Do you dare succumb to the lure of witchcraft? Do you dare brave the journey to Whitewood? Do you have the balls to stay at the Raven's Inn? Yes? Then, my friend, meet your hostess, Elisabeth Selwyn. She'll show you to your room. Of course, she died 300 years ago.
John Moxey created a minor classic with Horror Hotel' (1960). This dark, overwhelmingly atmospheric British production is easily one of the better films totally immersed in the subject of witchcraft. Set in the dreary, fog-enshrouded New England town of Whitewood, star Christopher Lee sends his best' student there to research her thesis. Thing is, this is a town of 300-year-old witches, and the local inn, run by one Elisabeth Selwyn, is home base for the coven's ritual sacrifices. Oops!
Lensed by cinematographer Desmond Dickinson, the sets, lighting, and shot compositions are first rate; however, the film suffers slightly from a sort of claustrophobic shoot (an indication of the low budget) and lacks dynamics, esp. in the b/w photography. While the production has all of the ingredients for greatness, somewhere just beneath the surface lies an awesome film wanting and waiting to break loose, but it just never happens.
AKA City of the Dead', a more alluring title might have been Bitch of the Raven's Inn'. Horror Hotel' is highly recommended and worth owning on dvd. -- david ross smith
John Moxey created a minor classic with Horror Hotel' (1960). This dark, overwhelmingly atmospheric British production is easily one of the better films totally immersed in the subject of witchcraft. Set in the dreary, fog-enshrouded New England town of Whitewood, star Christopher Lee sends his best' student there to research her thesis. Thing is, this is a town of 300-year-old witches, and the local inn, run by one Elisabeth Selwyn, is home base for the coven's ritual sacrifices. Oops!
Lensed by cinematographer Desmond Dickinson, the sets, lighting, and shot compositions are first rate; however, the film suffers slightly from a sort of claustrophobic shoot (an indication of the low budget) and lacks dynamics, esp. in the b/w photography. While the production has all of the ingredients for greatness, somewhere just beneath the surface lies an awesome film wanting and waiting to break loose, but it just never happens.
AKA City of the Dead', a more alluring title might have been Bitch of the Raven's Inn'. Horror Hotel' is highly recommended and worth owning on dvd. -- david ross smith