My taste in horror is pretty varied—I like slow-creeping horror, gothic horror, psychological horror, horror comedy, gothic romance… but sometimes, I’m just in the mood for some solid gore, terror, and a little camp. When I’m in that mood, I usually can only find exactly what I’m looking for in films, but Kill Hill Carnage is the perfect example of how it’s done in book format.

It was here for mayhem and murder, and it would get what it wanted in large doses, oh yes it bloody would.

If I had to pick a subgenre for Kill Hill Carnage, I’d place it right in the middle of splatterpunk and creature feature, personally—but more than anything, it felt like an homage to the deliciously bizarre horror flicks of the late 80s and early 90s, which made it an immediate home run for me. It literally opens on a classic scene of two camp counselors being ripped to shreds mid-sex, and if that doesn’t give you major nostalgia, I don’t know what will.

I was endlessly entertained and could hardly stand to put this book down. It flies by, never lags for a moment, and I especially loved the moments when we were transported 25 years in the past, seeing all of this destruction befall Kill Hill for the first time. Tim Meyer’s got one hell of an imagination for death scenes, and the creatures he describes range from mildly terrifying to downright disgusting.

“Would you knock it off with that horror movie shit? No one wants to hear it right now!”

On top of it all, Tim’s writing is a treat all on its own. It’s fun and self-aware in all the right places, and it’s immersive enough that I felt like I was right there in the woods alongside these characters. Speaking of the characters, almost all of them are at least a little bit unlikable in that quintessential horror film style—you know the one, where you don’t get too attached to anyone but the final kid, so you don’t mind too much when you watch them all being slaughtered—but they’re fun to read about, and they’re fleshed out just enough.

If you’re looking for a good horror read with loads of gore, creepy monsters, and a touch of nostalgia, I absolutely recommend grabbing yourself a copy of Kill Hill Carnage. And remember… stay away from the river!

Content warnings for graphic violence, gore, murder, suicidal ideation, self-harm, body horror, racism, ableism, fat-shaming, discussions of sexual assault

Thank you so much to the publicist and Sinister Grin Press for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review!

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