Deranged/Motel Hell (Midnite Movies Double Feature)

Starring:Rory Calhoun, Paul Linke, Nancy Parsons, Nina Axelrod, Wolfman Jack, Elaine Joyce, Monique St. Pierre, Rosanne Katon, E. Hampton Beagle, Everett Creach, Michael Melvin, John Ratzenberger, Marc Silver, Victoria Hartman, Gwil Richards, Toni Gillman, Shaylin Hendrixson, Heather Hendrixson, Dick Curtis (III), Margot Hope
Director: Kevin Connor, Jeff Gillen, Alan Ormsby
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
A double bill of rural schlock, with both entries gruesome but somewhat tongue-in-cheek. Deranged was inspired by the unsavory saga of Ed Gein, whose isolated madness oiled the gears of both Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This is a low-rent production all the way, but its shabby locations have a certain eerie authenticity, and it benefits greatly from the casting of the reliable character actor Roberts Blossom--a scarecrow in the American Gothic mold--in the lead role. Now and again a somber but vaguely amusing narrator wanders into the frame to remind us that we are watching the tale of "a necromaniac, a defiler of the dead," as though we could forget. Serial-killer completists should check it out.

Motel Hell is slicker but less effective. Former Western star Rory Calhoun plays Farmer Vincent, a country hotel keeper (free samples of jerky at the front desk) whose line of smoked meats turns his customers into unwitting cannibals. The movie's got some genuinely creeped-out ideas (a backyard garden of victims, buried up to their necks?), but the execution is pedestrian and the humor pretty square. Onetime cultural icon Wolfman Jack has a few scenes as a TV preacher, for no apparent reason. --Robert Horton
Description
Deranged: Ezra's good at making friends... into home furnishings! Based on the same terrifying story that inspired Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs, this hauntingly scary film chronicles the grisly exploits of a rural necrophiliac and murderer! Brace yourself for a "solid horror story" (Variety) that's guaranteed to make you bite your nails... because if you don't, Ezra will!

Amazon.com

A double bill of rural schlock, with both entries gruesome but somewhat tongue-in-cheek. Deranged was inspired by the unsavory saga of Ed Gein, whose isolated madness oiled the gears of both Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This is a low-rent production all the way, but its shabby locations have a certain eerie authenticity, and it benefits greatly from the casting of the reliable character actor Roberts Blossom--a scarecrow in the American Gothic mold--in the lead role. Now and again a somber but vaguely amusing narrator wanders into the frame to remind us that we are watching the tale of "a necromaniac, a defiler of the dead," as though we could forget. Serial-killer completists should check it out.

Motel Hell is slicker but less effective. Former Western star Rory Calhoun plays Farmer Vincent, a country hotel keeper (free samples of jerky at the front desk) whose line of smoked meats turns his customers into unwitting cannibals. The movie's got some genuinely creeped-out ideas (a backyard garden of victims, buried up to their necks?), but the execution is pedestrian and the humor pretty square. Onetime cultural icon Wolfman Jack has a few scenes as a TV preacher, for no apparent reason. --Robert Horton

Description

Deranged: Ezra's good at making friends... into home furnishings! Based on the same terrifying story that inspired Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs, this hauntingly scary film chronicles the grisly exploits of a rural necrophiliac and murderer! Brace yourself for a "solid horror story" (Variety) that's guaranteed to make you bite your nails... because if you don't, Ezra will!

Motel Hell: You really are what you eat with Farmer Vincent's smoked meat in this creepy horror yarn that "packs a punch and goes way beyond mere terror" (Box Office)! Vincent's popular products contain a special ingredient that the psychotic farmer and his sister would literally kill to keep secret in this darkly funny flick that "just might be your cup of meat" (L.A. Herald Examiner).

Customer Reviews:

Motel Hell.......2007-03-08

It was ok, liked it as a kid, sometimes it's good to go back in time. One good thing price was good.Ilike buying from you guys right now can't think of next movie but I will soon. Thanks Again

10 Star rating for the GREATEST in 'B' horror flicks!!.......2007-01-27

What a great combo of meat cutting this double feature is! Who could ask for more? Motel Hell is so blackly classic, and Deranged is one of the first movies to simulate the enigma of famous serial killer Ed Gein.

Motel Hell: The finer points of meat smoking.
The 'Motel Hello' has the 'O' burned out, which makes it Motel Hell ... but that part is trivial. It's one of those homey, cozy places in the middle of nowhere, with not just the motel but a nice little shop that serves up the best smoked meats in the county. Homegrown, I might add. Farmer Vincent's Smoked Meats.

Vincent lives at the hotel with his sister Ida. God I love Ida, she's so far-fetched and crazy. Vincent and Ida spend their days tending the crops and fattening the hogs for slaughter. "It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent's Fritters!" The hotel is the perfect bait for fresh meat, and when no one is checked in, ol' Farmer Vincent checks the roads. After causing a motorcycle crash, Vincent decides to keep one little lovely for his own plaything.

'Motel Hell' is filled with black comedy that will keep you laughing your horror filled butt off. The dominatrix and the pervert who stay at the hotel (oh man, that plastic skirt is priceless!!), Wolfman Jack as a preacher, a psychedelic garden scene, a chainsaw fight with Vincent wearing a pig's head, all make for one of the best black comedy horror films ever made. Serve up some cheese while watching this one.

Deranged: Ed Gein in a tea party.
Supposedly based on the true account of Ed Gein, but taking way too many liberties, 'Deranged' still holds a soft spot in this black heart in spite of the low budget. Made even more melodramatic by a glasses-wearing narrator, this film is cheese from beginning to end, but with a flavor you can't help but enjoy.

Ezra Cobb: Murderer, Grave Robber, Necrophiliac, and known as "The Butcher Of Woodside." Devastated after the death of his mother, whom he cared for most of his life, lonely and child-like Ezra finally digs up her corpse and brings it home to care for.

But Ezra needs fresh skin to keep Mama looking new, so he watches the obituaries for extra parts. Ezra is a good boy though, and he treats the ladies he steals from the cemetery quite well, setting them up at tea parties with his Mama. "Life's a pain and God's a sadist."

Naturally, Ezra's curiosity involving the opposite sex leads him to bring fresher meat to the table, eventually leading to some grisly discoveries. Repairs are hard to make without fresh skin

'Motel Hell' is one of the most classic horror flicks to ever grace the screen. 'Deranged' is cheaply done but well acted and well photographed. If you love horror, this is a MUST HAVE for your collection! Enjoy!

4 stars for "Deranged".......2006-12-28

"Deranged" is the best reason to buy this rather interesting set. It has so many qualities that most horror films lack. It has shock factor, a genuine plot, disturbing situations and great performances.

Two great movies.......2006-11-30

I was truly happy with these two great films. Motel Hell brought back great memories as a kid during the 80s and back in the day it was shown on HBO a lot when HBO was good and it only showed movies, this film used to scare the crap out of me as well, but, compare to todays films its a cake walk today. I got this because of Motel Hell, so, if your going to buy it, buy it for that reason alone, however, with the movie Deranged..it was truly an odd film with a twist (or shock) at the end, very good film indeed. Recommended!!

deranged is a classic horror film.......2006-11-04

Deranged finely-acted across the board and well made. Motel Hell, on the other hand, is pure junk and a waste of time. But that doesn't matter at all, because Deranged (way underrated) is worth the money. I will go so far as to say certain scenes in Deranged top the overrated Psycho--because they stuck to the truth--for the most part. Nicely written and directed.

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