Haunted Hotel Review
A Horror Comedy That Left Me Smirking
Yeah, I know the subtitle is a little on the nose, but hear me out. One thing I dislike about Horror Comedy is that there is so little middle ground for it.
On the one side, you have horror comedy that is brilliantly done, hilarious, and leaves viewers laughing and enjoying themselves, or you have horror comedy that is just bland, uninteresting, with nothing really new to add to the genre other than cliche ‘wow, isn’t that scary WOOOO’ style jokes that make a person yawn.
Not only that, but horror comedy also tends to fall into the domain of children’s shows, where it’s safe to display monsters, ghosts, killers, and other nasties in a friendly environment meant to make kids laugh and have fun rather than traumatize them. Children are drawn to horrific, scary things because they tend to exhibit adult fears in an easily understood shorthand, and making them approachable often makes them easier to market.
So, where does “Haunted Hotel” lie on this spectrum of “good” to “bad” to “children’s entertainment”? Thankfully, it’s one of the few horror comedies that fall in the good spectrum.
Now I’m not going to lie to you and say that it’s a genre-defining show, or that as an adult cartoon, it’s on the same level as “Bojack Horseman” or anything like that. It was entertaining enough that I actually smiled when I found out it had been renewed for a second season, and I decided that I really wanted to watch more of this show. It’s one of those shows that – to me – was something that one could cozy up into with some apple cider or a pumpkin ale, a bowl of chili, a bag of candy corn, and a warm blanket in front of the TV on a crisp autumn weekend.
It’s not hard to see why either. It’s a show created by Matt Roller and Dan Harmon, who also helped to develop “Rick and Morty“. Unlike that show, however, this is not a dark, nihilistic comedy full of excessive violence, swearing, and irreverent humor. There’s actual, genuine charm here from its cast of characters. While many scenes tend to range from “thats kind of actually spooky” to “thats weirdly absurd”, there’s no denying that at the end of the day the characters get along with one another and actually grow and change from the first episode to the last, with a lot of funny moments built around the horror, rather than making fun of it.
It stars Katherine Freeling, a single mother who inherited the Undervale Hotel from her deceased brother, Nathan Freeling. Nathan unfortunately passed on, but he’s still a ghost in the hotel, and he does what he can to help his sister try to turn the unfortunately unpopular and very much haunted hotel into a successful business. Along for the ride are Katherine’s two children, teenage Ben, who is a bit of an awkward nerd, and her daughter Esther, who is a bit of a troublemaker. With them is the hotels… well, let’s just say bound demon Abaddon, who is eternally trapped in the body of a young boy from colonial times.
Overall, the stories are episodic and not connected to one another, so you can rewatch your favorite episodes without having to worry about missing anything. There are numerous comparisons to CBS’s “Ghosts“, and while the themes are quite similar – ghosts haunting a hotel and annoying the owner – the style in which they tell their stories is vastly different.
For starters, “Ghosts” is grounded in reality… as far as ghosts are concerned. Other than them haunting the locale, there’s nothing else going on. “Haunted Hotel,” on the other hand, has more than just ghosts in the hotel. There are monsters in the ventilation ducts, demons bleeding through mirrors, a whole wing of the hotel that harms both the living and the dead, and that’s not even getting into the terrible things lurking in the New England woods. There are even serial killers and psychos in the woods as well, alongside YouTube influencers, and Cults too!
There’s a lot on the plate for Katherine and the others to deal with.
The question is, is it worth watching? Let’s dive into that and break it down into sections that I believe any viewer should know before potentially diving in. As usual, I’ll also keep this as spoiler-free as I can, so that by the end of this review, if you want to give it a watch, you’ll go in mostly blind.
Animation
The animation is pretty solid. Imagine it being somewhere between “Big Mouth“, “Rick and Morty,” and “Family Guy” in terms of smoothness.
