Terror Tuesday: Mountaintop Motel Massacre (1983)
While you can go on vacation at any time throughout the year, it's best to stay off of the backroads, especially if it starts raining because you might end up at some remote motel with a crazy motelier who only charges $7 a night.
The price may be good, but you'll end up paying with your life.
After being released from an asylum, Evelyn (Anna Chappell) returns to her motel which she shares with her daughter Lorie (Jill King) but both are a little unstable.
While Evelyn is tending to her garden, Lorie is conducting a séance in the cellar of the motel, trying to raise spirits and her dead father. Evelyn finds her and she ultimately kills her, then stages it as an accident in the kitchen.
Sheriff Sam (James Bradford) asks if she's feeling okay since everyone knows that she's just been released from the asylum. Evelyn says she's fine and guest/friend of her late husband Rev. Bill (Bill Thurman) tells Sam that he'll watch over her.
When Melvin Crenshaw (Major Brock) checks into the cabin next to his, Bill's glad that there's someone else there since he tells him that "it's kind of spooky" out there. Melvin looks around and agrees.
Newlyweds Vernon and Mary (Greg Brazzel and Marian Jones) check in after just tying the knot and he wants to get his wedding night started. When she sees the place, she's not impressed, and he reminds her that he doesn't have the money for a classic joint like Holiday Inn. He just wants to get going.
Cousins Prissy and Tanya (Amy Hill and Virginia Loridans) dream of becoming singers and are headed toward fame and fortune when they get a flat and are rescued by advertising exec Al (Will Mitchell) in a blinding storm.
As the trio head for the motel, lightning strikes a tree, and the tree narrowly misses the car. Inside the office, he tells Evelyn about the tree, and she seems to be in her own world.
Mary sees Al and tells him that Vernon's been bitten by a snake, and he tells her that he'll call for help from his mobile car phone, once he and the girls get settled.
Bill and Melvin become friends and Melvin heads back to his cabin, while Evelyn gathers some rats as a "gift" for Bill.
The girls "audition" for Al, since he's told them that he owns a record company and after they sing and he tells them what he can do for them, Prissy goes into the bathroom, followed by Tanya. She tells her that Al is nothing but a liar, but Tanya doesn't care, since she finds him attractive and climbs back into the bed, while Prissy is murdered.
Throughout the course of the movie, Vernon's bite continues to become more swollen, and Mary keeps reassuring him that help is on the way, but she doesn't know when, since Sam can't get a hold of Al.
When Tanya goes into the bathroom, she finds that Prissy is missing. Al sees the blood on the wall but doesn't know that Bill has been killed and Melvin's packing to get out of there.
Melvin and Al join together as they realize that Evelyn is killing the guests and they check on Mary and Vernon. Al reassures them that help is on the way and after leaving their cabin, Evelyn kills the couple.
The two come up with a plan to get her and Al sends Tanya to the car to wait for five minutes and if they're not back to speed away.
As they search for Evelyn, Sam arrives and the two go back into the cabin.
For the longest time, I thought that I had seen this movie (I'm still not sure if I did) and I was thinking that this was Motel Hell (1980) which I think I saw on ON TV, if you remember that cable service.
Regardless as to if I actually did see this movie, I was surprised that it was really good.
The use of rundown cabins is great and adds to the mood and while the movie takes place at night, the cast is confined to their respective cabins, which makes it easier for Evelyn to get around.
If you're looking for a movie that builds suspense and doesn't rely on nudity or excessive gore, I think you'll enjoy this, even though you know who the killer is.
