"Hell Motel" (2025) [Shudder]

by Joseph Perry and Mike Imboden

In our “The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict” film reviews, Joseph and Mike give their thoughts on a slice of cinema. For this installment, it’s episodes one (1) and two (2) of Shudder’s mini-series Hell Motel from Slasher creators Aaron Martin and Ian Carpenter.

Synopsis

Hell Motel sees a group of 10 true crime obsessives invited to the opening weekend of the newly renovated Cold River Motel, the site of a 30-year-old unsolved Satanic Mass Murder. History repeats itself when the guests get stranded and start getting knocked off one by one during a murder spree that grows exponentially more gruesome than the original with each kill.

The Good

Joseph: The first two episodes of Hell Motel boast an interesting premise that finds a mystery killer seemingly beating some demon worshippers to the punch when it comes to slaying folks before a diabolical deadline. The characters are written in such a way that they aren’t so annoying as to clamor for their deaths as soon as possible, but also not so agreeable as to get emotionally invested in their eventual outcomes. There’s no shortage of great-looking gore effects, and Martin and Carpenter elevate the mystery and suspense admirably.

Mike: I’m a huge fan of the first few seasons of Slasher (Ripper wasn’t my cup of tea, however), so I was quite excited to hear about Martin and Carpenter’s Hell Motel. The opening segment of the first episode sets the tone and really nails what made their previous output shine - it feels like this could just be another season of Slasher which gives me hope. Fans of slashers (the sub-genre, not the shows), will feel right at home as the players are introduced. All are interesting enough to want to follow, but annoying enough that you won’t be too saddened to see them go when their time at the hotel is over.

The Bad

Joseph: Like some modern episodic horror series, a few performances here sometimes border on camp. Deliberate camp rarely works for me — whereas unintentional camp can be very fun — and when it is not humorous enough to provide comic relief, and is possibly not meant to, it can be confusing when the majority of the proceedings are played straight.

Mike: While I’m all for a good slasher yarn, Hell Motel feels a bit tedious. Within just two episodes we’ve covered just about all of the subgenre’s tropes and it makes me wonder if stretching this out for another six episodes will cause the premise to wear a bit thin. What doesn’t help is the acting which seems to be a bit on the low-budget side of things. Forced melodrama almost comes across as comedic and I’m pretty sure that’s not the tone that Martin and Carpenter are aiming for.

The Verdict

Joseph: The initial set-up from these first two episodes promises demon worshippers vs. a mystery killer, and I’m all in for that. Hell Motel has its issues but holds enough promise that it may be one of the rare instances in which I follow an episodic series through to the end of the season.

Mike: It’s hard to really gauge how successful an eight episode series will be based on only two episodes. So far it’s got appealing elements with its slasher vibe (both the sub-genre and the series) and Satanists (okay, demon aficionados), and the kills have been well done. But sketchy acting and a dubious ability to remain fresh for another half dozen episodes loom ominously over the proceedings and it makes me hope that I don’t regret checking in for the whole eight episode stay.