A Fresh Spin On The “Abandoned Area” Horror Trope: Reviewing ‘Dead Mall’ TPB
by Anton Kromoff
Summary
Dead Mall harkens back to classic horror like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Hellraiser while adding something fresh and new that can only be pulled off in a comic. While this collected miniseries tells a fun tale of friendship, fear, and fearsome fiends, I found myself wanting more of this twisted landscape and the entities that inhabit it.
Welcome to the table,
Dead Malls tell all kinds of tales.
Being a disabled person, there are so many places I can’t go. Stairs and buildings and bike paths and hiking trails are all off limits as they are not wheelchair accessible. I do not have the thousands upon thousands of dollars needed to buy an off-road wheelchair or mobility aid, and robot legs for normal people are not a thing yet.
Because of this, I have always said that when I cross from this world to the next I plan on floating around and just looking at stuff I could never see. This curiosity has me watching all manner of shows like Life After People, Mysteries of the Abandoned, and the videos of people on YouTube wandering around long-forgotten malls that have become these weird apocalyptic time capsule-looking landscapes of vines and faded signs for the king of burgers.
This affinity for abandoned spaces, coupled with my love for horror had all the boxes checked with Dark Horse Comic’s Dead Mall TPB, out today.
Written by Adam Cesare with art by David Stoll and lettered by Justin Birch, Dead Mall really captures all the worrying body horror of films like The Thing and Hellraiser, with the charm of a WB show and a coffee house soundtrack.
The story follows a group of friends who sneak into The Penn Mills Galleria, a mall that has long been closed and is set to be demolished. However, while Penn Mills shuttered its doors years ago, the teens find out to their dismay that the mall is far from abandoned. What was supposed to be a night of exploration and reminiscing becomes a hellish romp through abandoned foodcourts and boutiques.
Dead Mall does an amazing job setting a tone. The narration in this book is haunting and disembodied and gives insight into the working of the greater forces at work in a way that only comics can accomplish. The book without the narration works, but the the narration elevates it to a new level. You know that there is a sinister force at play, and when you are along for the ride, you hear its voice in your head as you read the comic. It really adds something notably cool.
Dead Mall harkens back to classic horror like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Hellraiser while also adding something fresh and new that can only be pulled off in a comic. While this collected miniseries tells a fun tale of friendship, fear, and fearsome fiends, I found myself wanting more of this twisted landscape and the entities that inhabit it.
Until next time, if you see horrible things from beyond the veil… leave.
