Vivienne Medrano’s Helluva Boss is an electric, often anarchic adult animated series that trades on frantic momentum more than its sister show, Hazbin Hotel. Both share dark humor and surprisingly affecting moments, but Helluva Boss tends to favor episodic, in-the-moment set pieces — each installment nudges an ongoing story forward while reveling in immediate, hyperactive antics.
Season 2’s Halloween entry, titled “Ghostf**ers,” appears at first to be another of those madcap detours — until it pivots into unexpectedly harrowing territory. In what may be the series’ most viscerally unsettling chapter so far, the protagonist Blitzø (voiced and co-written by Brandon Rogers) — a lecherous imp who runs an interplanar assassination-for-hire outfit out of Hell — attempts to bury an emotional collapse by trying to sleep with a ghost. Unsurprisingly, that scheme goes disastrously wrong.
Blitzø — who makes a running joke that “the O is silent” — has recently been discarded by the demon noble Stolas (Bryce Pinkham). Blitzø insists their liaison was purely transactional, a means to access Stolas’ potent magic. But the breakup upends the usual power balance: a relationship that had always been conducted on Blitzø’s terms is suddenly denied to him. Stolas’ refusal to accept a connection built on begrudging, minimal affection forces Blitzø to confront the guilt, shame, and self-hatred that underlie his cruel behavior.
Rather than engage in self-reflection, Blitzø doubles down on avoidance. When a client alleges she was “killed by the evil ghost haunting a spooky hotel” and hires the crew for vengeance, Blitzø decides to imitate Ghostf**ers — the tawdry human reality show he’s been binging — by attempting to seduce the specter himself.
The plan backfires spectacularly. Instead of erotic escapism, Blitzø is tormented by a succession of grotesque, disintegrating manifestations of his own remorse. Transgressive riffs on sex and violence are central to Helluva Boss’ tone, but this episode elevates the grotesque into outright body-horror: the ghostly imagery is confrontational, physically disturbing, and deeply personal. Brandon Rogers’ script mines a vast — and purposefully crude — vocabulary for sexual desire as Blitzø frantically tries to use fantasy as a salve for his depression.
Image: SpindlehorseThough Helluva Boss is built around homicidal demons and black-comedy set pieces, it rarely aims for true fright. This episode demonstrates the franchise’s latent ability to deliver genuine horror: the aesthetic leans into the grotesque and the emotionally raw, giving the show a rare, painful intensity. It’s one of the series’ most memorable and haunting entries.
“Ghostf**ers” isn’t the best gateway episode for newcomers — it relies on character history developed across the previous season and a half and contains major spoilers for the show’s arc. For established viewers, however, it’s an essential revisit during spooky season: a compact reminder of how Helluva Boss can be bleak, ugly, and exceptionally effective when it leans into its darker instincts.
Where to watch: Helluva Boss streams on Vivienne Medrano’s YouTube channel (where it premiered) and is also available on Prime Video.
Polygon’s annual Halloween Countdown is a 31-day series of short picks highlighting the best horror films, shows, and special episodes to stream throughout the season. You can view the full calendar here.
Source: Polygon
