Special thanks to Tenebrous Press for the ARC copy they provided.
An ode to classic horror films from cover to cover? Oh yes, yes indeed.
I walked into Mouth expecting monster horror and the unfortunate characters to die at the hands, I mean teeth, of the mouth in the ground. What I found instead was a love letter to the very best creature features and the horror genre as a whole.
Did Mouth defy my expectations? Yes. Am I sorry about that? No. Mouth trashed every preconceived notion I had going into this book in the best possible way, and I have no regrets at all.
Don’t get me wrong, people got dead, several living things got eaten in slow, painful, horrifying manners, but Mouth left me feeling fuzzy inside on the way out. Think of your favorite comfort horror flicks and you’ll know what I mean. (Looking at you John Carpenter’s The Thing.) The show might be scary, but the familiarity will make you feel right at home.
That Mouth also makes you identify with the monster in the ground is exceptional. The first time I met the playful and excitable mouth in the ground, I hoped it’d have a happy ending. And Joshua Hull delivered on that front, right along with some blood and gore and… dental work? Yeah, that was a thing in this book, too.
I don’t want to give too terribly much away (especially since I’ve spoiled the happy ending), so I’ll hold off on details, but if you’re a fan of horror, and in particular the classic, comfortable, and sometimes ridiculous films predating CGI, you’re going to love this book. Mouth has the feel of a well loved VHS tape, and if that isn’t something you want to put on your bookshelf, I don’t know what is.