By Geno McGahee
New England and witches go together. Salem, Massachusetts, and the infamous witch trials are the basis for HORROR HOTEL. We begin in 1692, where a witch is being burnt at the stake, but prior to her death, she makes the deal with the devil and now a curse is upon Whitewood, a small village that has been erased from the map over time. The only person that seems to know about it and talk about it is Professor Driscoll (Christopher Lee), and it makes one of his students very curious.
Nan (Venetia Stevenson) wants to do a project on the Salem witch trials, citing the Whitewood incident specifically. She is going to visit the little village, but she gets more than she bargained for. Her brother, Richard (Dennis Lotis), a science professor finds the entire thing foolish and expresses his thoughts to Driscoll, who is not very pleased. He gives Richard dirty look after dirty look for insulting his beliefs, and just when you think that he got over it, another dirty look is on the way. I’ve come to the conclusion that Driscoll is just not a happy person and does not take criticism too well.
On her trip to Whitewood, Nan encounters several strange people, like the evil guy that she gives a ride to and disappears into thin air, and the gas station attendant that seems like he knows more than he’s letting on. When she arrives in Whitewood, it looks like a town trapped in time and they certainly have a fog problem.
While at the Inn, Nan finds a trap door in her room and her curiosity gets the best of her and she goes down into a dark basement and meets up with Satanists. Those damn Satanists again! Well, when she doesn’t return home, her boyfriend and brother come to the town and encounter the group and some not so surprising surprises.
This film has a decent story and the acting is very good, but it scores extra points for the atmosphere set with the fog and graveyard shots. No wonder one of the best bands in history, Iron Maiden, used this film in their video “Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter.” It is a very neat looking movie, but overall, it’s nothing really special. I recommend it, but I think that it’s rather forgettable.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7/10. Bring Your Christopher Lee to the Slaughter.