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Horror Hotel

Play trailer Poster for Horror Hotel PG-13 Released Sep 12, 1961 1h 16m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
75% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 67% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Young college student Nan Barlow (Venetia Stevenson) arrives in the sleepy Massachusetts town of Whitewood to research witchcraft. Nan's stay at the eerie Raven's Inn takes a portentous turn when she learns its proprietor Mrs. Newless (Patricia Jessel) is the reincarnation of a witch burned at the stake in 1692. The discovery unravels the startling truth about the town: that it is really a coven of witches who have a sinister plan to sacrifice humans so that they can become immortal.
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Horror Hotel

Critics Reviews

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Eddie Harrison film-authority.com ...if there’s a lack of surprises here, there’s also a British restraint that, despite the rather fancifully realised US setting, creates a genuinely eerie atmosphere that few genre films can match.... Rated: 3/5 Jan 23, 2024 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Better known by its American title (Horror Hotel, which I guess sounds like a zombie flick starring Elvis), The City of the Dead is a movie ripe for discovery. Rated: 3/4 Aug 30, 2021 Full Review Tim Brayton Alternate Ending Goes all-in on the thick, gloomy atmosphere Rated: 3.5/5 Oct 5, 2020 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews A low-rent Psycho-like flick that's more creepy than scary. Rated: B- Oct 20, 2016 Full Review Steve Biodrowski ESplatter It sports what may be the best, most terrifying (happy) ending ever seen in a genre fear fest - a genuine tour-de-force so powerful in its imagery that it almost single-handedly erases any reservations one has about the rest of the movie. Jul 8, 2008 Full Review Daniel Eagan Film Journal International Not as scary as you'd like Rated: 1/5 Jun 29, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Hector I A very interesting film in many respects. We follow a fairly classic story of witchcraft in New England, where a witch is burned in 1692 and curses the village. 260 years later, a young student investigates the phenomenon by visiting the village, which lies in a derelict area, and discovers many things... The film's atmosphere is very carefully crafted, very gloomy, with few resources and a running time of 1 hour 12 minutes, something that would be unthinkable today. Christopher Lee inhabits the character of the teacher with a passion for the occult, and it's a treat to see him as a young man. I found the cinematography very beautiful and disturbing, even more so than the horror scenes. The hotel proprietress is quite disturbing, and there's an atmosphere of witchcraft that's quite well done. The village seems to have come straight out of Lovecraft's The Shadow over Innsmout, and I find the parallel very interesting as the inhabitants resemble the image I have of those in Innsmouth, I almost expected the host to be called Gilman. What can I say about this film? It's got an atmosphere all its own, and it's very successful. It reminds me of The House on Haunted Hill in its staging and atmosphere, so it's a success! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/24/25 Full Review nick s Good effort put into this moody horror. The acting was great. The smoke machine was a bit on the heavy side... maybe this was made for the tube. Not quite as ominous as a modern movie but good for it's time. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/25 Full Review Michael M An excellent witchcraft movie! This is a total classic in every aspect! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Michael V The City of the Dead (U.S. title: Horror Hotel) is a 1960 supernatural horror film directed by John Llewellyn Moxey 🧟‍♀️ It's good 🙂 I'd recommend it if you like this genre 👍🏼 It's a B grade, atmospheric and unintentionally fun horror flick,,, 300 YEARS OLD! HUMAN BLOOD KEEPS THEM ALIVE FOREVER! A young college student arrives in a sleepy Massachusetts town to research witchcraft; during her stay at an eerie inn, she discovers a startling secret about the town and its inhabitants. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/23/22 Full Review deke p 1960! VERY good, for 1960. I agree with the surprisingly good consensus of RT critics & audience. Very creepy. Some Christians might enjoy the denouement... SPOILER SCROLL DOWN WAY DOWN BELOW: Never saw it bfo 4.12.2022 on The movie channel. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review dave s Despite the hokey title, Horror Hotel (aka City of the Dead) is a surprisingly effective low-budget thriller. When a college student visiting a small Massachusetts town to investigate claims of witchcraft mysteriously disappears, friends and family head off to the fog-shrouded town to determine her whereabouts. Most of the action takes place in shadows and mist, giving the film an appropriately eerie atmosphere. The sets are genuinely creepy, the black and white cinematography is great and the lighting is fantastic. If you can ignore the jazz score that periodically pops up and the improbability that a town inhabited by witches for a couple of hundred years has gone undetected, this is a fun way to waste an hour and a bit. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Horror Hotel

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Movie Info

Synopsis Young college student Nan Barlow (Venetia Stevenson) arrives in the sleepy Massachusetts town of Whitewood to research witchcraft. Nan's stay at the eerie Raven's Inn takes a portentous turn when she learns its proprietor Mrs. Newless (Patricia Jessel) is the reincarnation of a witch burned at the stake in 1692. The discovery unravels the startling truth about the town: that it is really a coven of witches who have a sinister plan to sacrifice humans so that they can become immortal.
Director
John Llewellyn Moxey
Producer
Milton Subotsky, Donald Taylor
Screenwriter
George Baxt, Desmond Dickinson
Distributor
Trans Lux Inc.
Production Co
Vulcan Films
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 12, 1961, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 25, 2017
Runtime
1h 16m
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