Content warning: This article contains mentions of suicide. Spoilers for “Haunted Hotel” season one.
The beginning of “Haunted Hotel” plays like the ending of every horror movie you’ve ever watched: A young girl sprints down an eerie hallway, screaming as a ghostly figure chases close behind. She hastily turns a corner and trips, turning to look at her pursuer before he sinks a knife into her back. Only this time, the girl doesn’t scream, but laughs as the knife goes straight through her without leaving a mark. It turns out her “killer” is really a harmless ghost, and she just loves messing with him.
This little girl is Esther (Natalie Palamides, “The Real Housewives of Shakespeare”), a mischievous kid who just moved into her new, extremely haunted home and is enjoying the undead company. Her unorthodox introduction serves as the perfect embodiment of Netflix’s new animated comedy, “Haunted Hotel.” The show revels in using typical horror tropes to propel its comedy, blending morbidity and absurdity together. With a plot coming straight out of “The Shining,” the series spends more time poking fun at its horror elements than intentionally scaring its audience.
Although the name gives it away, “Haunted Hotel” is about a family living in an enormous, rundown hotel in the middle of the woods. The show centers Katherine (Eliza Coupe, “Happy Endings”), a single mother who recently inherited the Undervale Hotel from her deceased brother, Nathan (Will Forte, “The Last Man on Earth”). The catch? The hotel runs rampant with demons, monsters and ghosts — including Nathan himself.
Katherine is left to raise her kids, Ben (Skyler Gisondo, “The Righteous Gemstones”) and Esther, deal with her dead brother’s ghost and somehow turn a profit from her new hotel business all on her own. Nathan, lacking any corporeal vessel on this mortal plane, can only watch and give terrible advice from the sidelines. Meanwhile, Ben and Esther navigate the paranormal and do what any other kids in their situation might do — practice black magic and date ghosts. On top of all that, living with the family is Abaddon (Jimmi Simpson, “Dark Matter”), a demon trapped in the body of a little boy that has been tormenting the entire town for centuries.
Every character has their own charm that breathes life into the series. Esther’s love for black magic and her general air of mischief is endearing and entertaining, while Katherine’s immediate exasperation at the supernatural is a fun foil. Nathan’s carefree energy and identity as a ghost also brings a unique dynamic to the table. But, hands down, the best character (and arguably the best element of the entire show) is Abaddon. Dressed in the clothes of a 10-year-old pilgrim, he is capable of great atrocities while simultaneously not knowing what a computer is or how to tie his own shoes. This cast of endearing characters really set the tone for what “Haunted Hotel” brings to the table.
Every episode features a new scare, ranging from a soul-eating angler fish to “Gremlins”-esque “rollyfluffs” to the actual end of the world. With only a short, 10-episode debut, the show takes great lengths to introduce as many novel ideas as possible, allowing it to exhibit its narrative potential while keeping audiences interested. With so many out-of-the-box ideas, it’s hard to imagine getting bored.
That being said, there are moments where this strategy hinders the show’s overarching integrity. With only 10 episodes at its disposal, all of which try to jump into new ideas and scares, the show tends to abandon its original premise in favor of showcasing its creative potential. Although the show introduces Katherine’s struggle to book guests and manage the various supernatural beings in the hotel as the focal point of the series, it’s hardly recognized in any episode after the pilot. There isn’t a single episode that hinges on Katherine’s ability to ward off or hide ghosts from any prospective guests, which just feels like a missed opportunity to lay a foundation for the show’s episodic formula.
While “Haunted Hotel” never wavers in its quality of humor, there are times when the show struggles to maintain a consistent tone. Most of the time, the series takes a lighthearted approach to its characters and storytelling, which complements the comedy and makes the more horror-driven scenes pop. However, the later episodes show a desire to be more mature and nuanced. While it’s definitely an interesting avenue to pursue, introducing darker themes after building a consistently playful tone in the first half felt very disjointed.
Episode seven begins with Nathan asking his sister how he died and Katherine refusing to give him a straight answer. The episode culminates with Katherine giving in to his pestering and revealing with teary eyes that he had killed himself. The reveal immediately grabbed my attention as an interesting development to Nathan’s character, but at the same time, it felt completely out of left field. When compared against the rest of the season — which focuses on Mothman, reality TV ghost hunters and the struggles of middle school — the mention of Nathan’s suicide felt improperly introduced.
Regardless of its flaws, however, it’s clear “Haunted Hotel” has the potential to become one of Netflix’s most popular animated TV shows if it’s given the room to breathe and find its footing. Brimming with story ideas and a charismatic cast that will undoubtedly bring comedy to the table, the show has everything it needs to succeed. As long as “Haunted Hotel” manages to balance lighthearted humor and serious scenes, the next season will surely haunt my attention even further.
Daily Art Writer Ana Torresarpi can be reached at atorresa@umich.edu.
