Horror Hotel

Year: 1960

Director: John Moxey

Written by: George Baxt

Threat: Devil Worshippers

Weapon of Choice: Cross

Based upon: Original

IMDb page: IMDb link

      Horror Hotel Horror Hotel

Other movies in this series:
None

The tyranist's thoughts
I found a cheap copy of this and just had to see it. The fact that it was cheap meant that I didn't have to expect it to be good. In fact, of all the movies I've purchased for low, low prices, almost none have been good. Still, that lets me relax and enjoy the odd gem when I find it. This was just such a gem.
Christopher Lee is a professor at a small college who teaches history. His emphasis is witchcraft and some students mock him for it. One takes him seriously, though, and soon she's off for a secluded location in New England to do more research. Little does she know or suspect, that the old ways may not have died.
The atmosphere of this one is creepy and the setting almost perfect. It feels cheap, but the cheapness doesn't matter at all. The plot is interesting (if a bit predictable). I found myself drawn in and really enjoying the whole thing. The best performances are turned in by the victims as the menacing devil worshippers are mostly seen in full robed regalia.
Not a bit dated, I quickly added this one to my classics pile. I urge you to check it out when you can as I think you'll be surprised.

Total Skulls: 13

Sequel
Sequel setup
Rips off earlier film
Horror film showing on TV/in theater in movie
Future celebrity appears
Former celebrity appears
Bad title
Bad premise
Bad acting
Bad dialogue
Bad execution
MTV Editing
OTS
Girl unnecessarily gets naked
Wanton sex
Death associated with sex
Unfulfilled promise of nudity
Characters forget about threat
Secluded location skull
Power is cut skull
Phone lines are cut skull
Someone investigates a strange noise skull
Someone runs up stairs instead of going out front door
Camera is the killer
Victims cower in front of a window/door
Victim locks self in with killer
Victim running from killer inexplicably falls
Toilet stall scene
Shower/bath scene
Car stalls or won't start skull
Cat jumps out
Fake scare skull
Laughable scare
Stupid discovery of corpse skull
Dream sequence
Hallucination/Vision skull
No one believes only witness skull
Crazy, drunk, old man knows the truth skull
Warning goes unheeded skullskull
Music detracts from scene
Death in first five minutes
x years before/later
Flashback sequence
Dark and stormy night
Killer doesn't stay dead
Killer wears a mask
Killer is in closet
Killer is in car with victim
Villain is more sympathetic than heroes
Unscary villain/monster
Beheading
Blood fountain
Blood hits camera
Poor death effect
Excessive gore
No one dies at all
Virgin survives skull
Geek/Nerd survives
Little kid lamely survives
Dog/Pet miraculously survives
Unresolved subplots
"It was all a dream" ending
Unbelievably happy ending
Unbelievably crappy ending
What the hell?