Return To Horror Hotel Review

The horror anthology Return To Horror Hotel from directors Ricky Hess and Brandon Thaxton struggles to get past its budgeting limitations and poor acting, failing to construct the unwavering collection of stories that it attempts to. While the terrible dialogue, odd editing decisions, and distracting special effects that range in quality can give the film an enjoyably comedic campiness throughout, the poor execution of important elements ultimately results in a film where the dank hotel setting is the only thing that stays consistent, resulting in a sloppy series of frighteningly flat stories.

Return To Horror Hotel is an anthology of 4 parts, all taking place at a filthy and mysterious hotel. Giant bedbugs begin to torment guests, two vain women meet a sly thief hoping to trade for a mysterious artifact, a WWII navy submariner recluse resides there and hasn’t aged a day, and two petty thieves meet to discuss the magical severed hand of Harry Houdini that’s in their possession. While all these stories take place under the same roof, each one is distinctly bizarre and provoking in their own way.

Although the group of stories that screenwriter Al Hess has constructed can produce some interesting ideas that are ambitiously layered with elements of horror and sci-fi, the narratives too often feel indecisive or scant, never offering enough to achieve a captivating or memorable series of events. Any attempts by Hess to tie the segments together narratively and thematically fails, never feeling clever or well-executed, leaving the source of the film's entertainment to be the laughably poor performances and fluctuating special effects. Combined with an annoying score, toneless cinematography, and drab dialogue, much of the enjoyment that can be had from watching Return To Horror Hotel comes in the form of humor rather than fear or discomfort.

Overall, some may find momentous or noteworthy enjoyment from the overly campy elements that the film has to offer. But for the most part, Return To Horror Hotel produces moments of delight for the wrong reasons, eventually succumbing to it’s poor performances, shallow stories and budgeted filmmaking.

Distractingly bad performances, drab cinematography, and odd filmmaking choices burdens the interesting and ambitious ideas that are scattered throughout Return To Horror Hotel.

Produced By: Horror Hotel
Runtime: 83 minutes
Rating: NR