Motel Hell

Motel Hell was released on October 24th, 1980.

Motel Hell 

The Black Comedy/Horror movie was directed by Kevin Connor.

Nancy Parsons and Rory Calhoun

Nina Axelrod

Roseanne Katon

John Ratzenberger

Also on this date:

John Kassir (voice of the Cryptkeeper) was born in1957

Pink Lady… and Jeff

Pink Lady, also referred to as Pink Lady and Jeff, premiered on March 1st, 1980 on NBC. 

Pink Lady and Jeff

Mitsuyo “Mei” Nemoto
and Keiko “Kei” Masuda

Jeff Altman

The short lived variety show was riddled with logistical, language and production issues. 

Episode 2 with Larry Hagman,
Teddy Pendergast and Sid Caesar 

6 episodes were produced but the show was cancelled after 5. 

Mei, Hugh Hefner and Kei
Episode 3

Pink Lady

City of the Living Dead (1980)

On August 11th, 1980, City of the Living Dead was released in Italy.  

When Catriona MacColl was approached as a lead in City of the Living Dead she had her doubts about the script. 

“It seemed like a series of special effects without a story.”

That’s kind of what the Fulci experience is all about. Sitting through a bunch of dialogue until the next batshit action or gore scene. 

Kind of like Herschell Gordon Lewis. 

Both men have been referred to as the “Godfather of Gore”.

Daniela Doria about to spew guts

Somehow Fulci convinced this poor girl to regurgitate a bunch of baby cow intestines on camera before switching to a projectile vomiting dummy. I read this in Fangoria magazine when I was a kid and it really fucked with my head. 

It wasn’t until many years later that I actually saw the movie. I mostly just wanted to see the practical effects I’d read about and seen screenshots of so many years before in that magazine. 

The ol’ slow drill through the temple bit

Christopher George 

Also on this date in 1937 William Dieterle’s The Life of Emile Zola premiered.