Desire and Hell at the Sunset Motel (1991) Noir From the Twilight Zone

Written and Directed by Alien Castel. 

Cinematography was by Jamie Thompson. Music by Alien Castle and Doug Walter

The film Stars Sherilyn Fenn (Twin Peaks TV Series, Boxing Helena, Two Moon Junction, Wild At Heart) as Bridget "Bridey" DeSoto. Whip Hubley (mostly TV Dead at 21)) as Chester DeSoto. David Hewlett (The Shape Of Water) as Deadpan Winchester, David Johansen (Scrooged and Married to The Mob) as Auggie, Classic Noir Vet Kenneth Tobey (He walked By Night, The File on Thelma Jordon, One Way Street, The Thing From Another World, Down Three Dark Streets, Cry Terror!, Marlowe) as Captain Holiday. Paul Bartel (Eating Raoul) as Perry Satori the motel manager, Parker Whitman as The Boss, and Shannon Sturges as Louella aka Pony Tail.

Sherilyn Fenn as Bridget "Bridey" DeSoto

Kenneth Tobey as Captain Holliday

Paul Bartel as Perry Satori 

Whip Hubley as Chester DeSoto

David Hewlett as Deadpan Winchester

David Johansen as Auggie

Shannon Sturges as Pony Tail.

Story

Late 1950's. During the opening credit sequence we see various shots of the pinkish sepia toned world of the Sunset Motel. 

It's actually three stories of sun bleached pink surrounding a blue pool accented with turquoise doors, black wrought iron railings, and small strategically placed palm like shrubbery.

While this is rolling we hear Jack Bailey on the old game show "Queen For A Day" in voiceover, until we cut to one of the rooms where the show is playing on TV. 

The tale starts when Bridey and Chester DeSoto, come roaring in through the entrance way in their lead sled, a 1950 Studebaker Commander. The car screeches to a stop outside the office. 

It has a spinning chrome propeller attached to the nose cone on its grille. They are arguing, Chester is a squares-ville nerd paranoid of germs, loud noises, and nuclear war, who Bridey it seems can easily manipulate and set off on a temper tantrum. 

Our dullsville sepia world immediately disappears when Bridey a shape in a drape, a real "hot tomato" opens the door and steps out in seamed stockings and a fire engine red skirt with matching lipstick. 

All attention is now on Bridey, from the newlywed loungers at the pool, to Auggie a guest on the overlooking second floor, and to Perry the manager, They now all have their eyes on Bridey. It's Hot out and not only from the temperature. 

Bridey and Chester are in the midst of one of their many arguments. In the managers office Whip tells Perry that he reserved two rooms under Hubley. Whip signs register. 

Bridey stands over by the fan to cool off, letting the breeze hit her face.

Chester: Hey, why don't you stick your face in the fan? It'd feel good.

Bridey: You're so erogenous.

Chester: Hey, ixnay on the fancy words, huh?

They are combining business with pleasure and Bridey tells us she's interested in seeing Disneyland. She asks Perry how far is Disneyland and Perry tells her four miles.

Perry helps the DeSoto's carry their bags, to their room. On the way a sonic boom sounds. Chester drops to the pavement thinking its an atomic bomb. Perry tells him its just a jet. 

Once in the room, Whip calls his office. He works for the Tiny Plastic Toy Company. Bridey runs to the bathroom and shuts the door. He lets his boss know that he reserved a second room for their business meeting. Perry cautions Whip when he hangs up that they have rules here, no phonographs and no noise after dark.

Bridey asks about nearby food and Perry tells him there's the Java Hut just down the street. Chester jumps off topic asking Perry if the "motel has a bomb shelter." Perry has a look of disbelief on his face.

Whip says he could use some shredded wheat and heads out to the Java Hut while Bridey unpacks.

In the Java Hut it becomes obvious that everything so far has been preplanned when Whip makes contact with "Deadpan" Deadpan is wearing shades, has a goatee, and wears a black straw Trilby, he's a beatnik, a cool cat, who is also an unlicensed P.I.. 

