GRIMM TALES OF TERROR QUARTERLY: 2023 HALLOWEEN SPECIAL, from Zenescope Entertainment on 10/25/23, regales readers with four tales of terror inside a castle where guests live out the exploits of famous serial killers.
The Details
- Written by: Joelle Sellner
- Art by: Alessandro Uezu, Massimiliano La Manno, Ricardo Osnaya, Oliver Borges, Gabriel Jardim
- Colors by: Maxflan Araujo
- Letters by: Taylor Esposito
- Cover art by: Igor Vitorino (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $8.99
- Release date: October 25, 2023
Is GRIMM TALES OF TERROR QUARTERLY: 2023 HALLOWEEN SPECIAL Good?
In GRIMM TALES OF TERROR QUARTERLY: 2023 HALLOWEEN SPECIAL, Joelle Sellner leans heavily on the schadenfreude to give a collection of twisted individuals with an unhealthy fascination with serial killers exactly the fates they deserve. Each short is a boon for readers with a macabre interest in serial killer history, but you don’t need to know the details to enjoy the shorts as they are.
Of the four stories, the clear winner centers on a young couple intrigued by the exploits and never-discovered identity of the Zodiac Killer. Sellner’s tale injects enough twists and turns to keep you guessing as to why the couple earns their ultimate fate.
Still, the downside of this anthology is the general air of predictability. Once you learn all the guests are terrible people who get what they deserve, you can see where the stories are going long before you get there.
Overall, this is a solid anthology with plenty of gruesome developments, fit for fans of slasher films and general horror enthusiasts.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s GRIMM TALES OF TERROR QUARTERLY: 2023 HALLOWEEN SPECIAL About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
As with all our anthology reviews, we’ll describe each short in brief and what did or didn’t work.
Jack The Ripper
Lizzie and Nick enjoy the immersive illusion of the Jack The Ripper experience. Nick gets his kicks by playing the sadistic killer, but Lizzie has a sharp trick up her sleep when Nick’s cheating ways put him and his lover on Lizzie’s hit list.
Sellner takes the jilted lover story with a taste for revenge by turning the tables more than once. The setup is well-executed, and the ending, while predictable, is still satisfying.
John Wayne Gacy
A teenager with a nasty streak, Eddie, checks into the Gacy suite to learn the tips and tricks that helped him get away with mass murder for so long. When Gacy’s alter ego, Pogo the Clown, arrives to show Ediie all his party tricks, Eddie soon learns that his own evil deeds will soon be discovered… just like Gacy’s.
Few tropes work as consistently well in horror as schadenfreude. Eddie turns out to be a nasty piece of work, so Sellner puts Eddie through the wringer to expose his misdeeds and ensure he gets what’s coming to him. In all, this is another predictable yet satisfying tale.
Jeffrey Dahmer
Gil has an unhealthy hero worship for the famous cannibal killer, and he has a hankering for a meal of human flesh. When the Dahmer suite is overrun by zombies, Gil’s only hope is a fellow attendee trapped in one of Dahmer’s cages. Can the pair survive the undead flesh eaters?
Sellner’s tale of a would-be cannibal who gets what he deserves is a simple tale that gives the jerk what he deserves. That said, the surprise twist is telegraphed from a mile away, so expect to be unsurprised.
The Zodiac Killer
Jed and Barrett are soulmates with a shared fascination with the Zodiac Killer’s real identity. When the loving couple is forced to pass through a series of escape rooms, they learn about dark secrets from each other’s pasts that may put a hellish end to their relationship.
Of the four stories in this anthology, this one is the least predictable. Sellner does a solid job of making you think a couple with a taste for the macabre is just that until the gruesome secrets start coming out.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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GRIMM TALES OF TERROR QUARTERLY: 2023 HALLOWEEN SPECIAL presents a cavalcade of ironic tales about guests in a “haunted” mansion that caters to fans of famous serial killers. Fans of slasher stories will have a ball, but the stories are generally predictable.
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