Mountaintop Motel Massacre (1983)

Thanks for the memories!

good back-story, and good acting

Don't listen to the negative reviews

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

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.

After borrowing it off a friend and not expecting much, "Mountaintop Motel" aka "Mountaintop Motel Massacre" turned out to be a nice little surprise from the 80s (which was originally shelved for a couple years before its "86" release). While being on the cheap with limited resources, its low-key approach doesn't hamper the fun of this dark rural psycho shocker. Well it didn't for me. After getting off to a glum, slow start, it gradually grows suspenseful in its taut layout (secluded backwoods setting) where its creepy, twisted underlining breaks out (although that eerily offbeat music score provides an unnerving tone throughout). Leading to some savage attacks (despite some tacky gore) and a collected, spaced out performance by Anna Chappell as the motel owner who uses the tunnels beneath the motel rooms to terrorise her guests.The solemn, paper-thin story probably could have made much more of the situation (ending on a lacklustre cat and mouse climax) and especially its supernatural angle/ or maybe it was the emotional breakdown into insanity, but its conventional structure conceals many strange surprises. Nothing is really brought up about the central character's unstable mind; especially why she was had spent time in a mental hospital. We just watch her slowly lose it, after accidentally killing her daughter she begins to hear her whispering voice in her head. The methodical direction grinds away, but there are some effectively lit set-pieces. There's okay bunch of performances by the cast; led by actor Bill Thurman as a boozy Reverend.

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.

There are four pages of comments for this trash. What are you people, gluttons for punishment or something? Why anybody would sit through such a worthless timewaster and then bother writing about it is beyond me. But here I am doing exactly what I'm chastising you for. *SLAPS WRIST* Call it therapy if you will, but I have to take this opportunity to get back at the studio for unceremoniously ripping 90 minutes from my life and not refunding it. Just a small bit of payback, but better than nothing..An mad old lady murders her daughter and the poor girl's pet rabbit. She claims it was an accident and everybody believes her, but as usual in these films one policeman gets suspicious. She also owns a hotel by a small town, and after the funeral she has a particularly busy night with the predictable assortment of guests e.g: A fat guy, two hot chicks, the loving couple, an old black dude etc. Most destined to be wormfood, but can our doubting Thomas copper save the day before things get TOO bloody?Boredom kicks in early during a long irritating sequence in which the crazy old bat hears her dead daughter's voice in her head and continues it's steady progress as the unlovable stereotypical characters get picked off one by one. This is a genre movie of the worst kind, and whenever anything interesting starts to happen (a teen being hacked up, the beginning of a sex scene) the camera decides to cut away to a pointless unrelated moment, and all sense of excitement is lost. In fact, the only buzz I got from the entire mess was when the ending credits arrived, and the torture was over. HURRAY! Don't bother. 2/10