Netflix's Haunted Hotel returns for a second season that doubles down on what made it a cult favorite: absurd supernatural chaos paired with unexpectedly tender character work. Created by Matt Roller and executive produced by Dan Harmon, this adult animated comedy continues to find fresh ways to blend horror tropes with workplace sitcom rhythms—and the result is one of the streaming service's most underrated gems.
A Cursed Soup and Other Domestic Disasters
Season 2 picks up with Katherine (Eliza Coupe) finally getting a handle on running the Undervale, the titular hotel where ghosts check in and, occasionally, get swallowed by shadowy forces. Her dead brother Nathan (Will Forte) remains her reluctant co-manager, while her kids Ben (Skyler Gisondo) and Esther (Natalie Palamides) navigate their own supernatural growing pains. Ben's inter-era romance with ghost girlfriend Annabelle (Riki Lindhome) hits predictable snags, and Esther's dabbling in dark magic grows more reckless.
The season's best running gag involves a witch's cursed soup that sends one of the children to the hospital with a nut allergy—only for the witch herself to be admitted for a nasty cough. It's a perfect example of the show's ability to find humor in the mundane, even when demons and ghosts are involved.
Character Growth Amid the Chaos
With only eight episodes (down from ten last season), Haunted Hotel still manages to give each character room to evolve. Abaddon (Jimmi Simpson), the demon trapped in a Victorian boy's body, has become a de facto member of the family, and his deadpan delivery remains a highlight. His quest for mac and cheese turns a missing dinner into a full-blown crisis, while his softer moments with Katherine reveal unexpected depth.
But it's Will Forte's Nathan who gets the season's most poignant arc. His reluctance to open up at a ghost support group hints at the sadness beneath his sarcasm, and a midseason episode that lets him leave the hotel grounds becomes a bittersweet Before Sunrise-style date with a lighthouse ghost named Bridget (Zooey Deschanel). Forte navigates Nathan's excitement and fear with painful naturalness, never begging for pity.
The show's writing team, including Avital Ash and Alix Bloom, builds to a finale that uses flashbacks to show Nathan creating the Undervale—a tender montage that grows harder to watch as isolation sets in. When he and Katherine finally express their happiness at having each other, the simple exchange carries the weight of everything we've seen. It's a payoff that trusts a few words to do the heavy lifting.
Visuals That Bite
Returning animation studio Titmouse, Inc. gives the monsters a real bite, with smooth, quick movements that make even the simplest creature feel threatening. The show's visual inventiveness extends to its many-armed concierge and other bizarre creations, ensuring that the horror elements never feel like an afterthought.
For fans of dark comedies that balance laughs with genuine emotion, Haunted Hotel Season 2 is essential viewing. It's a reminder that even in a world of cursed soup and demonic tantrums, the most powerful moments come from the connections between characters—living, dead, or somewhere in between.
