There’s a few months before Motel Bizarre hits the shelves of porno stores, doctors waiting rooms and church pews, so in preparation for this we’re going to be recommending some books and movies that have influenced Stephanie Crabe’s work and will “get you in the mood” to peruse the perverted and sleazy world of Motel Bizarre!

Up first is the Coen Bros. neo-noir film Blood Simple

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“The title was coined by Dashiell Hammett in his novel Red Harvest, where he used it to describe the addled, fearful mindset people are in after prolonged immersion in violent situations.” - Wikipedia

“The story begins with Ray (John Getz) and Abby (Frances McDormand) driving down a Texas highway in pouring rain. Ray works at a bar owned by Abby’s husband Julian Marty (Dan Hedaya). Though there were no previous relations between Ray and Abby, they spend the night together in a motel, not knowing that Marty had commissioned a private detective (M. Emmet Walsh) to spy on Abby. Marty is informed and lets them know that he knows by making a menacing phone call to their hotel room. The detective gives Marty some incriminating photos he evidently enjoyed taking as a ‘perk of the job’… ” - the first paragraph of Wikipedia’s plot summary