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.

An age-old question has always been, “If you could live forever, would you?” As a queer person of color, I have always found the concept of immortality fascinating. Would being immortal improve things, or would my life remain unchanged? Would I lose my humanity as centuries pass? Having been a devoted reader of Anne Rice for many years, I became convinced that the only way to achieve immortality and find answers to my questions was to become a vampire. Imagine watching this version of Interview with the Vampire as a TV show for the first time. Like a human about to become food for the damned, I was enamored.

The series’ setup was masterfully done. Daniel Molloy, a gay man and reporter, is in the home of Louis de Pointe du Lac, a vampire. Louis introduces Daniel to his assistant, Rashid, who we later discover is the vampire Armand and Louis’ new lover. The inclusion of several queer main characters in this show was a refreshing change.

Daniel is the conductor, guiding the narrative with probing questions in every episode. The story unfolds in modern times and throughout the past, as Louis revisits his memories when Daniel seeks answers. Most questions focus on Louis’ maker and first male lover, the former human French aristocrat-turned-vampire Lestat de Lioncourt. The transitions connecting the story between periods flow seamlessly, like blood flowing through the veins to the heart and brain. See? This series had such a profound impact on me that it inspired me to become a poet.

Interview with the Vampire: A Queer Interracial Love Story

If you read the Anne Rice books, you know how Lestat fell in love with Louis and transformed him into his immortal partner. In subtext, anyway. The show not only embraced the idea that these two characters were a couple but also explored all aspects of their relationship: the good, the bad, the human soul, and the vampire spirit. Oh, and Louis is a Black man in the TV adaptation, making them a queer interracial couple. How’s that for a bit of razzle-dazzle?  

“You could be a lot of things in New Orleans, but an openly gay Negro man was not one of them.” Louis’s words imprinted on me. He was hurting from internal struggle during his early days as a fledgling. Accepting yourself as queer when you have been living life as a straight person must have been jarring, especially at that time. Lestat knew what it was like coming to terms with queerness and vampirehood. However, I am not entirely convinced he understood intersectionality, or maybe he didn’t care. 

Louis soon lost his family after he was turned. They realized he was different and even implied that he had consorted with the devil. His family also expressed concerns about his relationship with Lestat, particularly his deeply religious brother, Paul. For those who come from a POC ethnic background, being queer can be a death sentence. Some communities would rather accept you as a bloodsucking demon than as a person living outside a heteronormative lifestyle. In this case, however, Louis’s family didn’t accept him either way. Talk about a stake to the heart. 

Navigating Queerness and Race in 1910s New Orleans

The show effectively balances fantasy and reality, allowing viewers almost to blur the lines between the two. It’s important to remember that during the 1910s, there was a significant rise in racial tension. Louis, a brothel owner catering to white customers and possessing more wealth than the average enslaved person, still faced opposition. White businessmen conspired against him to ensure his business would fail, as they aimed to shut it down. Louis found the man behind the plan. He openly expressed his disdain for Louis, revealing that he found him repugnant because of his race and sexual orientation.

Louis was justified in killing him. IDC. 

I encountered a situation I never thought possible: even after gaining all the immortal gifts, you can still be vulnerable to human hatred. It shouldn’t have surprised me, as being queer gives you an automatic disadvantage in life. And being a person of color? Forget about it. No amount of vampiric blood or money would change your worth to those who deem you as lesser.

We observe how Louis’s immortality made him more at ease with his sexuality. It served as a gateway to experiences beyond human understanding. I am fond of metaphors, so I see becoming a vampire as a symbol of puberty and open-mindedness. Witnessing his struggle, I embraced this flawed character because he felt real. I also felt validation, as I am sure many others did. In the end, Louis was able to find his voice. That to which I say, “Yas, my undead queen!” 

Queer Love Can Be Toxic Too

Unfortunately, as Daniel painfully noted during his interview with Louis, Lestat wasn’t the supportive partner he could have been. Instead of genuine guidance, Louis was met with misdirected anger. There was certainly love between them, but it was overshadowed.

Lestat’s love was as passionate as his wrath. He had little patience for Louis’ reluctance to accept all facets of being a vampire. While he enjoyed drinking from humans, Louis would feed from rats. This would cause intense fights between them. Lestat was disgusted by Louis’ shame and guilt regarding his desire for human blood. 

While Louis was indeed a victim to some extent in his abusive relationship with Lestat, the show effectively portrayed the complexities, both positive and negative, of their dynamic. This is a reminder that both heterosexual and non-heterosexual relationships can have many similarities.

Claudia’s Tragic Tale: The Cost of Toxic Parenting

I’m not here to romanticize Louis’ toxic traits and embellish his victimhood. Let’s be real: Louis pressured Lestat to create Claudia, an eternal child who later resents her neglectful fathers for bringing her into existence. This complicates matters, and Louis dared to act like he didn’t want a daughter, which is absurd. I am not suggesting that Louis being dropped from the sky during a domestic fight was justified, nor that Louis and Claudia plotting to murder Lestat with poisoned blood was the best solution to their problems. I’m saying that these two immortal drama queens needed therapy as they destroyed everything around them.

A Scorpio and Libra dating is diabolical work. 

The real victim here was Claudia. Trapped in a child’s body, never knowing what becoming an adult truly means. Her toxic and abusive parents were too busy caring about everything and everyone else but her. Relatable content. Might I add that having this character as a person of color was a beautiful touch? Interview with the Vampire made a statement by featuring Black main characters. Come on, an immortal interracial couple with a Black vampire child—scandalous AF.

I could go on about Claudia, but I’m sorry, girl. I have to keep talking about your dramatic dads. As you once said, “Picked another one over me!” 

The Impact of Racism and Homophobia on Immortal Lives

Each episode left me feeling conflicted about what to be angry about. Should I be upset with Lestat’s cruelty, Louis’ eagerness to please, Daniel’s probing questions that force accountability, or Armand’s manipulative behavior to keep Louis around and ensure he resents Lestat? Or perhaps I should focus on the racist and homophobic characters who complicate this dysfunctional vampire family’s existence? Probably all of the above. Seeing the metaphorical sun draw near while vampires toy with its flames served as a reminder that these powerful night creatures still possessed human flaws. That’s the point, isn’t it?

I would be flattered if a vampire saw me, fell in love, and decided to make me their forever partner. However, I would not have enjoyed being isolated from my family and forced to rush transition from human to bloodsucker. All the while, I would be gaslighted and abused, which in turn would make me a toxic partner as well.

As their story unfolds, so does the drama. The characters change, and these changes are sometimes for the worse. These dads and their dramatics led to Claudia’s fiery death. No, this isn’t a spoiler because this happened in the books, so don’t come at me. The potential to have had an enriching and fulfilling home figuratively and literally went up in flames. This scenario could have been about a heterosexual relationship, and the message would not have lost its value. Now that’s how you know the writing is genius.

Anne Rice is Queen

It’s mentioned earlier that Anne Rice was the queen of subtext, so the writers of this series ate in fleshing out the characters in the Vampire Chronicles Universe. This show provided us with everything we desired: romance, lust, passion, and deceit—the perfect recipe for a gay vampire novella. I know I didn’t highlight the positives of this vamp relationship, but that’s overdone in other gay and straight stories. I aimed to address the unpleasant and painful aspects, so you’re welcome.

While we wait for the new season to air in 2026, I recommend rewatching the episodes as a refresher. They’re streaming on both Amazon Video and AMC+. Or if you want something more intimate, walk around at night and hope for the undead to pay you mind and offer you everlasting life.

JK. Don’t do that. Please.