This week, the consistently great Epitaphs From the Abyss is back with another three horror tales. The latest issue features tales of clowns, haunted houses, and a terrible car accident that won’t let the survivor find peace. It’s a good mix of stories, but they’re all also a bit thin.
Opening the issue is our horror host, the Grave-Digger, in what might be one of Dustin Weaver’s most horrific full-page splashes yet. As he blubbers on about the tales you’ll read, The Tormentor tattoos a spider on a woman. In the woman’s mouth is also a spider, and it’s very disturbing. Weaver is great at little details like a snake slithering up the Grave-Digger’s arm, and the table the woman is on is made up of bolts and chunks of metal.
The first story is titled “Yellow Smoke” by Stephanie Phillips and Valeria Burzo. the story opens with a woman seeing a face and then arms coming out of her wallpaper. After getting pest control and all sorts of specialists to check out the house, nothing can confirm what she sees. Essentially, the story is about how nobody believes her until it’s too late. Even her brother is gaslighting her. The story ends with an abrupt twist, and there isn’t much to it.
Variant cover for the issue.
Credit: Oni Press
“The Honking” by Brendan Hay, PJ Holden, and John McCrea should scare readers who hate clowns. The story opens at a flea market, where a couple soon finds a creepy clown painting. The girlfriend hates clowns, but the boyfriend insists on getting it. Soon, we see the painting’s eyes move, but only the girlfriend notices. Then, the boyfriend ends up in clown makeup one morning. Things go from bad to horrific for them.
It’s a good story, although there is little time to build on the characters. There’s a good amount of horror twists that entertain well enough.
“The Main Character” closes out the anthology by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino. The story opens with a man looking at his bloody hand. He’s in a car and has just been in a car accident. Soon, he’s allowed to go, but he sees a mysterious man in a red hoody wherever he goes. It leads to a tragic twist. Trigger warning: the tale involves suicide. Similar to the other tales it’s so short it’s over before you know it. Sorrentino’s style of highly realistic art definitely raises the impact of its message.
Epitaphs From the Abyss #8 is a solid horror anthology with chilling visuals and creepy premises. The curation is good, with a good mix of horror from the three stories. However, the stories’ short length prevents them from fully achieving their impact. While it’s enjoyable for horror fans, it may leave readers wanting more substance.
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