10 Scariest Horror Movies Set In Motels

Here is a couple of motels you will not be checking into anytime soon.

Hostel 2
Screen Gems

For the longest time, hotels were considered far too expensive for the working class. But all that changed at the turn of the 20th century when a more affordable lodge became more commonplace throughout the US. By the 1950s, these inns, which were known as motels, had earned a reputation for being convenient, accessible, and cheap.

But in the movie world, motels are usually seen as a death trap. It may sound like an undeserved assumption at first but look at it this way - As scary as it is for a person to breaks into your home, at least you know how to navigate around your house. But if a crazed lunatic barges into your room while you're staying in an isolated motel in an unknown location, you don't know where to go or who to trust.

When you realise how truly vulnerable you can be while staying in a small, compact room in the middle of nowhere, it makes you wonder why people even consider staying in these resorts in the first place!? After you've seen a couple of movies where motel residents get attacked, slashed to ribbons, or eaten, you'll think twice the next time you check in anywhere.

10. Basket Case

Hostel 2
Analysis Film Releasing Corporation

After an eccentric man called Duane Bradley takes a room at a motel in New York, the other residents notice that he constantly carries a wicker basket. When we hear growling from the box, we assume it contains some sort of wild animal.

But halfway through the movie, we discover the contents of the basket are for disturbing than we could've imagined. The basket contains... Duane's brother.

Through a series of flashbacks, we learn that Duane was born as a conjoined twin. Because his brother, Belial, was hideously malformed, he was perceived as a growth rather than a human being and so, was ripped off Duane's body against his wishes and left to die.

Furious, Duane and Belial headed to New York to kill the surgeons that separated them. But after Duane falls for the motel's receptionist, his lust for revenge subsides, driving Belial even more deranged.

Even though the contents of the basket are the story's selling point, Basketcase takes its time telling the story. For the first 30 minutes, we don't see Belial at all, making his big reveal all the more impactful. His design doesn't make anatomical sense but his haunting appearance is sure to freak out viewers.

Contributor
Contributor

James Egan has written 80 books including 1000 Facts about Superheroes Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about TV Shows Vol. 1-3 Twitter - @jameswzegan85