head while battling a local sheriff immediately had me thinking Leatherface, so yeah I believe this film really is influenced by TCM. For me that was not a problem because regardless of whatever films have influenced Motel Hell I still found it an enjoyable watch that gave me everything I wanted to see.
The storyline is one that I enjoyed especially because of the unique and interesting elements that were thrown in. I LOVED how Farmer Vincent would “plant” and “grow” his victims in his garden, severing their vocal chords so that they could not scream for help, leaving them only the ability to squirm for help, which really didn’t “help” them at all. There really is not too much that goes on this film other than what happens at the motel, and while others looking for a more adventure-esque approach will not like this film’s lack of constantly changing sets, I found it just fine thanks to some pretty sweet sets used when we get to the grit of the film. The deep coolers and basements in the motel provided for some pretty spooky scenes, and Kevin Connor’s direction and dark lighting helped pave the way for more eeriness in this film.
Overall, this is a fun watch that I recommend to fans of “fun” and cheesy horror films, especially those who love watching cannibal Hillbillys run amok. Watch this one so you can be ready for Rob Zombie’s (hypothetical) remake, because this is DEFINITELY up his trail.
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This week kicked off with the release of hippo horror movie Hungry at home, and four more horror movies have arrived for at-home viewing as we head into the final weekend of June.
Here are the new horror movies that released on Friday, June 26, 2026!
The Halloween season can no longer be contained to the months of September and October, with “Summerween” becoming a thing in recent years. Essentially, it allows for Halloween to bleed into the warmer Summer months, and the first ever Summerween movie has arrived.
The Asylum released Summerween onto Digital outlets today.
In the film from writer/director Ryan Ebert, “On Summerween, a former circus clown escapes a mental institution to return to his abandoned mansion and hunt the teens partying there.”
Cole Chapleski, Chase Breithoff, Logan Roe, Sophia Sabol, and Clint Morrison star.
Director Ryan Ebert is the man behind a string of recent indie horrors we’ve covered, including Shark Side of the Moon, The Jolly Monkey, Jurassic Reborn, and Predator: Wastelands.
A witchy coming-of-age story from Dark Sky Films, Camp is now playing in select theaters.
Check your local listings to find a theater near you.
Camp is from writer-director Avalon Fast (Honeycomb, The Serpent’s Skin).
“Emily is the root cause of two devastating tragedies very early in her life, and she feels the weight of these accidents as though cursed. At her father’s suggestion, she takes a position at a summer camp for troubled youth to ease her guilt. When Emily arrives, she is welcomed by the other counselors, who accept her as she is and surround her with peace and forgiveness.
“As Emily begins to believe in a new kind of life, she starts to hear a voice whispering from deep in the woods — one that urges her to go home, and one that may be impossible to ignore.”
The film stars Zola Grimmer in her screen debut alongside Alice Wordsworth, Cherry Moore, Lea Rose Sebastianis (Castration Movie Part 1 & 2, In A Violent Nature), Ella Reece, Austyn Van de Kamp (This Too Shall Pass), Sophie Bawks-Smith (Honeycomb), Izza Jarvis, and Aiden Laudersmith.
Producers Tyler Perry and Jason Blum have joined forces for Peacock Original Strung.
The film is now streaming only on Peacock.
“A talented violinist takes a prestigious job as a music tutor for the gifted daughter of an influential and enigmatic family. As she becomes entangled in their opulent world, unsettling secrets begin to surface, forcing her to question her safety, her dreams, and even her sanity.”
Malcolm D. Lee (Scary Movie 5, Space Jam: A New Legacy) directs from a script written by Alan B. McElroy (Wrong Turn, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers).
Chloe Bailey (“Swarm“), Lynn Whitfield (Jaws: The Revenge), Lucien Laviscount (“Scream Queens”), Anna Diop (Us), Coco Jones (Vampires vs. the Bronx), Langley Kirkwood (“Banshee”), and Romy Woods star in Peacock’s Strung.
Produced by Diablo Cody, director Meredith Alloway’s Forbidden Fruits brought a new coven of witches to the big screen earlier this year, and it’s now streaming on Shudder.
Lola Tung (“The Summer I Turned Pretty”), Victoria Pedretti (“The Haunting of Hill House”), Alexandra Shipp (Tragedy Girls), Gabrielle Union (Breaking In), and Emma Chamberlain star in Forbidden Fruits, released by IFC and Shudder.
Free Eden employee Apple secretly runs a witchy femme cult in the basement of the mall store after hours. But when new hire Pumpkin challenges the group’s ‘girl boss’ ways, the women are forced to face their own poisons or succumb to a bloody fate.
“Forbidden Fruits grabbed me by the neck the very first time I read it,” Diablo Cody said. “It’s one of the craziest, most creative, beautifully bonkers projects I’ve ever worked on.”
Meagan Navarro writes in her review for Bloody Disgusting, “Forbidden Fruits may not necessarily forge new terrain in the teen satire space, but Alloway brings so much style and energy to her well-cast single-location stage play adaptation for the Gen Z crowd.”
The film is an adaptation of playwright Lily Houghton’s stage play Of the Women Came the Beginning of Sin and Through Her We All Die. Alloway and Houghton co-adapted.
This week’s new release roundups are presented by HUNGRY.
All aboard the swamp tour from hell – this hippo isn’t playing games…
HUNGRY is now available on Digital. Watch it now!
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