Haunted Hotel review — Delightful horror, absurd humor, and a surprise worth keeping open

There’s something funny about expectations, especially when it comes to Haunted Hotel, which is an animation by the creators of Rick and Morty. Well, I never managed to enjoy Rick and Morty. The humor always grated on me, too loud, too forced, too eager to shock without really charming me. So, when I pressed play on Haunted Hotel, I braced for the same irritation. Instead, what I found was one of the most delightful surprises of the year.

Haunted Hotel mixes ghosts, demons, and all kinds of supernatural guests with a sense of play that instantly reminded me of Ghosts and the best of 90s Cartoon Network animation. It’s irreverent and odd, but also polished, with a visual style that’s both colorful and sharp. The animation feels like it belongs to the modern wave of adult cartoons but still nods to the quirky and chaotic beauty of older classics.

The beauty of Haunted Hotel’s animation

What makes Haunted Hotel stand out even more is its visual style. The characters are odd and exaggerated but drawn with clean, vibrant lines that make them instantly appealing. The haunted settings are packed with atmosphere, using bold colors and light effects that capture the mood without tipping into gloom. It channels the energy of '90s Cartoon Network shows, when animation could be strange and slightly grotesque yet always fun to look at. (Or maybe that is because of my nostalgia lens; anyway, the feeling is of delight.) That blend of eerie design and vivid presentation makes the humor land even harder and the supernatural moments pop with flair.

It’s impossible not to compare the new animated show with others that mix dark themes and comedy. On the one hand, it shares a lineage with Rick and Morty, which might make some people expect the same barrage of cynical, over the top gags. Yet Haunted Hotel is warmer, funnier, and more accessible.

On the other, you have Hazbin Hotel on Prime Video, another attempt at combining the supernatural, demons and edgy humor. I couldn’t get past a few episodes of Hazbin Hotel, finding it too cluttered and less engaging, and all that singing? Nope. Haunted Hotel, in contrast, won me over immediately.

A lively case of the week and likable characters

The structure of Haunted Hotel often leans on a case-of-the-week rhythm: a cursed guest, a mischievous demon, an underworld bureaucrat showing up at the worst time. For me, this isn’t a flaw at all. It keeps the storytelling varied, lets the writers riff on horror clichés (oh, a lot of nods and Easter Eggs to make it a treasure hunt!), and makes each episode a self-contained little gem.

The horror never feels suffocating. It’s wrapped in absurd jokes, visual gags, and supernatural antics that balance fear with laughter.

One of the strengths of the animation is how quickly you start caring about the characters. Katherine is trying to run the hotel, her ghostly brother is meddling in every situation, and the kids are stumbling into chaos; it’s easy to root for them.

Within a couple of episodes, their family dynamics feel familiar, like old friends you just met but somehow already trust. That mix of warmth and weirdness is what gives Haunted Hotel its staying power.

The humor that stings and charms

The humor can be exaggerated, sometimes even aggressive. For some viewers, a single joke might cross the line into annoying, the kind of humor that in Rick and Morty or even in a random episode of Hazbin Hotel would have made me shut the screen. But here it works. And, oh, thanks to the ghosts, gods, and demons, this animation is neither gross nor offensive. Welcome, very welcome.

For me, this new animation by Matt Roller has found the right balance. It plays with horror clichés, embraces absurdity, and still keeps a heart beating at the center of all the chaos.

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For those like me who don’t really vibe with Rick and Morty or the pure absurdity of Hazbin Hotel, Haunted Hotel feels like the perfect middle ground, fun, strange, warm at times, lightly scary, but above all, a delightful surprise. Did it reinvent the wheel? Absolutely not. Does it matter? Well, not to me, no.

Rating with a touch of flair: 5 out of 5 haunted rooms glowing with absurd charm.

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