A young coed (Nan Barlow) uses her winter vacation to research a paper on witchcraft in New England. Her professor recommends that she spend her time in a small village called Whitewood. He originally cam from that village so he also recommends she stay at the "Raven's Inn," run by a Mrs. Newlis. She gets to the village and notices some weird happenings, but things begin to happen in earnest when she finds herself "marked" for sacrifice by the undead coven of witches. It seems that the innkeeper is actually the undead spirit of Elizabeth Selwyn, and the "guests" at the inn are the other witches who have come to celebrate the sacrifice on Candalmas Eve. As one of them said when Nan walked away, "HE will be PLEASED." Written by
Plot Synopsis:
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In 1692, accused witch Elizabeth Selwyn (Patricia Jessel) is burned at the stake in Whitewood Massachusetts. She appeals to compatriot Jethrow Keane (Valentine Dyall) for help, and Lucifer intercedes, causing a rainstorm. Cut to the modern day, where History Professor Alan Driscoll (Christopher Lee) is regaling his class with tales of witchcraft in New England. Student Nan Barlow (Venetia Stevenson) decides to study the subject further, over the objections of boyfriend & fellow-student Bill Maitland (Tom Naylor) and her brother & Science Professor Richard Barlow (Dennis Lotis). Driscoll sends Nan to Whitewood (his hometown it turns out), where she meets Innkeeper Mrs. Newless (Patricia Jessel), Jethrow Keane, a mute servant girl who tries to warn her, the blind local reverend and his granddaughter Patricia Russell (Betta St. John). Nan gets murdered by the coven of witches, Maitland and brother Richard get suspicious and follow up, eventually destroying the coven, which practices human sacrifice in exchange for immortal life. In the end, Mrs Newless is revealed as the charred Elizabeth Selwyn, finally fulfilling her fate to be burned at the stake.
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Infofreak from Perth, Australia
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'Horror Hotel' (sadly the copy I bought has this tacky title, which is the only thing I can fault about it) really surprised me at just how creepy and atmospheric it was. I was expecting some camp fun, but it is actually a very effective and inventive movie for such a cheap effort. The story sucks you in, and the acting for the most part is above average. Christopher Lee is billed as the star, which isn't exactly true, but he is excellent in his scenes, and Patricia Jessel is even better in a very enjoyable duel role. I also admire how director John Moxey (his movie debut. He also went on to make 'Circus Of Fear') was able to conjure up a spooky New England town with basically just a few sets and some fog. A great example of imaginative low budget horror movie making at its best! Highly recommended to fans of 'Carnival Of Souls', and 'Black Sunday'. 'Horror Hotel' isn't a great an achievement as either, but it shares some similarities in style and feel. This is one extremely underrated movie!
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dbborroughs from Glen Cove, New York
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This is the story of a college student who goes to do research in a small town and promptly runs into strange goings on. Its not giving anything away to say that the events involve witches of the not particularly friendly variety.
This movie creeps me out. Even if I hear the music in another room my skin crawls. I don't know what it is but there is something about it that does not sit well with me. Eerily filmed in suggestive black and white this film looks like a half remembered nightmare, perhaps a clearer version of Begotten.
I dread the prospect of ever seeing this again, despite owning several versions of it. (Hey, a good fright film has to be treasured)
10 out of 10.
Remember keep the lights on while you watch this.
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Troy Ros (Rastacat1@hotmail.com) from Northfield, MN
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I first saw this movie in the mid 70's late one Saturday night on Sinister Cinema in Portland, OR and it kind of scared the crap out of me. They replayed it about a year later and same thing: It scared the crap out of me. I have now seen it 6 or 7 times over the years including twice in the last few months with the VCI Entertainment version of the dvd.
The movie doesn't scare me like it used to, but it still amazes me how it transports me into it's own world of the fog shrouded town of Whitewood, Massachusetts. The story itself is common enough: A woman (Patricia Jessel) is burned at the stake for witchcraft and she leaves a curse on the people of the town as she is consumed by the flames. Forward 300 years to the present day and we have Nan Barlow (Venetia Stevens) as a self determined college student who decides to write a paper on witchcraft. Her professor, Alan Driscoll (Christopher Lee), gives her directions to the town of Whitewood where 300 years earlier an alleged witch was burned at the stake. She goes to the town and after a few days disappears. Her brother then goes to the hotel where she was last seen, and runs into all kinds obstacles, not the least of which is the innkeeper of the Whitewood Inn, who just happens to look exactly like the witch burned 300 years earlier, and also Christopher Lee who happens to be a long ago resident of Whitewood
There is an old, blind priest who stays in his church despite the fact that he has no congregation. His granddaughter, Betta St. John (Patricia Russell), who seems to not be a witch, and has just returned to the town to take care of her grandfather, runs the local used book and antique store. She had befriended Nan before she disappeared and is now working with her brother, Dennis Lotis (Richard Barlow), to try and find out what happened to Nan.
