House of Horror 68 - Refrigerator Full Of Heads

[D4RK5TARZ]

Greetings Horror Hounds!

I hope everyone enjoyed The Nice House On The Lake and our first HOH TV topic for iZombie. @LaserPuff and I are excited to return the Full Of Heads series with Refrigerator Full Of Heads!

I do suggest reading Basketful of Heads first. It isn’t needed but it might help with certain storylines in Refrigerator.

You can check out our conversation about Basketful here:

House of Horror 13 - A Frightening Valentine (2/4-2/16)

[image] Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! This topic has a lot of books but most of them should be quick reads. Before I get ahead of myself, I would like to welcome @LeonardoMyst to the House of Horror, and may your stay be a frightening one. Due to popular demand, we are going to read Basketful of Heads 1-7! This book is a Hill House title so that means this one is NOT for the kiddos! This is the entire series but after reading Plunge, I am really excited to read a full story from Hill House.…

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Books To Read
Refrigerator Full Of Heads 1-5 (2021) (rated 17+)

Refrigerator Full of Heads

Don’t forget to let us know your thoughts on the Refrigerator Full Of Heads!

9/27/2022… SO MANY HORROR COMICS!!!

Hardcover

TPB

No new horror comics or collected editions on 10/5/2022… Not that it is October or anything…

New To DCUI 9/27/2022

New books for October haven’t been announced yet!

[CassTheStreet]

Thank you for pointing out that we should read “Basketful Full of Heads” first for some of the stories. I will get on these two, I will post my thoughts in each of the respective threads. Looking forward to reading them.

[D4RK5TARZ]

Sure thing! Basketful and Refrigerator are both a lot of fun and feels like you are reading a b-movie in the best way possible.

[CassTheStreet]

I finished both, “Basketful” and “Refrigerator”. Due to reading them back to back, it is a little hard not to compare them between each other. “Basketful” felt the superior out of the two, in an overall analysis. Neither, however, was bad. They just felt very different from each other.

The artwork in “Refrigerator” distracted a bit from the story for me. It felt a bit inferior to “Basketful” and the artwork in it. The art felt a bit more cartoony to me in Refrigerator, which didn’t add to the overall feel of the story. The story also felt better in “Basketful”. More in line with what I would think for a horror type of comic. Refrigerator actually felt more campy though, which I also enjoy from time to time in my horror. The characters felt more rounded out and fleshier (is that a word lol) in “Refrigerator” to me.

Plot wise, “Refrigerator” confused me, since the majority of the book had the two main characters just being people on the island without much indicator that they were actually agents of anything. It almost felt forced. Though the characters, like Erica were substantially better to me in “Refrigerator”. I also enjoyed that we were given more insight into the artifacts. I hated that they had to drag June back into this second story. I know that in many horror stories they bring someone back (think Nancy in Nightmare on Elm Street 3) but it also just felt a bit too much here. Like it wasn’t really needed to bring this particular story to light. Then again, I think they wanted to attach the two, as they definitely felt way off from each other when I first started reading “Refrigerator.” The shark really threw me off and made me think they were going in a different direction, like camp as I mentioned earlier.

Thank you, as always, for getting me to go outside of my normal comfortable reading to read something I might not have otherwise. I enjoyed it and definitely looking forward to discussing further as more people get it finished and looking forward to whatever is next on the agenda.

[D4RK5TARZ]

I didn’t read the series back to back like you so my memory was already foggy of the first book, especially regarding the art. I do think Joe Hill is a far better writer than the writer of Refrigerator. I was totally okay with characters returning as I already view this series as a b-horror movie. It kind of made sense, in those regards. Also, I am not sure how else they would have been able to tell the story of the weapons.

[Santo_Moonshine]

So both Basket and Fridge were a whole lot of fun! I have to agree with Cassthestreet that I felt the initial run was better but neither were bad. They were both grindhouse horror, of which I enjoyed every minute of.

The first one leaned more into the horror, which I prefer. Right from the start everything is creepy. There is an air of wrongness. The stylistic choices and colors add to this. It was dark. Grimy. And the panel layout itself focused on gradual tension build up, so often the bread and butter of horror.

Then there was the writing. It was great stuff. Everyone had unique personality. No two characters were alike. Our main hero was likeable, fun, charming, and had a motivation we could all root for; survive long enough to find her lover and get out of town. And there is something to be said about a woman out of her element, kicking ass and taking care of business without any prior know how or a big shotgun to even the score. It felt empowering and her survival felt earned. The character revelations as we went deeper down the rabbit hole. Whether or not the “convicts” were lying to June, just trying to save themselves. An entire issue dedicated to a singular new threat. At no point did I feel that June was safe. And there was pay off to some of the dialogue of the first issue at the end. Gotta love that!

The second leaned into the camp. I mean, that shark? Rooster’s journey? The ending to issue #5!?! At no point was I worried or scared but it was big childish fun and I felt like a teenager watching Killer Clowns from Outer Space, happy to see some heads roll.

I will say that the art is a step down. Not bad. Just stylistically exaggerated. The layouts were more action oriented. The colors had more zest. The constant lettering of the gunfire or the chomps filled the page up so much that we couldn’t just sit there with the horror of what was happening.

The plot? You know when a horror series you like loses the original creatives so they bring in new ones who add the military and shift gears into action/horror? Yeah. It felt like that. It wasn’t bad. A natural expansion of the lore and a widening of the circle. I get it. But when things get too big the story loses intimacy. And when you lose intimacy and choose not to explore the existential dread that that breeds, it loses the terror. It all becomes…eh. And unfortunately this book fell into that trap.