Whip herd of him through the grape vine. Whip thinks Bridey is screwing someone on the side and he wants Deadpan to find out who while they are staying at the motel on their "vacation."

So obviously, Whip being away with his business contacts must be also part of his plan so that Deadpan can get the goods on them. 

Two days later....

We cut to Bridey and Auggie in his motel room. From this development we also know now that Bridey told Auggie to check in there at the Sunset. And Auggie did so, with the assumption that he is going to finally get to play hide the sausage with Bridey, while old Chester is out with the guys. This is only the third time Auggie and Bridey have been together.

Auggie even does a Paul Henried move and lights two cigarettes, giving one to Bridey. 

However we find out that Bridey has another idea. She reminds Auggie that he said he'd help Chester die a little faster and that this is the first reason she told him to be there. 

He tells her that he said that in the heat of passion when they first kissed. When she tosses a revolver on the bed Auggie knows she means business. She wants him not only to bang her but also kill her husband. lol 

The next day Deadpan drives up in his grey 1940 Dodge Luxury Liner De Luxe beater.

Deadpan makes some kind of deal with Perry and checks into the motel in a room on the opposite side of the pool where he can stake out the DeSoto's room. He acts just like another guest while keeping his eye on Bridey. So we get a sort of surveillance of assailants at the Sunset. 

One night Deadpan is at the ice machine filling using a scoop to fill a small bucket with cubes. When he turns around to go back to his room, he sees that the door to Bridey and Chester's room is now wide open with the lights off. 

As he passes the door Bridey calls out. We see her sitting on the bed in the dark. 

Bridey: You got a light mister?

Deadpan reaches into his pocket for a book of matches. He gets it out and is turning into the room.

Bridey: I'll light it. [Deadpan tosses her the matches] Turn your back, I'm not decent.

Bridey light's a cig we see in the glow that she's just wearing her bra. She shakes out the match then and notices that Deadpan is watching her.

Deadpan: Hot night isn't it?

Bridey tosses the match book back.

Bridey: I though I told you to turn your back

Deadpan: Sorry. 

Bridey: You don't look sorry.

Deadpan: Pardon me?

Bridey: Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing.

Deadpan: Ah you all by yourself?

Bridey: Goodnight mister.

The next day Bridey is again swimming while Chester is on a lounge chair reading. He's totally squaresville, wearing shorts with socks and shoes. Deadpan walks along the concrete apron and sits down in the sun to read a book. 

Bridey strikes up a conversation, telling Deadpan the water is nice and getting in an jab at Chester when she remarks that Chester is afraid of the chemicals in the water. Chester storms off.

Bridey: You ever hear of radioactivity?

Deadpan: Yeah?

Bridey: I think radioactivity is neat. I like the sound of it. You know why? They say radioactive things have a half-life as they decay. I think I'm radioactive.

As Deadpan watches Bridey depart he sees a flash through the venetian blinds in the window of the manager's office, he recognizes what it is. 

Cut to Perry looking through a telescope peeping on the pool guests. Suddenly we Deadpan pops into the room.  He tells Perry he's from the Legion of Decency, and how would it look if the camber of commerce found out that a pillar of the community was a pervert. 

Deadpan tells Perry that hell make him a deal, he wants him to be quite about anything he sees going on between Bridey and him and he won't say anything about him being a degenerate peeping tom. 

When Chester has his meeting with the sales reps in the extra room they reserved on the third floor, Bridey slips off to find some action rather than sit listening to Chester's sales philosophy. 

Bridey goes to Auggies room. He tells her that he's been following Chester around and he found that he's been reading up on criminal cases involving domestic homicide.

Auggie tells her that he thinks Chester got the gun to kill her. Bridey has to go, but wants Auggie to meet her later at the nearby all night miniature golf.

Bridey heads back down the stairway to the second floor where Chester who has slipped out of the meeting catches up with her. 

Chester complains that he expects Bridey to play hostess. Bridey tells Chester she has to cha cha she has to rumba either that or she'll go play miniature golf.. Chester won't let her have the keys, tells her to crawl.

Deadpan who is coming up the stair from the pool level while Chester is going back up to the third floor meeting hears all this and offers to give Bridey a lift.

