Freaky Farmers Go Midnight film from 1980, a horror comedy

On Friday evening, IndieWire After Dark takes a feature-length beat to celebrate fringe cinema in the streaming age.

We will do that in October 2024 Midnight Movie Monster Mash with films that challenge our understanding of evil characters and creatures just in time for Halloween.

First, read it spoiler-free BAIT: a weird and wonderful selection from every period in the film. Then come back BITE: a breakdown of all the spoiler bits you’ll want to unpack as you leave a theater.

The Bait: A cannibal comedy worth preserving in the genre – maggots and all

Measured against classics like “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and contemporary farmhouse fare like “Pearl,” “Motel Hell” isn’t a blue-ribbon winner. Still, this unashamedly funky genre mash-up—a pitch-black horror comedy about crazy siblings who turn car drivers and motel guests into delicious pieces of jerky—deserves a special place in the larger midnight movie pantry.

From swingers seeking bestiality to an inexplicable hypnosis sequence, there’s more than meets the eye in this 1980s throwback, best known for planting a field with human heads . “Motel Hell” is directed by Kevin Connor and hosted by actors Vincent (Rory Calhoun) and Ida Smith (Nancy Parsons): a brother-sister duo who have been involved in a criminal plot for 30 years that they are a little too close to brought. Incest is rarely strange, and yet Ida transforms the crush she doesn’t want to live out into a sidekick role that’s as strangely sweet as the taste of human flesh.

How Anthropophagy’s locally known partners managed to keep their slaughterhouse and its horrific treats secret from their other brother, Sheriff Bruce (Paul Linke), for so long remains unclear. When the beautiful Terry (Nina Axelrod) falls into Vincent’s clutches after a car accident that she doesn’t know allegedly “killed” her boyfriend, the two develop a bizarre attraction. Soon after, jealous Bruce and envious Ida take notice, and the clock on Terry’s life and Vincent’s business begins to tick.

This backwards love quadrangle is the main plot you will follow during your stay at Motel Hell, which is a slight misnomer. Although this simple satire is set in the siblings’ roadside inn and feels like a collection of rooms with novel motifs, overnight accommodations aren’t exactly the best choice. Instead, this spicy and terrifying agricultural extravaganza is peppered with sickening torture that leans heavily into wacky food humor while slowly cooking up its utterly inhumane kills.

“Motel Hell” was written by brothers Robert and Steven-Charles Jaffe and was considered a cult classic some time ago. It’s an acquired taste with a bloated running time (you’ll spend a lot of time watching Ida and Vincent tend to the aforementioned field of minds), but it surprises as much as any other crime thriller meat. Grab some bibs and support your ribs. These rehashed horror laughs are still finger-lickin’ good.

“Motel Hell” is streaming on AMC+ and is available to rent or purchase on most VOD platforms.

The Bite: Tobe Hooper almost made it

Check back for a full-length beat… Are you watching “Motel Hell”?

IndieWire After Dark publishes midnight movie recommendations every Friday night at 9:30 p.m. ET. Read more about our crazy suggestions…