While that may not seem major, this is a Netflix Adult Animated show, so we’re not dealing with overseas studios like Studio Mir or Studio Trigger. Instead, we’re dealing with Titmouse Animations, with Christoper Leinonen, Raphael Maltais, Alanna Train, and Jessica Yang for most of the episodes. Titmouse, as an animation company, has a distinct style, and it lends well to this show. They’re always competent when effort is put in, and it serves “Haunted Hotel” relatively well.
Don’t get me wrong. There’s a bit of jankiness, especially in the first few episodes. The characters are a little stiff and limited in their movement range, but this issue smooths out by about episode 3. If you binge the show, as I did, you stop noticing it altogether.
One of the biggest positives of the animation, too, is that it’s not ugly. Like seriously. The show can get downright gorgeous at times, with deep, wide shots of the forest or Undervale’s surrounding areas. There was even an episode where the characters drove into town, and it looked really lovely.
Another big positive is that the characters are visually appealing. Typically, adult animation has this problem where creators try to either make the characters look as bland as possible to make them easier and cheaper to animate, or as unappealing as possible, so only adults can stomach watching it.
Not so with this show. The characters are distinct from one another, look human, and have appealing designs. Even the ‘ugly’ characters are still nicely animated with interesting designs that make them fun, rather than off-putting. One caveat of this is that the characters do retain the ‘ping pong ball’ eye designs that’s typical of adult animation, but – like the rest of the characters’ designs – are well animated enough to convey emotion instead of just vacantly staring wide-eyed at each other during dialogue.
Overall, the show is fun to watch—especially the monster designs. There was a scene in one of the earlier episodes that was an homage to “The Ritual” that, when Moder – the Jotunheim monster from the movie – showed up, I was grinning from ear to ear because it looked, moved, and even sounded just like the monster.
Cast and Crew
The entire cast was excellent, with no real issues to complain about.
The characters sounded as I imagined they would, with each voice matching the character we see on screen. While there weren’t any outstanding performances, the voice actors were funny. Will Forte was airy and cheery, even in moments of terror, but knew how to deliver somber, darker lines when the comedy of the situation allowed it to turn serious. Eliza Coupe sounded tired and stressed, yet still punctual with her sarcasm. Skyler Gisondo was goofy, nerdy, and earnest, while Natalie Palamides was energetic and just funny with how punchy her lines were delivered.
For me, the standout was Jimmi Simpson as Abaddon. When I first watched the trailer, I thought the character would be the mascot who got all the annoying lines, was made the butt of many jokes, and wouldn’t be taken seriously.
His darker, almost deeply unsettling voice at first didn’t fit right with what looked like a malnourished Victorian child of the 1700s, but after the first episode, I was honestly hooked on the character and Simpson’s performance. While there were moments where the character screeched in frustration, and the jokes were nothing more than “haha, demon in a child’s body”, the character himself was played straight a majority of the time, and the humor was more derived from the absurdity of a demonically possessed child being the least horrific thing in the Undervale.
Plus, he acted more like a friend/foster child to Katherine and Nathan than a mascot. There’s just something funny about how he’ll casually mention he has an unsteady truce with the Mothman at the start of an episode, and it doesn’t come up again till the end of the episode, and many jokes are derived from how casually he’ll mention utter, horrible things as if it was the most mundane thing.
Aside from the voice talent and the previously mentioned animators, many of the crew deserve credit for a fairly fun show. Matt Roller, Avital Ash, and Alix Bloom (those listed as having worked on all 10 episodes) wrote some genuinely funny lines that still make me chuckle, as well as a few serious moments that surprised me.
All in all, nothing to say here other than “good job”.
You’ll Like This If-
You’re looking for a fun show about monsters and ghosts.
Let’s be clear, this show isn’t scary or horrifying in any way. While there are a few moments that could be considered “unsettling”, those are few and far between. Mostly, “Haunted Hotel” is a comedy with horror dressing. Yes, there are ghosts that roam the halls of the Undervale, yes, there are monsters in the woods, and yes, a lot of spooky stuff happens, but it’s always played for laughs.
