If you are excited for Halloween, then “Haunted Hotel” is the perfect way to kick off your fall season.
“Haunted Hotel” is a heartfelt 10 episodes that subverts expectations while being a plain-sailing comedy about horror. The show, released on Sept. 19, has been well-received, gaining 75% rating from critics and 93% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
The story centers around the Freelings, a family who has recently inherited a creepy, rundown hotel called The Undervale. The hotel was built near a gateway to Hell, which is apparent by the ghosts, monsters and cryptids that haunt the halls and pester the human inhabitants.
The show’s creator Matt Roller, a TV writer who previously wrote on “Rick and Morty” and “Community.” When asked about the show, Roller explained how it is true to its namesake.
“It’s about a family struggling to run a haunted, possessed, cursed, monster-filled and unsuccessful hotel,” Roller said. “There’s a lot of complexities within that, in terms of the relationship between a living mother and her ghost brother. For kids who are just trying to get by, and also reckon with being surrounded by all these ghosts.”
The show starts off strong with episode one, “Welcome to the Undervale.” We are introduced to the varied cast of characters; Katherine is a recently divorced mom of two children, named Ben and Ester. Nathan, Katherine’s brother, used to run the hotel and is still adjusting to being a ghost. When Nathan was alive, he took in Abaddon, an ancient demon trapped in the body of a small boy who now lives in the hotel alongside the Freeling family.
The episode introduces interesting power dynamics between ghosts, demons and humans, as well as establishing the setting. Over the course of the 10-episode series, each member of the Freeling family has their own problems that they work through.
As Katherine tends to “ghost” people, Ben is desperate for reassurance, described by Roller as “empathetic to a fault.” Esther is extremely ambitious and often disregards her friends and family well-being. Nathan is cripplingly insecure and too easily distracted.
As they grapple with their personal issues, they try to work together to prevent the ghosts and monsters from scaring away the guests.
The final episode is on another plane of existence, as the Freeling family faces their biggest challenge yet: a cult devoted to Abaddon who is trying to bring Hell upon Earth.
The main cast, which consists of Jimmi Simpson, Will Forte, Natalie Palamides, Skyler Gisondo and Eliza Coupe, brings out the best and worst aspects of each character.
Some voices may be familiar to people who have seen other shows Roller has worked on. Coupe voices Pre-Cogs in “Rick and Morty,” and Gisondo voices Cork in “Krapopolis.”
“The first people that I looked to were people that I already worked with and knew were great at the job and that I liked,” Roller said.
Inspirations for “Haunted Hotel” include other horror media and Roller’s other work.
“‘Rick and Morty’ is very inspired by sci-fi tropes, and I wanted to write my own animated family show that was inspired by horror tropes,” Roller said.
Roller included a lot of horror references throughout his episodes. These easter eggs include references to “The Shining,” “Friday the 13th” and other popular folklore.
“You don’t need to know horror, or even enjoy horror to enjoy the show, but I think it makes it a richer experience,” Roller said.
“Haunted Hotel” is especially fun with Halloween right around the corner, and fans can carry this excitement into a newly renewed season two.