Talking ‘Monster High: House Haunters’ With Ben Kahn And Sonia Liao

Cabins in the woods may be a no-go zone for mortals who know what happened to Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) in The Evil Dead, but surely monsters can get away with spending a weekend in one unscathed? That’s what writer Ben Kahn and artist Sonia Liao are about to test in Monster High: House Haunters. With colors by Rebecca Nalty and letters by Johanna Nattalie, here’s what they could say about returning to the world of Monster High:

Rachel Bellwoar: Having previously collaborated on the winter themed one-shot, Monster High: Holiday Haunt, I was really glad when I saw you would be getting more issues this time for Monster High: House Haunters. What made you want to return to the world of Monster High and during spooky season no less?

Sonia Liao: I had a lot of fun getting to know the characters during Holiday Haunt, so when I was asked to come back for another holiday-inspired mini-series I was more than happy to accept! It was a bit of a learning curve familiarizing myself with the Monster High universe the first time around, so using all that I learned from Holiday Haunt here felt especially rewarding.

Ben Kahn: My favorite thing to explore is that cross section where the fantastical meets the mundane. And that’s what Monster High, with its magical, monster gals trying to navigate high school and supernatural shenanigans, is all about. Delightful teen monsters using the power of friendship (and actual monster powers) to take on whatever un-life throws at them? I can write that all day long.

And getting to celebrate Halloween, my absolute favorite holiday, makes it even better. Nothing’s cozier on a chilly Autumn night than cuddling up with a funny, spooky adventure. And with five issues to tell the story, we really got to dive in and make a proper love letter to all the great haunted house movies.

Bellwoar: While Howliday Haunt centered around Frankie, House Haunters is getting to be more of an ensemble piece. Did you enjoy the chance to involve the whole gang and is there a character you enjoy writing and drawing for the most?

Liao: It took a bit of time getting used to drawing so many characters altogether all at once, but I think having everyone play off of each other and getting into hijinks made everything a lot more fun. As for which character I enjoyed drawing the most, I really liked drawing Draculaura floating about with her umbrella! There are a lot of unique compositions one can create with a character floating a head above the rest, and it really helps fit the entire ensemble in a single panel.

Kahn: It was so much fun getting to have the whole Ghoul Squad involved! The Howliday Haunt one-shot only had enough room to focus on Frankie Stein, so I’m really glad I got to come back for a story where all the main characters get their time in the spotlight. We even had enough space for Deuce Gorgon & Torelei Stripe to have a fun team-up side plot! A definite highlight was getting to introduce and develop the newest ghoul of Monster High, Maple Lodge the living haunted house. I had a blast writing Cleo’s fights with Maple especially.

But do I have a favorite character? I have to give it up for Frankie Stein. She was my favorite in Howliday Haunt, and she’s my favorite in House Haunter. She’s just got that spark, pun intended.

Bellwoar: The bi-weekly schedule is something you don’t see all the time. Did you know the series would be released that way ahead of time and, if so, did that change the way you approached pacing?

Liao: I was told the entire mini-series would be released around Halloween on a pretty tight schedule, which is why work on the series started months ahead of time. I really appreciate the editors being on top of everything making sure the mini-series would be all set and ready for the spooky season!

Kahn: We did know that it’d be on an accelerated schedule to really be a Halloween Season special. From a creative stand point, I wouldn’t say it caused any major changes to the story, but it did impact the pacing in a few ways. First off, I think the faster release schedule felt like permission to go all-in on a faster paced story. Go pedal to the metal with Haunted House thrills, fights and laughs – and then be back for more in just two weeks! And since each new issue was coming out so soon after the last, there wasn’t as much need to bring readers back up to speed with lengthy recaps. Definitely a benefit of the story still being fresh in readers’ minds.

Bellwoar: Cabins in the woods are a horror movie staple. Were there any other settings you considered for this story, and whose idea was it to bring back the talking wall fish?

Liao: When the idea was pitched to me, the Cabin in the Woods had already been decided as the main setting. I enjoyed drawing the cabin myself (as long as I followed the script notes on items!) especially compared to Holiday Haunt where I had to reference official artwork of the school. For the script-specific items like the talking wall fish, it was entirely the writing team’s idea.

Kahn: There were a few other ideas floating around in the mix, but doing the haunted cabin in the woods was for sure my top choice. Like you said, it’s such a horror movie staple. I wanted to pay tribute to haunted house movies like The Haunting, Poltergeist, Evil Dead 2 and Cabin in the Woods. Those other ideas might get turned into something one day though, so I’m afraid I’ve gotta keep them secret for now.

I’ll take credit for the talking wall fish if that’s okay. Growing up, there was a ’50s-themed burger place in my hometown that had a classic Big Mouth Billy Bass on the wall. And the fish on the wall is such classic rustic cabin decor. So it seemed like a perfect fit for this haunted cabin and ended up being a delightfully fun foil for Cleo.

Bellwoar: The whole idea is that they initially find the cabin disappointing. Did that impact your choices for the decor?

Liao: Yes, I believe the initial notes were along the lines of ‘very basic, stereotypical cabin vibes’ — very much not in line with the fashionable, monster-themed decor the main characters are known for! I referenced the most generic cabin vibes for the initial interior design, something everyone familiar with the trope would recognize immediately.

Kahn: Sonia did an amazing job bringing this cabin and the whole world of Monster High to life. The haunted house not being a full on “Scary, run-down cabin” definitely impacted its initial presentation. Things start slow, and then the spooky adventure quickly gets dialed up to 11.

Bellwoar: Issue one ends with the threat of a titan named Ekhidna showing up. From Serena Mercado’s cover for issue #2 we know there’s a tentacle or tail involved but is there anything else you can share?

Liao: Keen-eyed readers will remember the artwork surrounding the Professor’s speech about Ekhidna in Issue 1 — everything you need to know about possible tails is there! Also for anyone familiar with Greek mythology, Ekhidna is an alternate spelling of Echidna: the half-woman, half-snake mother of monsters, giving readers another hint of what to expect from Ekhidna’s eventual introduction.

Kahn: Issue #1 puts Ekhidna’s Greek Mythology roots front and center. So if you know much about the mythological “Mother of Monsters,” you know that snakes are certainly a part of her design motif. The twist with our version of Ekhidna is that being this ancient “Mother of Monsters,” she has power to control other monsters’ powers. So she can give wild animals powers to do her bidding, or shut off the abilities of the Ghoul Squad. And I promise that by the time you get to Issue #5, you’ll get to see Sonia’s incredible design for Ekhidna in all her terrifying glory.

Bellwoar: Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Ben and Sonia!

All five issues of Monster High: House Haunters are on sale now from IDW.