Spring has arrived in Woodbrook, but renewal only means fresh blood in Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring #3. Writer-artist Patrick Horvath continues his unnerving exploration of small-town horror, where the past refuses to stay buried and monsters wear smiles as easily as Sunday clothes. In the last issue, Horvath returned serial killer Samantha Brown to center stage, reestablishing her calm precision and chilling logic against the creeping encroachment of modern life. A threat to her ecosystem of murder is Monica, the duck drawn into Sam’s carefully curated world, looking for her brother’s killer. It seems Samantha is trying out a different kind of kill in the latest issue.
After the last issue, one question keeps wracking my mind: Why would a predator invite her prey home? And could Sam’s strange serenity mask reveal something even darker? Horvath continues to blend character-driven dread, small-town Americana, and creeping existential horror into one of comics’ most unsettling and beautifully crafted series in this third chapter.
The issue opens with Monica waking up in a simple motel. Soon, Sam is at her door, but she pushes her way in, growing larger and larger. It’s a nightmare, but also likely a warning, as Monica knows something is up with Sam. This scene helps set the stage as Monica attempts to figure out Sam from the locals in the area, starting at the library.
Time to wake up!
Credit: IDW
Meanwhile, this issue does a surprising thing and reveals Samantha’s origins. In flashbacks, we see her take up the family business, utilizing the family hardware store to test out her methods of killing. This leads to a better sense of how to do it, and some rather horrific and well-thought-out methods we see take place. Horvath has shown Sam’s ability to kill with absolutely no emotion, and in this issue, we see just how far she’ll go. It’s horrific and utterly disturbing.
Meanwhile, the plot thickens with Monica tracking down info on Sam. While the horrors of Sam’s flashbacks build, we get a key scene to close out the issue as Sam takes Monica for a walk. Only we and Sam know Monica is in danger, and their walk leads to a surprising twist in Sam’s plan.
The art by Horvath is as endearing as ever, with a slight sepia tone to the flashbacks to distinguish them from the present. What makes this series so believable and lived-in are the townsfolk, with a few popping up and acting like everyday people. They may be animals, but they have the same cadence as a regular small-town patron.
Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring #3 is another chilling triumph for Patrick Horvath, blending psychological horror, quiet dread, and immaculate craft. By peeling back Samantha’s origins while tightening the noose around her new prey, Horvath proves once again that the most terrifying monsters are the ones who smile back at us from across the street.
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