The murderous, knife-wielding ghost who probably killed a lot of people in the 60s? Giggle as he tries to stab a pumpkin for Halloween. A serial killer who murdered teenagers with a gardening tool, who somehow found his way into the hotel hallways? Jokes about how film serial killers always move slowly, but suddenly fast when you don’t look at them. Dead animals all over the property, and it might be a werewolf who did it? Nope, Mothman trying to make Abaddon mad.
Everything that is horror-related is played for laughs.
While that’s good enough on its own for a fun time if you like monsters and mayhem, what really makes “Haunted Hotel” shine is the number of easter eggs there are in each episode. It’s clear that the people who wrote, drew, and voiced the show are well-versed in horror movie tropes, as each episode is filled with numerous references. I already mentioned Moder above, but there are dozens, if not hundreds, more that reward eagle-eyed viewers.
And I mean it when I say “eagle eye”. There was a moment in one of the earlier episodes where Esther was sitting on the couch with a book in her hand. It took me a second to recognize the cover as “Tomie” by Junji Ito, and I had to pause and back up to make sure.
There are a bunch of background things like that that aren’t referenced much or aren’t part of the episode’s story. Another great thing that’s fun to watch is the credit sequence. Most of the time when you’re watching a show on Netflix, people just skip the opening credit sequence because… well.. Why would you watch it? Yet, with this show, the opening sequences have parts that differ in each episode. There’s a small segment near the end of the credits that showcases the different rooms, and each episode features something new in each room. Not to mention, there’s a part that pans downward through the floorboards, and each episode tells a minor story that most people would overlook.
I won’t spoil that minor story either. I didn’t even realize it until around episode 9, and had to rewatch the opening sequence from each episode to catch it.
Essentially, if you like “Bob’s Burgers“, “Ghosts“, and love horror of any genre as well as cartoons, then you won’t go wrong with picking this up for a fun weekend binge over five or so hours.
You Won’t Like This If-
If you’re looking for something of substance.
Let’s be clear. The show is funny, but it’s not breaking the mold or doing anything bold other than just being a fun time. The first episode hints at an overarching story, but there isn’t one. Any plot that’s left over at the end of episode one is forgotten about, save for a reference or two, later on, and any world-building that feels like it’ll play a huge part later on almost gets forgotten about.
The only things that stick around are that Ben has a ghost girlfriend, and if you die on the Undervale property, you get turned into a ghost. That’s about it.
Additionally, if you didn’t enjoy CBS’s “Ghosts” (or the original BBC show), you may not appreciate “Haunted Hotel” as much. While the shows share a similar concept—ghosts that haunt a hotel and the shenanigans that follow—”Haunted Hotel” approaches it differently, allowing all the humans to see and interact with the ghosts, plus adding monsters. At the end of the day, it’s still the same concept, and if it wasn’t your cup of tea, this is just more of the same style of storytelling.
Overall, though, I can’t think of a reason why it would turn off many people. It’s upfront about what it is, without false advertisement, and if you go into this show not realizing it’s an animated comedy about a haunted hotel and the humans who try to make it work alongside all the goofy stuff that happens in between horror elements, then that’s on you.
Usually, I say “Watch the first episode and see if it clicks”, but I personally think the first episode is the weakest one. With this, watch the trailer, and if that doesn’t catch you, nothing in the show will, unfortunately.
Personal Thoughts
I was actually surprised that I enjoyed this show a lot more than I thought I would.
Adult Animation tends to get a bad rap, but for good reason. They’re usually seen as low-end slop that is churned out solely to make a quick profit and then fizzle out. It was a miracle “Big Mouth” survived as long as it did, despite being unfunny and emblematic of the problem that adult cartoons have. Coming into it, I thought “Haunted Hotel” was going to be a tired, cliche gimmick full of fart jokes, excessive swearing, and one-dimensional characters cycling through sex and perverted jokes, contemporary references to current-day pop culture, and the horror elements were either going to lead to excessive violence and gore or just not be all that relevant.
Instead, I found a show that rarely swore, with clever, punchy dialogue, heartfelt moments, subtle character development, and referential humor mostly revolving around horror tropes and genre conventions. This humor wasn’t just making fun of the sillier aspects of horror, but also intelligently playing with them.
