Caution: This article contains major spoilers for Hell Motel.

I love slashers, TV, and audacity. Which is why the sixth episode of Shudder’s new anthology series, Hell Motel, has been living rent-free in my mind for days. The episode “Guts and Glory” is a standout in what has been a bloody and addictive season of television. For most shows, this episode slot would have been a cool-down moment, allowing the audience to catch its breath and emotionally prepare for the remaining two episodes. However, Hell Motel put a boot in our windshield and offered us a side of slasher to complement our main slasher. It serves as a gory reminder that series co-creators Aaron Martin and Ian Carpenter are unafraid to push their symphony of carnage to new heights.

A Frat House Massacre Sets the Stage

“Guts and Glory” opens in the middle of a frat house massacre. This place, where young men do questionable deeds while assuming they have their whole lives ahead of them, is awash in red light. The visual danger cues are underscored by pure horror. The expected sounds of parties and laughter are instead cries of terror and screams as someone on a mission is cutting through young people. We see Blake (Atticus Mitchell) and his friend running from a masked assailant, who is not the cloaked killer we come to Hell Motel for every week. It is also impossible to ignore that this killer is purposeful in his moves, which makes him more terrifying.

Our first impression of the murderer is watching him calmly terrorize the frat house. He makes his way through the chaos and stomps on Blake’s phone before carrying on with his business. He kicks in a door and commits some unseen act of violence on someone(s), who thought they found safety. However, it is the intentionality on display as he sticks a knife through Blake’s friend’s foot that signals this is about to be a moment. A gruesome scene on its own right that is underscored by the knife he then plants in this guy’s back. This victim cries out for Blake, not knowing the worst is yet to come. Our killer then uses a knife to carve a jagged smile into the still screaming mouth of this college kid as Blake runs off.

A Personal Vendetta Fuels the Carnage

This is when it became apparent that this killing spree was personal. It was also a very vicious warning shot that Hell Motel was about to do something wild. The series was about to bench this season’s killer(s) long enough to give us a glimpse into possibly one of the best slasher movies we will never see.

The episode, penned by series co-creator, executive producer, and showrunner Ian Carpenter, had the difficult task of adding depth to a character that most of us had written off. We all have thoughts about frat boys, which is why the frat house killer’s motivations made sense. However, Hell Motel has spent the better part of the season feeding its audience breadcrumbs that this kid and his unchecked trauma might become a problem. So, this episode’s juxtaposition of these two make-or-break moments in this character’s life is interesting.

We see the flashbacks of this previous night of terror slam into his present-day situation, where he is holding the other four survivors of Cold River Motel at gunpoint. His trauma has finally won in the present day. The thought of being made a victim (again) after scamming his way into a hero’s narrative has caused him to snap.

A Slasher Within a Slasher: The BOGO Horror Experience

Hell Motel’s audience knew this week would see Blake die. We assumed we would see what went down during that fateful evening to crown him the series’ resident final boy. However, arguably very few fans could have guessed that Blake would be at the center of the best episode of an already stellar season. The show’s penchant for using flashbacks to give audiences bonus upsetting kills in addition to the small cast in the present day is cranked up this episode. The habit becomes a vehicle to deliver an unexpected slasher within our weekly slasher. Like a bloody BOGO deal that no horror fan can pass up, or a holiday meal with extra trays of your favorite side dishes, it enabled us to overindulge.

The frat house murders are a free-for-all because they are not bound by the rules of episodic TV. This killer has to make his impact now or never, and he does. From the very beginning, we are captivated by this angry menace. Whether it’s the kill I refer to as “The Cop Fountain” or watching him kick in the windshield of a cop car, the audience knows this person is on a mission. It is hunting season, and Blake is the target. It is impossible to watch our guest killer in action and not wonder what Blake and the boys did to trigger this reign of terror. This is in huge part because director Adam MacDonald and the stunt guy(s) give us that story. We see in the performer’s physicality that this is personal.

A Killer’s Motive Rooted in Revenge

As a lover of slashers, I have seen countless killers just doing things and moving without a real purpose. Yet, in this delightfully unhinged episode, our murderer’s movements telegraph that this is no random spree. He is locked in, causing ghouls like me to tune all the way in. This makes it easier to lean into the carnage and wonder if you are silently rooting for him. So, we are not surprised when he finally peels his mask off to reveal that he is a college kid bullied to his breaking point.

We actually feel a little justified when he confirms this whole night was triggered by Blake’s callous actions. Cullen (Augustus Oicle) is here because Blake and his cronies took their hazing way too far. He explains how they ruined his life and alludes to various forms of abuse he has suffered. Hurt people, kill people on this fateful night.

After Cullen finally forces Blake to remember him, he gives him the chance to own up to what he has done. He can swap places with the girl he claims to love, Farah (Rojan Molanian), allowing her to live as he reaps what he has sown. However, he runs and leaves her to pay the price just as he did with his friend, who bit it on the stairs at the top of the episode. Blake makes his way downstairs as Farah calls out to him before catching the business end of a knife. He is greeted by police officers who see a wounded kid and begin to paint the narrative that this coward is a hero.

Challenging the Frat Boy Archetype

I always feel a little sad for actors like Mitchell who pull the frat types we all involuntarily discount. A role we all love to hate and immediately dismiss because, like Cullen, most of us have baggage with these dudebros. Hell Motel never allowed us to forget his trauma or how he is different from the other people invited to this present-day deadly weekend. While we tried to write him off as similar characters we disregard in the slasher subgenre, they kept dropping hints we should not.

Like most characters in this world, Blake is not a good person and will answer for his crimes. In fact, he meets a particularly grisly death in the present day. As he bleeds out from a knife wound in the cold weather, our series regular slasher appears with a snowblower. Blake, being too weak to run from what he is owed this time, is forced to meet his fate head-on. As Baphomet drives through him, it’s a symbolic gesture of our side quest killer handing the wheel back to our main murderer.

A Memorable Conclusion to a Standout Episode

Hell Motel leaves the audience with a shot of the remaining pieces of the final boy. Of all the somber endings we have seen this season, this one stands out. It is a fairly iconic way to end a nearly perfect 42-minute episode of television. From start to finish, this was an event that showcased why so many of us were happy to see the Slasher team reassemble for a new show. Fans have watched this team kill beloved horror icons, slaughter beloved TV actors, and produce wicked kills before. So, many of us showed up to this murderous motel knowing they set a high bar for themselves and wondering how they were going to meet it.

While Hell Motel has met (and at times surpassed) the gleefully glorious kills we expect from this team, “Guts and Glory” feels like they have truly moved into this anthology. They decorated it in bodies, blood, and an eagerness to remind their fans to never get too comfortable. This episode sees the entire team excelling in their respective lanes to craft a gripping and gory gem. By the time the credits rolled, I found myself no longer wanting a second season, but actually needing it. I have to know how they will raise the bar for themselves yet again, if that is even possible. I have no idea what to expect from the remaining two episodes of this season. However, I know they have their work cut out for them following one of the best episodes of TV we have gotten in 2025.