Hazbin Hotel
Based on the viral webcomics of the same name by Vivienne Medrano, Hazbin Hotel jumped to viral fame when Medrano released a pilot episode on her YouTube channel in 2019. With the show picked up by A24 (the studio’s first animated series), fans can finally see more of this raunchy musical on Prime Video. The result is a hellishly good time.
Picking up after the pilot, the show follows Charlie Morningstar (Erika Henningsen), the bright-eyed and optimistic princess of Hell, as she strives to turn her eponymous hotel into a place where sinful souls can redeem themselves and ascend to a better afterlife. With the angel of Heaven pushing forward their next planned culling of Hell’s denizens, however, now is the perfect time to recruit more hotel residents.
Despite making some small visual tweaks to characters, the series is bursting with the same level of personality and creativity that fans would expect. The animation is fast and fluid, and the character design is a unique blend of cutesy and sinister. This juxtaposition between fun-loving and macabre lies at the core of this series’ aesthetic and is where it draws much of its humour and visual presentation. Whether it’s the multi-armed, sexually charged porn star Angel Dust (Blake Roman) or the bone-chilling grin of the smooth-talking Radio Demon (Amir Talai), viewers are bound to have a great time with each of these characters.
Being a musical, Hazbin Hotel is likewise home to a selection of show tunes, which make excellent use of a talented Broadway cast. From Henningsen belting out the lyrics to Happy Day in Hell to Keith David’s silky vocals in Loser, Baby, each track is as irresistibly catchy as the last. Stephanie Beatriz, Kimiko Glenn, and Alex Brightman round out the star-studded ensemble.
Although the show errs towards an adult flavour of comedy, there’s nevertheless plenty of heart and brains to be found here, too, amongst the rest of the onscreen gore. The premise of redeeming the unredeemable is genius in its simplicity, and Medrano fully embraces the concept in a playful manner. Combine this with a collection of memorable characters, vibrant personality and a selection of upbeat musical numbers, and Hazbin Hotel quickly becomes the most fun that viewers could have in eternal damnation.
Andrew Murray
Hazbin Hotel is released on Prime Video on 18th January 2024.
Watch the trailer for Hazbin Hotel here:
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