Where Monsters Lie, written by Kyle Starks with art by Piotr Kowalski, is the ultimate slasher mashup. Like characters like Jason, Freddy, Pennywise, and more? They’re all here (sort of) in this delightfully dark horror/comedy/domestic drama from Dark Horse Comics.
The premise is pretty simple: where do slashers go between movies? The answer: Wilmhurst, a gated community where they can live and relax while waiting on their next rampage. And with a gated community comes community meetings, taking out the trash, mowing the lawn… Everything you’d expect from a suburban neighborhood, though usually with a little less murder.
There’s much more here than simply a comedy premise, though, and Starks ably extends the idea by throwing in a kid who survived a rampage years earlier. Connor Hayes is now a member of the FBI, and devoted to taking down slashers, once and for all. Does he succeed? Well, there’s a sequel series titled Where Monsters Lie: CUL-DE-SAC which premieres this Wednesday from Dark Horse, so you decide.
Regardless, what works about this is that Starks knows when to bring on the comedy and domesticity, but also how to make action and horror scenes work as well. This book builds to an appropriately bloody and apocalyptic climax and doesn’t hold back from the same feeling you get watching the end of a Halloween or Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie. It’s fun, funny, gross, and will leave you screaming and laughing at the same time… Just like the best slasher movies.
Bonus: If you like Kyle Starks (and why wouldn’t you?) don’t miss I Hate This Place, another wild horror mashup that sends a couple to a remote cabin where every horror trope imaginable lurks in the woods outside.
It’s spooky season, and you know what that means: time to curl up with a comic book or graphic novel that will scare your socks off. With that in mind, we’re posting a new horror book to check out every day of October, for our 31 Days Of Halloween Comics. Awoooo! Looking for the rest of our picks? Check them out on the Halloween tag.
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