I found “Gregory Horror Show” in a YouTube video of someone I had been watching religiously at the time during my middle school years reviewing it. Looking at it, I wanted to see what would be so special about these boxy characters located in a setting that reminded me of “Luigi’s Mansion,” with its early 2000s 3D animated aesthetics and dark mood. I watched a couple episodes, thought that it was neat and had it stored in my head as something to watch more of in the future.
Well, the year is 2020, and nearly five years later, I’ve caved in and gave the whole series a watch. You know what I thought of it? I thought it was one of the most surreal and entertaining animated shows I had ever seen, with its gloomy story, uniquely designed characters, and dark humor.
Without spoiling too much, I will have to say that the story revolves around the protagonist suddenly lost in a dark forest with thick fog. He heads into the hotel and is greeted by the pseudo-antagonist, Gregory, an old rat who manages the hotel and who the show is named after. The show will cover the events in nights, a two-and-a-half-minute segment. They may appear to be randomly timed, but all of the nights cover an overarching plot of the protagonist trying to escape, and the story told from his literal first-person perspective.
Don’t let the funny designs of these characters catch you off guard. With each episode, you are introduced to a character that may represent everyday fears, such as the fear of judgement, the fear of time, and the fear of no longer remembering. Some are villainous, some are just funny, such as a dog with a scimitar on his head who complains of headaches, completely oblivious of the sword sticking out of his head. The characters themselves are one of the highlights of this show.
If you like a creepy show with over-the-top characters, dark humor, early CGI animation, some spooks and giggles, I highly recommend this hidden gem. It isn’t perfect and has a confusing story near the end, but it was enjoyable to see what situation the protagonist would get in. 9/10. Too bad that the most recent project for this series titled “Gregory Horror Show: Lost Qualia” was just a Japanese-exclusive mobile game with pay-to-win mechanics like every other idle leveling-up game.
Categories: Art & Life, Video Game Reviews
