Where was Hell Motel shot? Revisiting key filming locations of the latest slasher horror show

Hell Motel is the blood-soaked return of the Slasher universe, even if Shudder hasn’t officially called it Slasher Season 6. The show kicks off at the Cold River Motel, a remote and recently renovated property that happens to be the site of a 30-year-old satanic mass killing. Ten true crime fanatics are invited to spend the weekend there to celebrate the reopening.

Instead, they find themselves trapped inside with a masked killer named Baphomet, someone who doesn’t just want to scare them but wants them dead. One by one, guests start disappearing, and the atmosphere shifts from curiosity to pure fear. The killer’s motive ties back to the Cold River Slaughter, and what unfolds isn’t supernatural; it’s human revenge masked in horror theatrics.

The show stars Paula Brancati, Shaun Benson, Atticus Mitchell, and others familiar to Slasher fans, but keeps the story standalone. Across eight episodes, it peels back the layers of exploitation, obsession, and moral decay hidden beneath true crime fandom.

By the time the final credits roll, everyone from the audience to the characters is forced to ask, at what point does fascination with murder cross the line into complicity? And who gets to tell these stories in the first place?

How Southern Toronto became the creepy backdrop for Hell Motel

Hell Motel was filmed entirely in Ontario, Canada, with most of the production taking place in and around Toronto, specifically the Etobicoke district. Shooting began in late August 2024 and continued for 52 production days, wrapping in early November.

The Hell Motel team used the fall season to their advantage. The cold air, changing leaves, and early sunsets helped build the mood without needing expensive lighting setups or artificial fog machines.

The primary filming location was southern Etobicoke, a suburban pocket with a mix of industrial spaces and older motels that suited the look of the Cold River Motel. Several scenes were filmed along Browns Line in the Alderwood neighbourhood.

That area includes South Shore Bar & Grill and Gus Tacos, both of which appear in background shots when characters stop for gas or food or in scenes set just outside the motel grounds. These are real businesses, not set buildings, and locals might recognize the signage if they pause the show at the right moment.

Other sequences of Hell Motel were shot around Mimico, another Etobicoke neighbourhood. Mimico has a mix of older residential streets and light commercial buildings that helped sell the illusion of a remote roadside area. One stretch of Burlington Street is believed to have doubled as the back access road to the fictional motel.

That’s where the burned-out camper sequence was filmed. Production brought in tall sprinklers from both sides to simulate heavy rainfall. They even used practical fire effects to torch the camper on set, which meant fire marshals and extra crew had to be present during filming.

Because the show relies heavily on atmosphere, the location scouting was done with mood first in mind. They weren’t looking for polished buildings or scenic roads; they wanted places that felt run-down, slightly forgotten, but still grounded in reality.

The suburban sprawl of Etobicoke gave them exactly that. The Cold River Motel itself was not a real motel but was built as a temporary set on a plot of land rented for the shoot. Interiors, however, were shot in a mix of locations. Some hallway scenes were done inside an old building near Islington Avenue that had been used before by other Canadian productions.

Michelle Nolden, who plays Portia, posted behind-the-scenes photos of the motel's hallway sets covered in fake blood, confirming that many interior shots weren’t done on soundstages but in gutted real buildings.

Cast and crew reportedly stayed nearby and spent long hours on site. Between takes, they shared pizza, chips, and laughs, something Nolden called “the most fun you can have with blood on your shoes.”

Etobicoke has a long history of horror filming. It’s previously hosted Urban Legend, Bride of Chucky, Goosebumps, and even Silent Hill: Revelation. So Hell Motel isn’t the first eerie project to take over its streets, but it might be the bloodiest. The location choices didn’t just help tell the story; they grounded it, making the horror feel like something that could be happening in a motel just down the road.

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