Eric McCormack at the head of a dinner table in Hell MotelImage via Shudder
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Lloyd 'Happy Trails' Farley: the man, the myth, the legend. What can be said about this amazing - and humble - man that hasn't been said before? Or, more accurately, what can be said in public? Born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Lloyd is a master of puns and a humorist, who has authored one pun book to date - Pun and Grimeish Mint - and is working on a second. His time with Collider has allowed Lloyd's passion for writing to explode, with nearly 1,000 articles to his name that have been published on the site, with his favorite articles being the ones that allow for his sense of humor to shine. Lloyd also holds fast to the belief that all of life's problems can be answered by The Simpsons, Star Wars, and/or The Lion King. You can read more about Lloyd on his website, or follow his Facebook page and join the Llama Llegion. Happy trails!
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Fans of the true crime genre enjoy a degree of separation from the crime itself, acting as observers to some of the most depraved and horrific acts of man's inhumanity towards man. Some take an even deeper interest, creating podcasts where they serve as narrator and detective. And then there are hybristophiliacs, individuals who are strongly attracted to the perpetrators of violent crimes like murder or rape, with one of the more infamous cases being Carol Ann Boone, who married Ted Bundy during his trial, as seen in Netflix's true-crime movie Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.
One can still walk away from the most disturbing of true crime documentaries after watching it, but if you're in one, the odds are good you're not even walking anymore. This is the very idea behind Hell Motel, an 8-episode miniseries where a group of true crime aficionados are placed exactly where they don't want to be.
The Baphomet Killer Welcomes Guests to the Cold River Motel in the Horror Series 'Hell Motel'
A killer in a goat mask in Shudder's Hell MotelImage via Shudder
Set in the world of Shudder's Slasher series, Hell Motel begins with a young married couple, who check into the Cold River Motel for the night. Of course, they don't check out again, after a murderer in a Satanic goat mask, the Baphomet Killer, brutally kills the pair as part of an occult ritual. The killer is never caught, and over time the motel closed down, only the location still gets its fair share of visitors, with its notoriety making it a bucket-list attraction for true-crime fans.
Flash forward thirty years, when a couple, Ruby (Brynn Godenir) and Portia (Michelle Nolden), have fixed up the Cold River Motel and are re-opening it, leveraging on its notoriety. To that end, they invite ten influencers and tastemakers to stay for a horror-themed weekend. All ten have one thing in common — an obsession with true crime — and include Hemingway (Eric McCormack), a snarky chef with a penchant for making gourmet dinners that look like realistic human body parts; Blake (Atticus Mitchell), a mass murder survivor and true crime novelist; hybristophiliac Adriana (Genevieve DeGraves), and scream queen Paige (Paula Brancati), who is famous for playing the Final Girl in horror films.
A severe storm brings two additional people to the party: a couple looking for shelter after it becomes too dangerous to drive their RV any farther. Also along for the ride? The Baphomet Killer, and it isn't long before he — or she — makes their presence known. From there, they start dropping one by one as the series takes on an Agatha Christie vibe. And like any good entry in the slasher genre, there's no cell service. It's too far and cold to walk to the nearest town, and they're stuck in the most claustrophobic of all traveler's accommodations.
Slasher Fans Will Enjoy Their Stay at the 'Hell Motel'
Slasher fans will want to check in to Hell Motel. It plays with conventions — the killer is revealed early, and the Final Girl/Final Boy isn't obvious. Plus, the kills are gloriously gory, and, in some cases, aptly fitting. And the Baphomet Killer is an imposing figure in the mold of Jason Voorhees and Ghostface, with their own instantly iconic and eerie mask as well.
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Posts By Hannah SaabHell Motel, however, goes deeper than your conventional slasher entry, making a statement about the true crime genre as a whole. The invited guests aren't just true-crime fans, but people who have exploited the Cold River murders for their own gain, to at least some degree. Paige, for one, isn't just a horror film Final Girl, but one in a series based explicitly on the Cold River killings. It's meta commentary, with a group of people, victimized by the very thing they've exploited, serving as a metaphor for those that profit off of true crime (true-crime documentary Predators offers a similar critique).
To be fair, the series does have its share of drawbacks. It changes gears from being a Scream Queens-like dark comic satire to a more serious narrative at home in something like American Horror Story. At eight hour-long episodes, the story starts wearing thin, and would have been better served, and more focused, with shorter episode run times, or simply fewer episodes. But if you don't necessarily care about the logic, the kills are brutal and deadly, just how horror fans like 'em. So check in to Hell Motel which, unlike its characters, allows you to check out after eight episodes.
Hell Motel
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Eric McCormack
Hemmingway
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Paula Brancati
Paige
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Shaun Benson
Crow
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Atticus Mitchell
Blake
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Hell Motel
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