At the miniature golf course, Bridey introduces Auggie to Deadpan. They play a round together. Auggie leaves and heads back to the motel, while Bridey and Deadpan go to the Mondo Luau Lounge tiki bar.

Bridey goes over to a juke box puts some money in and dose a show for the patrons, it looks like she is getting off on the vibrations against it while Deadpan and everyone in the lounge watches her. 

Meanwhile Auggie, at the same time has a surprise waiting when he gets back to the motel. Lo and behold, he sees Pony Tail the cute blonde half of the newly wed couple sitting in her nightie, crying on the stairway. 

Auggie finds out that Pony Tail and her husband had a fight. He ends up pushing her out of the room  locks the door and takes off with the keys. Auggie makes nice sympathetic guy, his move and before you know it they are in bed together. All this is intercut with Brigdey rubbing up  like a feline against the jukebox.

The Auggie and Pony Tail show is being peeped on by Perry sitting in his manager digs with his high powered telescope.

Back at the tiki bar, Bridey is done rubbing one out and is back seated with Deadpan at the table. She is now telling him her mid century modern dreams.

The next sequence is a bit of a homage to Hitchcock's Rear Window. We are back at the Sunset looking down from the third floor across to the other wing. 

Chester's wild office party is playing very loud music. We see Perry approaching the door to the room. Right below on the second floor, we see Auggie's room door opens and the blonde comes out. On the third floor Perry knocks on the door with the party going on.

The door opens, over the music you can hear Perry complaining about how many people they are keeping up and that he told them no loud music after dark. We can see a stripper dancing on a bed. Perry is pulled into the room and the door shuts. The blonde goes back to Auggies and knocks on the door again for a good night kiss from Auggie. 

At the same time on first floor Bridey and Deadpan return from the lounge. 

Bridey goes into her room and Deadpan walks off towards his room when he looks back at Bridey's room we see her watching him from the window. The sequence ends when she pulls the curtains closed.

Still outside, Deadpan lights his pipe. Now again the door to the party room opens and this time we see Chester come out and make his way down to the 2nd floor and over to Auggies room. Curious.

We cut to Auggies and find out that Auggie is blackmailing Chester with proof that he was a former card carrying commie. If made public it would cost him his job and put him on a blacklist. Chester slips  Auggie a check.

Chester: You know, Auggie, times are changing. Nowadays I don't know how many people who'd care too much that I knew a few communists... once.

Auggie: It can still get you black-listed. Fired. Never hired again. No place to go. The FBI is everywhere. You're an enemy of the state, Chester. You're anti-American.

Chester leaves. We see him head back up to the 3rd floor.

Soon Bridey comes back out in her evening dress and walks to the pool and steps off into the water. Not so subtle subtext for I guess she's so hot she's got to cool off her plumbing in the pool.

She swims out and back her gown trailing through the water like a big square fish tail. She turns back swims to the steps walks up and out to Deadpan, who nonchalantly takes off his jacket and drapes it about her shoulders. Bridey looks up at the stars and they both watch sputnik cruise by. Deadpan tries to kiss her. She turns away.

Deadpan: Are you in love with that guy Auggie?

Bridey: Not really, it's you, but I don't know if I could trust you. Yet.

Deadpan looks up at the noisy party sees Chester dancing in the widow, and exclaims to Bridey that her husband is a real asshole.

Bridey: Yes indeed-ie a real Howdy Doodie. 

Deadpan: Why did you marry him?

That sets off an alarm bell.

Bridey: How do you know him.?

Deadpan: How does he know Auggie?

Bridey: Auggie? If he knows Auggie then I'm done.

Perry comes out of the party yelling that "the chief of police is a personal friend of mine," gives the partiers the finger and slams the door. Bridey scurries off back to her room beckoning Deadpan to follow.

In her room she accuses Deadpan, of working for Chester and that Chester is paying him to kill her. He has a gun and he's jealous and dangerous.

Deadpan: Chester has a gun?

