Murder
Motel
(ITC Movie title "Murder Motel")
Original UK transmission: 24th May1975
Original US transmission: 26th May 1975
WRITTEN BY: Brian Clemens
DIRECTED BY: Malcolm Taylor
PRODUCED BY: Ian Fordyce
MAIN CAST: Derek Francis (Sam), Robyn Millan (Kathy), Ralph
Bates (Michael Spencer), Edward Judd (Charles Burns), Alan
McClelland (Lee), John Hallam (Roscoe), Anne Rutter (Helen
Spencer), June Watson (Petra), Gillian McCutcheon (Janice
Freeman), Patrick Jordan (Inspector Turner), Paul Humpoletz
(Osgood), Patrick Tull (Terry)
Teaser
Sequence
A man pulls into a motel late
at night, watched by two sinister figures. Worriedly, he checks
into a room just as the two men approach the front desk and are
handed the keys to his door. They then proceed to enter his room
and confront him with a knife while he is in the shower. Walking
out past reception again, they casually return the keys to the
manager, who barely looks up from his newspaper. Back in the
room, the man slumps dead in the bathtub, the water running red
with blood.
Plot
Summary
The Woodheath Motel is an
unorthodox establishment where, for a fee, the harmless looking
owner Sam will arrange to dispose of your enemies. Michael
Spencer and his sister Helen innocently check into the motel with
a plan to frame a workmate staying there, but instead find
themselves on the receiving end of the establishment's unique
services. Shortly after, Michael's girlfriend Kathy arrives at
the motel searching for her partner, but only finds herself
thrown into a nightmare ordeal as she and the owners become ever
more suspicious of each other.
Comments
This was a tribute the the film Psycho, as is obvious by
the re-enacted "shower scene" during the teaser.
However, the notion of murder being committed on the premises for
a fee is laughable to say the least (surely it would take no time
for the police to deduce no one ever leaves there?) The
marvellously talented Derek Francis had previously appeared both
as Shelby Grafton in K Is For Killing and Octavius Lamb in Who
Killed Lamb? , while Edward Judd had played a similar minor part
in "Sign It Death".
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