I liked the characters but there wasn’t really a time where I felt close enough to them to care about their fate. Same goes for the villains. Our two heroes could have switched dialogue and nothing would have changed about their personality. Now there was an entire biker gang of nameless villains who were all just angry guy #1-10. 4 artifacts in play instead of 1 and unlike the axe they don’t get used every issue. There wasn’t even a rapport with the heads. We don’t spend a lot of time at the fridge. They were just there for information gathering. Again, there was a palpable lack of intimacy on my end.

All in all, they were fun reads but Basket Full of Heads nailed everything it was trying to do. It felt like a tightly written, excellently paced, low budget horror movie from the 80’s unfolding in all its horrific glory on the big screen. While Refrigerator Full of Heads is the movie you watched on the Sci Fi channel Friday night because you didn’t have plans. Entertaining enough not to change the channel but nothing to write home about.

[D4RK5TARZ]

@Santo_Moonshine

All in all, they were fun reads but Basket Full of Heads nailed everything it was trying to do. It felt like a tightly written, excellently paced, low budget horror movie from the 80’s unfolding in all its horrific glory on the big screen. While Refrigerator Full of Heads is the movie you watched on the Sci Fi channel Friday night because you didn’t have plans. Entertaining enough not to change the channel but nothing to write home about.

This is a great description of both titles. I do wonder if we will get a 3rd series or another Hill House series, sequel or not.

[D4RK5TARZ]

Also, welcome to House of Horror! If I have already welcomed you, which is definitely likely, there is no harm in another welcome!

[Santo_Moonshine]

I hope so. I would like to continue reading in this universe. And these two back to back readings of Fridge and Basket has convinced me to check out the other Hill House imprint books. It is almost like a part of Vertigo is back. The scary bits at least.

And thanks for the welcome! Just in time for scary season!

[D4RK5TARZ]

Sort of, there is Hill House and DC Horror and DC Black Label. All of them combine for the Vertigo horror vibes. For Hill House books, I suggest anything written by Joe Hill. Other books are fun, I believe HOH is about to be reading the one title we haven’t read in the very, very near future.

DC Horror has Soul Plumber and The Conjuring: The Lover. Both titles are great. I haven’t read the new Sgt. Rock vs Army of Darkness yet but I have the first issue in my stack of comics to read.

Then there is DC Black Label. The majority of the titles are Batman titles, no surprise there, but it does have The Nice House On The Lake! We read this in our last topic and I strongly suggest it, especially if you are itching for those Vertigo adult horror vibes. This is also where you can find the newest Sandman Universe titles!

[Santo_Moonshine]

@D4RK5TARZ

The Nice House On The Lake! We read this in our last topic and I strongly suggest it, especially if you are itching for those Vertigo adult horror vibes. This

That’s on my list of things to read. I read the first issue and was immediately hooked. Then there was something wrong with issue 2 and the pages wouldn’t load. I tried for a whole week before giving up. Now that it’s almost done I should get back to it.

@D4RK5TARZ

I haven’t read the new Sgt. Rock vs Army of Darkness yet but I have the first issue in my stack of comics to read.

It’s a fun read. My first foray into a Sgt. Rock book after being only marginally aware of his existence through cameos. What better way to do it than watching them deal with Nazi zombies!

@D4RK5TARZ

Sort of, there is Hill House and DC Horror and DC Black Label.

I’ve been dipping my toes into non canon monthlies. I mostly just wait for collected editions or for them to come out on the DCU app but after Superman: Space Age i’ll be giving more a shot in magazine format. I wish I pulled the trigger on Wonder Woman: Dead Earth as it was coming out.

[D4RK5TARZ]

@Santo_Moonshine

I wish I pulled the trigger on Wonder Woman: Dead Earth as it was coming out.

That was a great series that for some reason isn’t on DCUI. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of the art, I loved the post-apocalyptic story.

[Santo_Moonshine]

@D4RK5TARZ

That was a great series that for some reason isn’t on DCUI.

That’s a shame. A great WW story. One of my personal favorites.

@D4RK5TARZ

While I wasn’t the biggest fan of the art,

Big disagree. My hardcover is in a place of prominence on my shelf for the cover alone. While I prefer “House” styles like Porter, Lee, Sandoval, Reis, DWJ style just hits all the right spots for me to appreciate the uniqueness.

[D4RK5TARZ]

I do think the art worked with the story. There are even moments that are breathtaking. I admittedly prefer cleaner art, which has put me at odds with both the current Harley book, until recently, and Batgirls.

[Santo_Moonshine]

DWJ does a good job with splash pages and nails the sheer scope of landscapes in WW:DE. Really amps up the body horror.

You know, I am fine with the right amount of unrefined. Like DWJ, Robbie Rodriguez, Anand Radhakrishnan, and even the artist for Basket full of Heads hit just the right spot for me. Jorge Corona however, is a little too cartoonish. I couldn’t get into his Batgirls book in the same way I stopped reading Batgirl of Burnside after an arc or two. The art just felt very…idk…YA? Juvenile focused?

[MaxRoboto]

I liked basket full of heads a bit more, but I think its only because refrigerator has sequel syndrome. it’s good in its own way, but it has to live up to it’s predecessor which is never easy.

[Santo_Moonshine]

Agreed. The sophomore slump is a real thing.