This is a Spoiler-Free Recap of the Hell Motel Pilot, Which Premiered Tonight on Hollywood Suite. The Pilot Airs Again Along with the Second Episode on Tuesday, June 17, Which Will Also Air on Shudder Internationally.
A group of true crime fanatics arrive at a recently reopened motel for a weekend dedicated to an infamous serial killer in Hell Motel. Ruby (Brynn Godenir) and Portia (Michelle Nolden) have just reopened the infamous Coldwater Motel, which thirty years ago was the site of a brutal murder by a serial killer wearing a Baphomet mask, the most notorious victim of which was Caitlyn Ridgely (Lauren Lee Smith). To mark the grand re-opening of the Coldwater Motel, Ruby and Portia invite a group of true crime enthusistcs including Paige (Paula Brancati), a past-her-prime scream queen, Crow (Shaun Benson), a new-age medium, Blake (Atticus Mitchell), a true crime writer, Kawayan (Emmanuel Kabongo), a talented artist, Andy (Jim Watson), an academic at the forefront of contemporary true crime studies, and Adriana (Genevieve DeGraves), a flight attendant and serial killer groupie. Also present is Hemingway (Eric McCormack), a pretentious chef with macabre food choices.
Hell Motel – Episode 101: “Blood Bath” Synopsis
Hell Motel is a new limited series, co-produced by Hollywood Suite and Shudder, from the makers of the TV anthology series Slasher, directed by Adam MacDonald (Backcountry, Pyewacket, Out Come the Wolves). In the opening scene of this pilot episode, Caitlyn Ridgely and her new husband arrive at the Coldwater Motel, only to become the most infamous of the motel’s many murder victims. Much of the plot of “Blood Bath” is spent setting up the characters who are spending a weekend at the Coldwater Motel to help promote the reopening.
Much of this first episode is focused on Paige, played by Paula Brancati (Majic, From the Vine), who spent the entirety of her acting career playing Caitlyn Ridgely in a series of schlock horror films based on the murders. While Paige is portrayed to come across as the central protagonist of Hell Motel, this pilot also establishes that nobody is safe among the ensemble cast, which also includes Eric McCormack (Will & Grace), Shaun Benson(Slash/Back, Trench 11) and Lauren Lee Smith (Trick ‘r Treat, The Shape of Water).
My Thoughts on Hell Motel – Episode 101: “Blood Bath”
While positioned as its own limited series, Hell Motel follows the formula of the anthology series Slasher, featuring much of the same cast and crew, where the entire season is structured as an extended slasher film. While I have yet to see Slasher, I enjoyed similar premises on other TV shows, such as 2009’s highly underrated Harper’s Island. However, I also thought that Hell Motel gave off a very stylized horror TV vibe, not unlike American Horror Story.
The pilot of Hell Motel drops some hints about how the series will progress. Michelle Nolden and Brynn Godenir, as the new owners, Portia and Ruby, come off as extremely dislikable and completely willing to exploit the original serial killings from three decades prior. However, that doesn’t automatically make them suspects, especially as the pilot drops a bigger bombshell in the final minutes.
While “Blood Bath” didn’t completely blow me away as a pilot episode, I am still interested enough to see the rest of Hell Motel through. This episode will re-air along with the second episode, “Night Orchid,” this upcoming Tuesday, June 17. Hell Motel will air Tuesdays on Hollywood Suite in Canada and stream internationally on Shudder.
