Tuesday, January 16, 2018

A Ghost of a Hotel along a Ghost of a Highway

"What? We can't not stay here!"



To borrow a line from the very strange 2017 indie film Bottom of the World

The El Rancho Motel was originally built as a residence for movie stars working on films in the vicinity of Gallup, New Mexico.


It once sat astride the legendary Route 66, which still surfaces here and there along its original route like a broken snake weaving its way through the Southwest 




The film makes powerful use of this 80 year old edifice.  I thought scenes of the lobby were shot in some weird art deco sound stage, but the lobby is indeed a kitschy marvel.

Reviewer Andrew Hope called Bottom of the World David Lynch Lite, which is actually a pretty interesting compliment.


We shall have to find an excuse to stay there some day soon...