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Review: Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight #8

A sultry demoness threatens to open the gates of hell wide open with a virgin sacrifice.  No, the pristine virgin won’t save the day for this story.  For a battle of this proportion, only the sluttiest of girls will suffice. Alex De Campi takes all the standard horror conventions and twists them to a logical and more plausible scenario.  She then wrenches in some great social commentary to build a tale that’s funny, twisted, and entertaining.

Renae’s parents sent her to camp to shed some pounds and make new friends.  Unbeknownst to them, Renae would end up fighting a hell spawn intent on plunging the world into fire and chaos.

The girls at Camp Oneida find out and stage a massive rumble.  When the demon gets the upper hand, Babs goes shopping at the local smiley-faced logo discount superstore to stock up on guns and a new pair of shoes.

Grindhouse #8 CoverWhile the demon needs a virgin, the gender of the sacrifice may surprise you.  Additionally, some heroes will sit out because they understand the danger involved.  While the ones capable of saving the day would be deemed the misfits by today’s standards.

These great plot points culminate in a rousing story that will make you stop and re-evaluate your position on today’s youth and what we consider appropriate social behavior.  As always with the Grindhouse series, the opening arc of the chapter shocks while the conclusion feels a tad routine.  While this issue did have outstanding twists that made me chuckle and cheer, I did not get the jaw-dropping visceral or sensual titillation delivered so well in the first part of “Flesh Feast…”

Nevertheless, this has been a great comic, and I eagerly anticipate the latest issue each month.


Score: 3/5

Writer: Alex De Campi Artist: Gary Erskine Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 5/7/14