Of course they run into the witches along they way and there is a showdown of sorts. The strength of this movie is in it's crisp acting and smart script. Especially notable are Patricia Jessel, Christopher Lee and Venitia Stevens. Despite it's low budget, the director, John Llewellyn Moxey, has made an altogether unforgettable film. This ranks right up there with other unique horror movies such as Carnival of Souls (1962), The Wicker Man (1973), The Thing From Another World (1951), and Village of the Damned (1960).
The VCI Entertainment release is just what this movie has needed for years. An excellent transfer at 1.66:1 with two extra minutes of footage added from previous video and dvd releases. There is a commentary by director John Llewellyn Moxey and another separate commentary by Christopher Lee. There are also three interview segments with Lee, Moxey and Venetia Stevenson. Pretty impressive extras for a 40 year old low budget movie.
The commentary by Christopher Lee is interesting in that he has not seen this movie since it came out 41 years earlier. He is watching it with an interviewer from VCI who knows more about what is going on in the movie than Lee does. But Lee's ability to recall information about people and give anecdotal information is unsurpassed. He is literally a walking, talking encyclopedia of info on people he has worked with over the years.
This is one of my prize dvd's and I really cannot recommend it highly enough. The VCI version lists for around $25 but I have seen it cheaper. There are also several basic versions without the extras (or extra footage) of the movie along with another movie on one dvd. Most notably the Diamond Entertainment version where it is packaged along with Carnival of Souls for under $10.
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Backlash007 from Kentucky
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Strangers rarely come to Whitewood...and for good reason. For it's inhabited with witches and warlocks...and Christopher Lee! He's absolutely menacing in his role of Professor Driscoll. Horror Hotel (aka: The City of the Dead) is a just an old fashioned horror story, it's even kind of creepy. I think this one is all about the atmosphere; a dark and rickety hotel located in an aging New England town that boasts an excellent use of fog that would make John Carpenter envious. It's something to be seen. Horror Hotel is slightly dated, but not too shabby. After all, "the basis of reality is fairy tales, and the basis of fairy tales is reality"
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Godzilla444
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What a corker! This is one of those must have halloween movies. If only to see our beloved Mr Lee doing an American accent. This is a prime example from Moxey (The Night Stalker) of why most colleges do not teach witchcraft. There are certain things which having a reasonable knowledge of horror movies, one does not do.
1, Do not study the occult, as it will lead to many terrible things.
2, Do not study the occult if Christopher Lee is your lecturer, as he is Dracula.
3, Do not go to ancient towns to study the occult if Christopher Lee has advised you that it will help your studies, as he may have sinister motives and be Dracula.
Dracula does not appear in this film but Mr Lee casts an equally dark shadow over this films proceedings, slowly drawing in both characters and audience with his fantastic Christopher Lee-ness. Although saying that the movie is of a high enough caliber that Mr Lee serves to add to the flavor of this great movie, rather than being the only reason to watch. A must have for all whom are drawn to horror flicks from the old school.
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modrock62 from Bayonne, NJ
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A true masterpiece and a perfect example of how imagination and desire can overcome a small budget in film making! "Horror Hotel", aka, "City Of The Dead" is one of my all-time favorite horror classics. Beautiful black and white photography, a stock pile of atmosphere, a literate script, terrific acting and chills galore! I have seen this gem many times, first when I was very young and caught it on the Late Show. It has had an effect on me everytime I see it. The plot seems familiar I am sure, a witches cult is operating in a small New England town but there is much more then that! From Christopher Lee to the chilling witch hunt and stake burning of the opening to the climatic battle with the coven in the graveyard. Outstanding! Mist and fog drown this small town and what strikes me most is that this entire production was studio bound!!! no location shooting, all done in a studio and it comes off without a hitch! I happen to have a copy of this film on video that I cherish. It's not a newly remastered, pristine copy. It's a copy that seems to have been copied from a television broadcast and I love it! It looks grainy, old, had pieces of hair and dirt on it and I wouldn't trade it for the world. It brings back great memories of films shown when I was young in the 60's and 70's and adds an extra dose of charm and atmosphere to the film. A true classic and one I highly recommend!
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Tim Groombridge from Exeter UK
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Having not taken much time to watch older movies of this genre, I was pleasantly surprised by how comprehensive the film was.
Black and white photography rarely seems to look this good, and has been one of the things that has turned me off such films before now. The visuals in City Of The Dead are so sharp and foreboding that they serve to accentuate the small town paranoia perfectly.
In terms of the characters, Patricia Jessel as Mrs Newlis and Christopher Lee as Prof Driscoll, are supremely sinister, whilst Venetia Stevenson as Nan Barlow, is hopelessly deserving of the viewers compassion as the witches prey!
I've come to love this film, not just for the sake of the film itself, but because it proved me so wrong in my assumption that most movies of this type/age are dull, it's incredibly watchable and tense.