Overall, I had a fun time and found myself grinning more than rolling my eyes. The characters were likable (especially Abaddon, my favorite one). The episodic stories were interesting, aside from the first episode, and the finale left me eager for a second season. All in all, a successful show as far as I’m concerned.
One thing I really enjoyed that others might not is that it had some serious moments, especially in the last several episodes, which emotionally caught me off guard in a good way. One of the later episodes details Nathan’s death. I’ll try not to spoil it too much, but the B plot of the episode is that Nathan wants to celebrate his “death day”, and he plays it off because, as far as he knows, he died in a goofy way, and “what are you gonna do, huh?” Yet when he finds out that Katherine is uncomfortable about the whole ordeal and still has a lot of hang-ups about it, they argue over it throughout the episode.
It eventually comes to a head at the end of the episode when Katherine reveals that Nathan did not die in the fun, goofy way he thought he did, but actually died in a very tragic way. It wasn’t funny; instead, it was extremely real. And the resulting reveal was not played for laughs. Instead, the show allowed the emotional moment to play through when Nathan, taken aback by the news, contends with the reality of how he died and how fortunate he is that he did so in a place that allowed him to continue to exist so he can be a part of Katherine’s life.
The show acknowledges that not many people get that opportunity, and I’m a sucker for when comedies take a moment to allow some depth in. Sometimes, it’s alright to be serious for a second, especially as a cathartic end to a show. It doesn’t have to be a tonal whiplash, and for episodic entertainment, it can add some depth to a character if done right. I thought it was handled pretty well.
Overall, I’ll probably make “Haunted Hotel” a yearly Halloween season watch, serving as a sort of ‘cleanse’ between long bouts of genuinely horrifying content. With season 2 coming as of this writing, it’s safe to assume we’ll end up with around 20 episodes, making for a roughly 10-hour watch once it’s completed (I doubt there’s enough content for a season 3, given how Netflix animated shows tend to go).
It was an enjoyable watch, and I would love to rewatch it every few years and introduce it to other people who might also enjoy it.
If You Liked This, You’ll Also Like
Unfortunately, “Haunted Hotel” is unique in that it blends comedy with minor horror elements and is aimed at an adult audience. While it’s hardly a unique concept, the execution of the idea tends to lend itself towards a younger audience, with “friendly ghosts, and a business” being in the vein of children and young teens. Because of that, I’ll try to focus mainly on “adult” entertainment in the same vein.
Though I’ll still include SOME young adult as well. While there are references to sex in the show, it’s actually light on cursing, nudity, and never over the top on blood and gore, so it’s perfectly acceptable for older teenagers.
I’ll also focus on mostly horror comedies, though some genuine horror with a similar vibe will make it through.
Shows and Movies
- – Ghosts (The CBS television show and BBC Show)
- – Grimsburg
- – Ghostbusters (The original 80s movies)
- – Gravity Falls
- – What We Do In The Shadows
Video Games
- – Rusty Lake Hotel (2015)
- – Bloody Hell Hotel (2026 – so not out as of this writing)
- – Haunted Hotel: Stay In The Light (2017)
- – Deck of Haunts (2025)
- – Oxenfree
Books and Comics
- – The 2nd Best Haunted Hotel on Mercer St. by Cory Putman Oakes
- – Animus by Antoine Revoy (Graphic Novel)
- – Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix
- – Night of the Living Deed (Haunted Guesthouse Mystery series) by E.J. Copperman
- – Erma by Brandon J. Santiago (Webcomic)
Final Words
Overall, the show was enjoyable, approachable, and more mature than I expected when I first watched it. It was a lighthearted romp with horror themes that made me want to rewatch many of the horror films it paid homage to and even satirized, and I look forward to Season 2.
As I mentioned earlier, I also intend to include this in my yearly rewatches, putting it alongside “Halloween holiday cartoons that make me laugh,” between actual terrifying and traumatizing content. That way, I can reset my adrenaline with something that’ll make me laugh.
And if you go to watch it, hopefully you’ll think the same. Enjoy!
~ Rease Stoneheart
