There’s meant to be the cute and then the creepy out in the world, and never the twain shall meet. Only, thanks to the legion of books, movies, and comics that comprise “cozy horror,” we all know that’s a bloody lie. There’s just something about mashing the ever-so adorable and the undeniably horrific that’s as comforting as it is confrontational. And now there’s another new title excelling at this singular marriage, the forthcoming Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees.
Taking the book’s name from the beloved “The Teddy-Bear’s Picnic,” writer-artist Patrick Horvath has crafted a pure slice of cozy horror centered around the town of Woodbrook. There, a bear named Samantha balances her role in this tight-knit community, including running the hardware shop, with her very specific bloodlust. But when someone starts dropping bodies at home, Samantha must balance her two worlds amid increasing tension and suspicion. In short, it’s beary good horror story that cuts to the center of these dynamic communities.
Issue #1 of Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees will hit shelves on October 18 via IDW. In the meantime, Horvath was kind enough to answer a few of our questions, including addressing the story’s obvious influences, his love of the cozy horror genre, and how he chose to display gore.
If you haven’t already, be sure to read our early review of Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees #1.
Art by Patrick Horvath. Courtesy of IDW.
AIPT: What is it about balancing the super cute and the extra creepy that you find so appealing/compelling as an artist?
Patrick Horvath: There’s a real disarming quality in having disturbing elements nested in these adorable settings, and it’s endlessly amusing to me. There’s a very nostalgic element to it all. Early on when I was coming up with the idea, I kept thinking about the world that Richard Scarry came up with in his books, and other books like Frog and Toad. They’re wonderful, and I kept thinking, it would be absolutely horrible if you had something evil existing behind closed doors in a place like that. Those worlds seem so innocent… I couldn’t help wanting to see what was behind the closed doors.
AIPT: Similarly, why are serial killers so compelling? I’ve always felt like it’s this idea that they behave without restraints, and that’s secretly what we all wish we could ever do.
PH: I don’t know if I could say exactly what it is that’s so compelling. It’s always mildly horrifying to think that they’ve always been among us, and in many cases they’ve just been living their lives in plain sight. There’s something about the idea of having friends and family completely blind-sided in some cases by the fact that the person they thought they knew their whole lives was actually a monster. And then, when you get into the details of what they actually do, there’s a morbid fascination with it all. It’s almost like in finding out about it, it’ll somehow protect you from falling victim in some way.
AIPT: There’s something very Dexter-esque about this book — was that a direct influence? Were there any other killer inspirations for Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees?
PH: Dexter has been on my radar ever since it came out, but I’ve only seen the first couple episodes. I didn’t really have easy access to watch it when it was first airing, and then I just didn’t find the time. From everything I’ve heard, I think I would like it quite a bit, but once I started working on this I decided I should probably hold off a little longer until I’m done. There are a lot of little inspirations that came from reading a bunch of material including Peter Vronsky’s Serial Killers and Journey into Darkness by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker.
Art by Patrick Horvath. Courtesy of IDW.
AIPT: There’s a real community that’s grown around true crime. Do you think this story adds to that or could this be a commentary on all of that?
PH: I’d say it’s probably more adding to it rather than being critical of it in any way. As I was putting the story together, it seemed really important for all the folks of this town to be largely ignorant of anything like this even being possible. The impact is sort of world-shattering for them, but I could totally see this as being the moment in the town’s history where some of the survivors go on to become completely obsessed with true crime.
AIPT: Samantha, our killer, seems pretty multi-layered. How much should we care about her, and is it complicated to tell the story of a killer and make them come off as human/earnest/vulnerable/etc.?
PH: To be honest, I have a lot of fun with having Samantha as our main character. The fact that she’s been thriving in this community for decades means that she’s figured out how the nuts and bolts of how to fit in. In many regards she’s had to be a step ahead of everyone, and in a small town like Woodbrook, that hasn’t been a challenge until now. I love diving into moments when a character has an existential confrontation and I thought it would be so interesting to have that character be a clinical psychopath. The existential part is universal though. It kind of seems like everyone can relate to some disruption in their lives coming out of nowhere, probably even more so these days.
AIPT: I feel like Woodbrook is already as much a character in this story as anyone else. Why this specific setting, and what does it provide across Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees and Sam’s, let’s say, hijinks?
PH: As I was sort of alluding to, there’s such a sheltered existence that the people of Woodbrook enjoy. Morale is usually pretty high and suspicion is usually pretty low, which works incredibly well for Sam. The other side of that coin is that once these murdered bodies begin showing up, it’s like a bomb going off in the minds of everyone in town. The idea that this could even happen in Woodbrook really begins to rattle people to their core, and they start to unravel.
Art by Patrick Horvath. Courtesy of IDW.
AIPT: You’re rather unflinching with the gore. Is making them human-esque animals somehow more or less gruesome? Did you ever consider being less overt with the blood and guts?
PH: I had decided that the gore should be pretty full-on from the beginning of when I started coming up with the story. For as cute as I wanted to make it, I felt like it needed a sobering dose of realistic gore to help balance it out in the opposite direction. It also seemed necessary to take a few steps down the dark path with Samantha to get a full picture of her practice.
AIPT: What goes into plotting out a murder and/or dissection scene? How’s that a challenge for you artistically?
PH: Ha! You know, with this book a lot of it just stems from wanting to show what Samantha’s method is. All of the details involved speak to the particular neuroses and obsessions that have evolved in her mind over a lifetime. She most definitely has a specific way she likes to go about it, and all of that is super compelling to me. The challenge is finding a way to pace it out so that we’re able to have enough time with it as a reader, but still move things along well enough.
AIPT: I’ve been thinking a lot about horror-centric stories as of late. Would you agree there’s something deeply human about exploring violence like this? Something that feels like it cuts to the core of our tensions and struggles in forging communities?
PH: Oh yeah, I’d agree with that. I’ve been happily creating in horror for about 15 years, and I’ll never get tired of it. It has the perfect set of genre tools for exploring all the different facets of the human condition, the best and worst parts of all of us.
Art by Patrick Horvath. Courtesy of IDW.
AIPT: You’ve made/been involved with movies before (like Southbound). How did that perhaps inform or influence you when it came to creating this story specifically?
PH: There is a lot of cross-over visually between horror film and comics, and working on movies, you begin to really zero in on what’s necessary to create a mood and sustain it. Creating atmosphere in a movie is one of the most challenging things to do because you’re constantly fighting for time to shoot and get the footage you need to properly assemble it. With comics, you’re also fighting for space a lot of the time, but you’re also just so much more flexible. You can take those moments and make them play out in a way that’s so wonderfully unique to the medium.
AIPT: Why opt for a bear as the main character? And is the turtle safe?
PH: Quite a few years back I happened to just draw a bear walking along in a pair of overalls carrying a bloody axe, and a lot of the story just came to me then. I think I liked sticking with a bear as the main character because they really do occupy both extremes in the public consciousness of cuddly and vicious. And I can’t say for sure if the turtle is safe! These are crazy times.
AIPT: What teasers or tidbits can you share for the rest of Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees? Is there a happy ending for our homicidal amigo?
PH: On the road ahead there are going to be some big upsets. I feel horrible for the stuff that I’m doing to all the folks in this town. They’re all so cute. I mean, like I said, it’s sort of hilarious to take them on this horrible ride, but there are many times when I’m drawing a gnarly panel and saying, “Ah, man, why am I doing this to them?!” Is there a happy ending for Sam? Hmmmm… I’d say that in the end she’s going to truly know herself, but whether or not that’s on her terms is up in the air.
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