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GroovyDoom from Haddonfield, IL
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Some witches are just bad to the bone. Elizabeth Selwyn is one such witch, and she's executed in a witchly fashion for it. Right before she's burned at the stake, she vows revenge on her tormentors, which is probably a fairly typical thing to do when a bunch of people are burning you alive. Despite the fact that flames usually do nothing good for the complexion, Elizabeth apparently manages to return with all her witchly beauty as an immortal being who haunts the town of Whitewood, and her equally immortal coven lives there with her among the perpetually foggy streets. She and her cohorts are in the habit of sacrificing young girls on holidays that witches hold sacred, and she runs a spooky inn as a lure for this purpose.
This is an unfortunate reality for our damsel in distress, naive college student Nan Barlow, who goes to Whitewood to research the existence of witchcraft in its history. She learns the difficult way that old habits die hard, and our favorite witch, with the sly pseudonym of Mrs. "Newlys", is all too happy to welcome her to her creepy hotel, which is a lot like the Hotel California--you can check in, but you can't check out.
In a "Psycho"-esque change of protagonists halfway through the film, Nan's brother traces her to Whitewood when she turns up missing, and pretty soon everyone involved is on a collision course with the nastiest witch in Whitewood.
Oh, and Christopher Lee, too.
"City of the Dead", which also exists with the title "Horror Hotel" (which sounds a lot like something in a traveling carnival), is a deliciously spooky flick. Nobody's going to jump out of their seats watching this one, but it does have some excellent photography, especially in black & white, and the sets are truly eerie. Fans of more modern horror films will ultimately be disappointed, but genre aficionados will find this wicked black & white fun.
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sol1218 from brooklyn NY
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******SPOILERS****** After listening to a lecture by Prof.Alan Driscoll, Christopher Lee, on the town of Whitewood Massachussetts back in 1692 where a local witch, Elizabeth Slwyn, was burned at the stake one of Prof. Driscoll's students Nan Barlow, Venetia Stevenson, decided to do a term paper on the subject. Nan drives to Whitewood to get whatever information she could get on the subject from whats available in the towns records dating back to the 17th Century about witchcraft in general and the Slwyn case in particular.
Getting instructions from a reluctant local living in the area Nan drives into the town of Whitewood and checks into the Raven Inn where she meets the owner Mrs. Newlis, Patricia Jessel, and her mute helper Lottie, Ann Beach. Nan, unknowing to her at the time, was to meet a fate reserved only for someone like her, an innocent girl, that was needed for the Witches Holiday of February 1, Candlemass Eve the Satanic mocking of the Church.
Early Witchcraft and devil movie that predated "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Exorcist" but despite it's small budget is as good as either of those movies and the dozens of imitations that followed them. Eerie and spooky film about Witchcraft in New England that covers some 300 years from the Salem Witch Trials in 1692 to the beginning of the Disco Swinging era of the 1960's.
The town of Whitewood is both in the dark and fog at all times in the movie with not a single ray of sunlight ever descending on it. This gives the town a really creepy look as well as unnerving everyone in the theater audience watching the film. It makes one feel that the movie was made in Northern Alaska during the time when it has six months of darkness instead of the state of Massachussetts.
Gripping as well as interesting movie with a great ending sequence where good overcomes evil despite the overwhelming odds against it.
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Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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On 03 March 1692, in Whitewood, Massachusetts, the witch Elizabeth Selwyn (Patricia Jessel) is sentenced to be burned at the stake, and her partner Jethrow Keane (Valentibe Dyall) asks Lucifer to save her. About three hundred years later, the college student Nan Barlow (Venetia Stephenson) decides to spend her vacation in the town to research witchcraft. Her professor Alan Driscoll (Christopher Lee) suggests Nan to lodge in the Ravens Inn, managed by Mrs. Newless. Once in the village, the naive Nan is advised by the local priest, Reverend Russell (Norman Macowan), to immediately leave the place, where devil has ruled over for three hundred years, but she decides to stay and find that she is in a coven of evil witches. Nan vanishes, and the granddaughter of Reverend Russell, Patricia Russell (Betta St. John), pays a visit to Nan's skeptical brother, Richard Barlow (Dennis Lotis), and her boyfriend Bill Maitland (Tom), and they decide to follow her steps. Once in New England, they realize that a group of immortal witches have to sacrifice two beautiful women per year, one on Candleman Eve on February 1st, and the other on the Witch Sabbath, to stay alive forever, and only the shadow of a cross would be able to destroy them.
"Horror Hotel" is probably the best movie of witches I have watched and certainly one of the best surprises I have had with horror movies. Although being a low budget movie, the story is very dark, with good direction, performances and cinematography. The type of horror has the same style of Hammer movies, therefore fans of gore may not like it. The DVD released in Brazil by Fantasy distributor has a good quality of image and sound; however, the subtitles in Portuguese have many funny mistakes. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Horror Hotel"
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AKAs Titles:
Certifications:
Australia:M / Finland:K-16 (1990) / Finland:(Banned) (1961) / Norway:16 (1971) / UK:15 / USA:Not Rated (original rating) / USA:PG-13 (re-rating) / West Germany:16 (nf)