Review: Basketful of Heads

Hill House Comics is a limited “pop-up” imprint from DC, made up of five horror miniseries. The curator of this imprint, and writer of two of the five titles, is Joe Hill. Hill, of course, has an impeccable horror pedigree. His novels are outstanding; some would say even better written than those of his father Stephen King. And with Locke & Key, Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez gave us what I firmly believe is the greatest comic of all time – often called a horror comic, although I have repeatedly argued that it goes well beyond that.

Basketful of Heads, however, is as straightforward a horror comic as you could get. This is clearly a deliberate choice from Hill that adds to the nostalgic flavour of the book. Set in 1983, the story has a vibe clearly reminiscent of late 70s and early 80s horror movies, and of the material Hill’s father was writing around that time. He has also cited early Vertigo comics such as Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, and Arkham Asylum as key influences; fitting for one of the imprints launched in the wake of Vertigo’s end.

The first Hill House title to hit the shelves, Basketful of Heads is about a teenage girl forced to confront a gang of violent criminals, armed only with an ancient and mystic Viking axe. Mystic in what way? Well, it leaves the heads it severs still alive and capable of speech. This is as campy and fun as it sounds; classic B-movie horror comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The only thing that drags is the exposition around the villains, which gets slightly more complex than befits the story.

Leomacs’s artwork on Basketful of Heads is great, full of cinematic angles that complete the horror movie feel. The plentiful gore strikes the right balance of gruesome without being sickening. The looks of the characters, locations and vehicles all bring across the early 80s aesthetic very well. Veteran colorist Dave Stewart uses quite a faded, yellowy palette, giving the impression of a low budget movie from that era. The majority of the story takes place on a dark and stormy night, and Stewart creates the required atmosphere flawlessly as usual.

Basketful of Heads is fun, albeit slightly forgettable, B-movie fare. If you go into it with the right mindset, you should have a great time. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the Hill House books as they release the trades, so watch this space for more reviews.

Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 4.5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars

Overall: 4.5/5 Stars

Writer: Joe Hill
Artist: Leomacs
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Publisher: DC Comics

Author Profile

Yavi Mohan

Yavi Mohan is a comic writer (and more frequently, comic reader) based in London. He is frequently overwhelmed by the number of comics in his reading list, to the extent that it sometimes delays his reading. This list includes every issue ever published with Spider-Man as the main character.