u/NYstate

Is this a safe place? I have a confession. I have been a comic book reader just as long as I have been a horror fan, and I have to say that horror comics are a great way to experience the genre. I could write an entire list of horror comics that would make great horror movie adaptations. Feel free to ask for recommendations.

Anyway, I want to recommend Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees. What is it? Well, it is a horror comic starring furry animals. Wait, don't leave, it is really good! When I say furry animals, I mean the anthropomorphic kind. Think Daffy Duck or Mickey Mouse, not the furries kind. That would be a very different movie all on its own. (I think that would make a great movie too, now that I think about it)

So, what is it about? It takes place in the 1980s in a small town where everyone knows everyone. One of those towns that feels stuck in time, like it has been the 1950s forever. A place where the cops’ biggest problems are teens drinking too much and vandalizing walls. Where kids walk the streets safely at night, and locks come on doors because that is just how they arrive from the factory.

In this town, there is a small business owner and bear named Samantha Strong who gets dragged into a conflict she wants no part of when she starts looking for a killer in her small town. Nothing too special, right? Well, here is the twist: She's a serial killer herself and tasks it upon herself to find the other killer before the right people start asking the right questions to the wrong people. If they do, they might uncover her secret and her comfortable life will go up in smoke. You know that old saying: "Never shit where you eat", well that's Samantha. She has a code, never around where you live and this is now a major problem for her.

Do not worry, I did not spoil anything. That is the blurb you can read on the back of the cover. I first read it as "Dexter mixed with the Berenstain Bears", but that comparison is not quite right. Dexter hunted other serial killers. Samantha just wants to live her quiet life, kill when she wants to, and drink tea on Sunday afternoons. It's closer to Hannibal Lecter if he lived in the world of Arthur.

Do not let the cute watercolor style art fool you. This book gets graphic. Really graphic. And Samantha is not a nice person, bear or whatever. She's cold, detached and intelligent.

If you are curious, you can read the first three issues out of six for free on Webtoon.

https://www.webtoons.com/en/graphic-novel/beneath-the-trees-where-nobody-sees/list?title_no=7680

No this is not an ad, I just read it some months ago and would love to see it adapted. With the success of Invincible, I think the door is wide open for adult animation and serious adaptations. What non traditional horror story would you like to see adapted?

The one that I have is that PETA, yes, that PETA, actually defended the movie The House That Jack Built.

In the film, a serial killer named Jack, played by Matt Dillon, starts out by killing and torturing animals. In one scene, he cuts off a little duckling's feet. However, PETA praised the film for using "movie magic and silicone parts" instead of actual animals in the scene. They even went so far as to say:

>

>She added that another controversial scene in the film involving images of tigers used stock footage. Lange said it proved that "there's no need to use live wild animals in productions, thanks to the many humane alternatives being embraced by filmmakers today."

I mean, of course it's "movie magic." No one should harm animals, but the fact that the scene looked so realistic that it prompted numerous calls to PETA and led them to issue a public statement, despite the scene being completely faked, speaks volumes about how effectively the scene was done.