The general public, by and large, doesn’t just love murder — they’re obsessed with it. Society’s fascination with twisted crimes and the psychology, mystery, and suspense that surrounds the compulsion to solve them is only natural. People seek closure because it can perhaps make sense of something that’s otherwise irrational. This obsession is nothing new, but what is a more recent development is how true crime and murder mysteries have slowly infected pop culture far beyond the reaches of the horror genre. This allows horror even more leeway when it comes to stories that embrace and subvert these trending tropes.
Hell Motel is a blunt, brutal, and bloody slasher series that’s right at home with the visceral nature of Friday the 13th and Halloween, while also riffing on true crime, the murky ethics that surround its sensationalization, and also humanity’s inherent need for answers and understanding. The series mixes a pulpy murder mystery with meta postmodern storytelling and supernatural theatrics like seances, Satanic rituals, and murder recreations that occur in a hyperbolized setting. It doesn’t amount to mandatory viewing from Shudder’s vast streaming library. However, it’s dumb fun that’s made with unabashed passion for the genre and a playful ambition that isn’t afraid to push things a little too far once the bodies hit the floor.
There’s always been a thin line between horror and murder mysteries, the likes of which have become increasingly blurred in recent years. What is a slasher if not just a bloodier whodunnit, after all? In this sense, Aaron Martin and Ian Carpenter’s Hell Motel doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel with its premise where ten true crime fanatics, all from different backgrounds, are asked to stay at a freshly renovated hotel that just so happens to be the site of a mass slaughter. That being said, this doesn’t make it any less enjoyable when history begins to repeat itself and the body count begins to mount. In many respects, Hell Motel feels like it’s doing its best impression of 13 Ghosts or even Prince of Darkness as these eclectic strangers enter a haunting scenario and fight for survival. The series certainly embraces stereotypes with these characters and doesn’t feel the need to subvert them.
Some of these characters are more successful than others, while various innocuous details — like Paige’s age — are misaligned. The whole cast, which includes several of Martin and Carpenter’s ensemble players from Slasher, like Paula Brancati, Jim Watson, Genevieve DeGraves, and Eric McCormack, are clearly relishing these roles. McCormack in particular is chewing scenery like his life depends on it. He, and most of the performers in Hell Motel, understand the assignment when it comes to pushing the requisite levels of camp.
Hell Motel quickly settles into a comfortable rhythm and its general premise works. There’s one twist in particular that works exceptionally well. Unfortunately, there are even more moments that are filled with generic storytelling and characters. To the show’s credit, it does successfully subvert the expected whodunnit slasher angle so that the audience is on its big secret, yet also simultaneously kept in the dark. That being said, there are still plenty of surprises peppered throughout.
At eight episodes, Hell Motel is allowed restraint and doesn’t wear out its welcome by padding this story and diluting its message. That being said, there’s sometimes a questionable scope to the storytelling that’s reminiscent of the vibe of American Horror Story’s later seasons. The compulsion to provide background context on its characters is sometimes advantageous to the grander story, but it also comes across as self-indulgent and unnecessary. The series does improve over time and become more confident in its storytelling, the likes of which really hits a satisfying groove around episode five.
All this reinforces a successful-enough structure that turns a gruesome murder into each episode’s centerpiece. It’s a formula that’s identical to Martin and Carpenter’s Slasher, right down to the killer’s mask and pageantry. Hell Motel also features the same mix of subpar, pulpy writing and intense ultra-gory kills. It’s not at all surprising to learn that the project was originally produced as Slasher’s sixth season before this innocuous rebranding. These kills are certainly the most interesting thing about Hell Motel and there’s just enough depth to its meta-textual message to not just watch a “Hell Motel Kill Count Compilation” video instead. There’s a disgusting sauna death that puts Final Destination’s tanning bed kills to shame. At one point a Satanic ritual becomes almost comically violent. The sound design absolutely kills it with these horrific setpieces, which become so much more repulsive due to the wet, blunt noises that accompany them. Unfortunately, these grisly massacres are arguably the least memorable of Martin and Carpenter’s past productions.
Hell Motel crafts a compelling and carnage-filled story about the disgusting cycle of commodifying pain and trauma into entertainment and profit. It’s at its best whenever it digs into more complex questions about culpability and the ways in which people detach and justify their actions as a coping mechanism. Everyone wants to believe that they’re the heroes of their own story, but there can be very real consequences to this when it comes at the expense of rewriting the narratives of those who no longer have a voice. Hell Motel, concessions aside, culminates in a rather reflexive finale that deserves credit for its ambition, even if some of the season’s strongest moments riff on better horror films. It’s breezy, disposable horror content, but it’s still likely to strike a chord with plenty of fans who just want to watch some misguided fools get slaughtered.
‘Hell Motel’ premieres on Shudder on June 17.
