What was a solid introduction to Hill House went out with an underwhelming whimper. The swan song for the “Refrigerator Full of Heads” six-part mini is a bloody mess, and I speak American English – I’ve had yet to have the pleasure to visit the U.K.
There’s so many mistakes here at the capstone of this story. From the very beginning there is several pages of a flashback that felt entirely out of place and did not lead me to further sympathize for the main characters, which I believe was what Youers was intending to go for in what appeared to be the only flex of his writing chops within this issue. Which is an odd way to leave off a series, when typically the final issue is as important as the first. Instead of a litany of quirky dialogue as audiences were treated to in previous issues, here there is only a replacement of guttural sounds of barbarism and expletives – which makes sense given the grisly violence suffered within this issue, page after page, but some things just translate better outside the realm of the 2D.
The farthest forays into horror comics I took before this ushering into Hill House was the works of Gaiman, Mignola , and Moore but here with so many pages covered in coagulation of Fowler’s creation, nothing is left to the imagination and the limitations of the genre can easily be pointed out from behind the curtain. A puppet is never supposed to see it’s strings, but the reliance of sloppy splash panels and choppy dialogue are such gaping holes that they are hard to overlook in contrast to previous issues, which were still intelligent and neat, even with the persistent spirit of barbarism that should be present in all forms of fictional horror post Rob Zombie’s take on Halloween.
This ending to “Refrigerator of Heads” completely lost me and discounted everything within the series that I had read before. I love to try new comics outside of the usual realm of super-powered fantasy, but this issue left a bad taste in my mouth that I will remember every time I see a Hill House title on sale. Maybe in a few years I might try it again, like Hooter’s Daytona wings. Then again, after I do forgive it, my taste bud’s may still recognize the bitterness and I’ll have to take time to forget it all over again. “Refrigerator Full of Heads”, the finale – have a drink ready, because I guarantee this is one you will not want to remember.
Score : 1/5
(W) Rio Youers (A) Tom Fowler (CA) Mateus Manhanini
About Post Author
