Extra Credit Read #006 - A GUEST IN THE HOUSE by E.M. Carroll
This is my desperate cry for more animated horror.
Hello again!
Welcome to the Extra Credit Read! Here we highlight IP that is either available and underrated, or IP that is worth reading to stay up-to-date on a sub genre.
I am DELIGHTED to present E. M. Carroll to you - the author that made me get over my fear of the horror genre and learn to love it. Their latest graphic novel, A GUEST IN THE HOUSE, was published in August 2023.
Here is the official synopsis:
After many lonely years, Abby’s just gotten married. She met her new husband―a recently widowed dentist―when he arrived in town with his young daughter seeking a new start. Although it’s strange living in the shadow of her predecessor, Abby does her best to be a good wife and mother. But the more she learns about her new husband’s first wife, the more things don’t add up, and Abby starts to wonder...was Sheila’s death really by natural causes?
As Abby sinks deeper into confusion, Sheila’s memory seems to become a force all its own, ensnaring Abby in a mystery that leaves her obsessed, fascinated, and desperately in love for the first time in her life.
E.M. Carroll is an Ontario native and started making comics in 2010. Their horror comic HIS FACE ALL RED went viral shortly after, and since then E.M. has published several books, created comics for anthologies, and provided illustrations for other works. They’ve won an Ignatz and two Eisners in the process.
It’s immediately clear upon exploring E.M.’s website what a master of tension and suspense they are. (Please click through The Worthington to see what I mean). And if you come across their graphic novella WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE CASTLE, buy it. No other book has made me physically afraid to turn the page.
A GUEST IN THE HOUSE is special to me because it has that TWIN PEAKS charm. You know something juicy is just around the corner, and you’re not going to put the book down until you figure out what it is. On top of that, you have a cast of deliciously morally grey characters and a shot of that Good For Her™️ sentiment that dominates booktok.
A GUEST IN THE HOUSE is available and is repped by Jen Linnan at Linnan Literary Management and Chris Lupo at Lupo Creative Group.
Now obviously you’d have to speak with Carroll to see if animation is the direction they’d want to take this project, but I wanted to bring up A GUEST IN THE HOUSE anyway to highlight the history AND potential that exists in animated horror.
Animation has taken a big hit in Hollywood, mostly (imho) from a lack of appreciation and understanding by the top brass. But with the success of shows like COMMON SIDE EFFECTS and the worldwide accolades awarded to FLOW, I’m hopeful that buyers will remember the global appeal and artistic merit of this medium. The fans certainly do - we spoke a few weeks ago about I DON’T WANT TO BE A MAGICAL GIRL, a kickstarter animatic which racked up millions of views on YouTube in just two days. And don’t even get your local musical theater fans started on HAZBIN HOTEL, which also started as a YouTube pilot and then landed at Prime via A24.
That last example illustrates my point perfectly - horror is the perfect partner for animation. It travels well (or at least better than rom-coms and comedy, which we have no problem investing in), and has an exciting set of tools artists can use to push the genre to new heights. Not to mention there are multiple demographics with a powerful nostalgia for famous animated horror projects like 90s classic cartoons (COURAGE THE COWARDLY DOG, AAAHH! REAL MONSTERS, THE GRIMM ADVENTURES OF BILLY & MANDY), 2010s fandom-makers (GRAVITY FALLS, OVER THE GARDEN WALL), and cinema classics that churn out merch (BEETLEJUICE, CORALINE, CORPSE BRIDE). This list goes on.
It seems like everyone is clamoring for the return of mid-budget crowd-pleasers, and more often than not those are horror movies. Why not invest in animation, where you can get high-budget theatrics for a mid-budget price?
Also, I really would just like to see a woman dressed as a knight stab someone. Times are hard, people are miserable. Give us this catharsis.
Thank you!!
TIP
See you next time!