Bridey states that he gave it to you. "Where's the gun?," she asks as she pats him down and tells him it's ok she's ready for it. Dying is a girls best friend. Deadpan, angry now, leans over her on the bed and tells her "Zero on the tough act. " He leans in and kisses her trying to calm her down but she is still some what struggling. We cut to a close of a glass of scotch on the nightstand getting knocked over. The glass shatters. 

See the sign post up ahead? We just passed over into the Twilight Zone. It's the 41:00 minute point in the film.

A negative image suddenly turns positive and Bridey and Auggie and laying on a bed looking like they are about to get in on. Bridey sits up and asks "What the hell just happened?"

Auggie tells her to watch out for the broken glass. Bridey states to Auggie that she was just in her room at night. Auggie asks, "What the hell are you talking about?"  

Bridey: How long have I been here?

Auggie: You just got here? What's eating you?

Bridey: What the hell just happened?

Auggie: Well I suggested that we should have sexual intercourse finally. I had no idea it would shock you this much.

Bridey: I need a drink I feel pukey.

Auggie: You don't look so good.

Bridey: Auggie, I don't remember coming here. 

Auggie replies that maybe she is still upset about yesterday. She is told that today is Tuesday and she realizes that she has forgotten a whole day. Auggie suggests maybe she has a mental block. She doesn't remember the beach last night, or the "biggie" that her husband Chester is dead.

Bridey runs to the bathroom.

We watch as Auggie pours himself a drink and see him put a medicine bottle with an eye dropper away in a drawer. 

When Bridey comes back out Auggie explains that after the party Chester drove his boss home, on the way back his car went off the road and landed in the ocean. He asks her don't you remember the cops showing up? Upset, she walks out of the room. Outside we see her go up to the third floor and look in the window of the party room. It's already been cleaned up. 

Upset, she walks out of the room. Outside we see her go up to the third floor and look in the window of the party room. It's already been cleaned up.

Back down in her room she refuses to answer the door when Deadpan knocks. She puts on one of Chester's shirts and starts drinking and talking to Chester, says she feels his presence. 

She's interrupted by a hard knock on the door it's the police detective Captain Holliday.

\

Bridey lets him in. He tells her that they haven't found her husband's body. But they fished their car out of the water and found that the break line had a cut in it. He tells her he's sorry but she going to have to stay on for a few days because they are looking a a possible homicide. 

Bridey is now sitting on the bed when this is going on. We see her put her hand down behind the pillow.

Holliday pulls out his notepad and asks her who she played miniature golf with but she doesn't answer. 

Frustrated. Holliday turns away momentarily and tells her that he thinks she's hiding something just at the same time Bridey's hand comes up with Chester's gun, which she quickly drops back down out of sight. Holliday does not see it. 

We cut to the Java Hut where Deadpan and Chester are having a parlé. Each is accusing the other of killing Chester. 

Noirsville

Alien Castel has crafted a very cool Film Noir with a lots of twists. Keep the Twilight Zone in mind while watching this. There's things going on right from the get go, that are not what they seem. It's not a Noir for dummies.

All the characters are spot on, Sherilyn Fenn is stunning, all the principles are good and it was great to see noir vet Kenneth Tobey in a Neo Noir. 

Its also beautiful to look at, the Stylistic Noir cinematography of  Jamie Thompson is stunning. 8/10

From IMDb

Very cool and entertaining ... but not for the shallow

Desire and Hell at Sunset Motel is one of those few and far between movies that are truly artful without being at all pretentious. The refreshingly original plot is not too complicated or deep, but the film is entertaining and clever in it's simplicity nonetheless. It's funny, it's sad, it's smart, and it's cool, but it's probably best suited for a slightly left of center personality. Unfortunately, the average movie goer probably won't get the point, but there's much more to this film than a few really nice bikini scenes. In a nutshell, "Desire and Hell ..." makes the relatively well-visited-in-cinema statement that "underneath their (shiny plastic veneer) exteriors, most things aren't what they seem " ... but the essence of this film is the wonderful "radioactive electric-toaster Disneyland bomb shelter daddy-O McCarthyism Americana" way in which it expresses the idea. If that was all gibberish to you, you probably won't understand or enjoy this film ...

Bob -2064