by: Hayley Strahs
Editor in Chief

Around two years ago, I was home sick for a whole week and looking for something to watch. After binging all of Heimler’s AP Euro review videos three times over, I needed a change of cinematic pace. In my feverish state, I happened upon Hazbin Hotel. I should’ve clicked away, but the idea of the show resonated with me. Hazbin Hotel is set in the Underworld, and my headache-fever combo was sent straight from Hell. Over the next few days, I proceeded to consume eight episodes of pure torture under the guise that “it gets better,” according to 30-year-old basement dwellers on TikTok.

Hazbin Hotel had so much potential. If I remember correctly, it follows Charlie Morningstar — the daughter of Lucifer and Lilith — as she attempts to rehabilitate sinners at the unsurprisingly named Hazbin Hotel. In theory, the show should offer some valid religious critiques regarding hypocrisy and extremism within certain religious sects. Unfortunately, the writers are incompetent. You’d think that, in creating a show about biblical characters, the writers would have at least skimmed the book itself. You’d be wrong. Hazbin Hotel doesn’t even know what it’s critiquing and instead appeals to wannabe edgelords who use Character AI a little too often.

Maybe I’m being a little too hard on dear old Hazbin. To make things fair, I’ll let you read a few quotes and make the judgment yourself. Here’s the first quote: “######## #### ###### ## #####.” This might as well be the second, third, fourth, and most other quotes in the show. These characters swear like sailors, if sailors stubbed their toes every thirty seconds and used Tumblr religiously.

That wasn’t a fair start to our game; you couldn’t even read the first quote! Here’s one more snippet to judge: “I’m a bad guy who didn’t get enough hugs, now where’s an innocent child to sell crack to?” I admit, this would’ve made the Le CrAcKhEaDz group chat giggle in 2019. But this is 2026, and I’ve grown a taste for real comedy like South Park.

Despite its many, MANY flaws, Hazbin Hotel has one semi-redeeming quality: its crazy high budget. Somehow, John Hazbin (if that’s even the creator’s real name) got Erika Henningsen, Stephanie Beatriz, Alex Brightman, and JEREMY JORDAN in the recording studio to produce some beautiful bangers for an ugly purpose. These songs are what kept me engrossed despite constant congestion and disapproval of the show itself. Hell’s Greatest Dad and Hell Is Forever may or may not be on my workout playlist. And the animation? Wonderful. To fit a whole animation studio in his parents’ basement, John Hazbin (not his real name) had to get rid of the shower, an appliance which the show’s viewers don’t often utilize either way.

This is not a review of Hazbin Hotel. To officially review it for El Gato, I would need to undergo the cruel and unusual punishment of rewatching the monstrosity. To those looking for an adult cartoon to pass the time, stay far away from Hazbin Hotel for your own sake.