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PLOT: A single mom with two kids runs a haunted hotel, aided by her late brother’s ghost, who believes they can come up with ingenious ideas despite his ethereal state.
REVIEW: After checking in for a delightfully spooky stay at the Undervale Hotel last year, Matt Roller‘s Haunted Hotel is opening its doors again for more frights, freaky residents, and supernatural shenanigans to help pave the road to this year’s Halloween festivities. Oddly, the abbreviated season, consisting of eight episodes instead of ten, feels more like a farewell than inviting guests to book an extended stay.
Much like the first season, Haunted Hotel Season 2 finds the Freeling family navigating the trials and tribulations of managing a hotel overrun by ghosts, ghouls, and, as it turns out, a squatter who’s been living in Undervale’s attic since last season! The new episodes pit the family against everything from lavish dinner parties to bloodthirsty mermaids and Death herself. While the new stories and scenarios are fun, I can’t help but feel like the second season does less with the tools at its disposal.
A second season for a show like this feels like an opportunity to “go big or go home.” Still, most of what’s here feels familiar, as much of the cast remains the same, and that includes the many ghosts haunting the Undervale’s halls. The Freeling family, consisting of Katherine (Eliza Coupe), Ben (Skyler Gisondo), and Esther (Natalie Palamides), feels mostly unchanged, save for Esther becoming more skilled in the dark arts. Abaddon, the demon boy voiced by Jimmi Simpson, brings more unpredictable antics to the show, though, aside from a sweet episode where he and Ben grow closer, the show remains unchanged. Thankfully, Nathan (voiced by Will Forte) is given more depth in the new season, thanks to a handful of tender moments involving a neighboring female ghost and the nature of his demise.
The new season also introduces Shayna, a character we saw in the first season roaming the Undervale. While we all assumed she was a ghost, it turns out that she’s alive and has been squatting in the Undervale attic. If she leaves the property, an ancient evil invades the hotel, keeping her tethered to the property. While Shayna’s a fun character (she’s a great foil to Esther’s shenanigans), she doesn’t appear in enough episodes to make much of an impact on the broader arc. Truth be told, I forgot she was added to the show for a couple of episodes until she popped back up toward the finale. When she’s present, she’s fun and sassy, with a dry wit that plays well against Nathan’s bubbly demeanor, Katherine’s skepticism, and Esther’s enthusiasm for the undead. Still, her being at the Undervale feels inconsequential after the first episode, even if she’s got some words of wisdom to impart to Esther throughout the season.
While I might appear unenthusiastic about the sophomore season of Haunted Hotel, I assure you that’s not the case. There are a handful of episodes that stand out, including one where Nathan and the rest of the Undervale ghosts are free to leave the Undervale property for one special night. The story finds Nathan meeting a fellow ghost from the lighthouse across the lake, and the two connect spiritually and emotionally. It warmed my heart to see Nathan mostly abandon his bumbling ways, exposing the loneliness and desire for companionship beneath the surface. The emotional beats hit me surprisingly hard, and if it had gone on any longer, I might have shed genuine tears. It’s episodes like this that help Haunted Hotel shine, reminding you that there’s more to the dead than being playfully creepy or walking through walls.
Other standout episodes include one in which Katherine enlists the aid of concierge arms to help with chores around the hotel. The episode takes a dark turn when Katherine commits an unspeakable act against her son, Ben. The altercation is resolved with grace by the end, but the commentary about how one moment of abuse could cost you more than you realize lingers like a lost soul plagued by unrest. I also enjoyed an episode titled “The Witch,” in which a local witch curses the Freelings, and their only recourse is to help the crone reconnect with her former live-in assistant.
Interestingly, the final episode of the season, titled “The Visit,” feels more like a series finale than a way to cap the season. Between the abbreviated episode count and farewell vibes of this episode, I feel like the creators of Haunted Hotel know something we don’t about the show’s future at Netflix. It’s a surprisingly powerful episode that serves as a quiet reminder to never take your relationships for granted—you never know when they might end. His demise is almost a blink-and-you-missed-it moment, but it hits hard thanks to the way Forte portrays his desperation for companionship within the giant manor. He longs for human connection. The ghosts are great, but if Katherine were able to get out of her own head for even a moment, she might have noticed that her brother was struggling. It’s a surprisingly powerful episode that insists you never take your relationships for granted. You never know when they might end.
If we don’t get another season of Haunted Hotel, this one ends on a high note while giving fans more of what they want. I could wax rhapsodic about how, if I were in charge, I would have spent more time with the ghosts or given Shayna a more impactful role throughout the season, but I understand that time is limited, and it’s more about the Freelings than anything else. With plenty of laughs and stand-out moments that brought me closer to Nathan than ever before, I would happily book another stay at the Undervale if it meant spending more time with this kooky and hilarious cast.
