Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Halloween Special #1 Review | Trick or Treat, Somebody’s Getting Buried!

Yo, fam, Halloween in this neighborhood is a whole different kind of messed up! Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees is back with a Halloween Special, and these adorable little woodland maniacs are proving once again that cute faces don’t mean a damn thing when somebody’s got murder on the brain. Patrick Horvath created a world where everybody looks like they belong on a children’s lunchbox, except half these fools belong on a police watchlist. Now he’s invited a bunch of creators into his twisted playground. Trick or treat? More like pick your poison, hermano!

The special kicks things off around a campfire, with Riley and the crew swapping scary stories like a bunch of kids trying to outdo each other after somebody’s uncle told them not to wander into the woods. Horvath handles the framing material, and I dig how naturally these characters bounce off each other. Everybody’s got an attitude, somebody’s always talking slick, and the jokes land because these little animals behave like actual people instead of walking punchlines. There’s even an astronaut wandering around with his own strange little nightmare. The whole thing feels like one of those old horror anthologies you discovered way too young and immediately refused to put down.

Che Grayson’s story, illustrated by Matt Emmons, takes that astronaut business into some wonderfully deranged territory. There’s a neighborhood mystery, a missing kid, and one seriously unsettling encounter with a familiar-looking bear. Emmons gives the pages this storybook sweetness before turning the whole situation upside down. That blood-soaked bear reveal is straight-up nightmare fuel, especially when you consider how harmless the character looks at first glance. The pacing gets a little crowded once everything starts coming apart, but the payoff has enough nasty personality to leave a mark.

Tony Fleecs and Dave Wachter come through with a tale that gets considerably uglier, and I mean that as a compliment. Their contribution follows a family situation that’s already rotten before the violence starts flying. Wachter’s artwork has a grimy, bruised quality that separates it from the softer material surrounding it. The animal expressions are grotesquely human, the violence feels mean, and the page compositions make excellent use of sudden movement. There’s a sequence involving a furious bear that practically roars off the paper. Yo, somebody get this family a restraining order and a therapist!

Jared Cullum handles Nate’s story entirely, including the writing, artwork, and lettering, and his contribution brings a different kind of tension. Instead of leaning on constant bloodshed, Cullum builds a claustrophobic little survival nightmare around a character trapped in circumstances that keep getting worse. His loose, expressive drawings sell the confusion beautifully, while the cooler colors and tight panel arrangements make the setting feel increasingly hostile. The physical comedy almost tricks you into laughing before the danger comes swinging back around. That’s a slick balance, and Cullum knows exactly how long to hold a moment before twisting the knife.

James Tynion IV and Tyler Boss tackle Fiona’s story, which might be the most unsettling contribution of the bunch because it digs into obsession, creative frustration, and the ugly places somebody’s imagination can take them. Boss plays with perspective and visual rhythm, making ordinary interiors feel increasingly uncomfortable. The bright, almost innocent presentation works against the disturbing subject matter, especially when the imagery turns grotesque. Tynion doesn’t need a big speech explaining the darkness. He lets the character’s behavior do the talking. That final stretch? Ay bendito, somebody check this raccoon’s sketchbook!

The artwork throughout this special deserves serious love because each contributor brings a recognizable personality without making the book feel like five completely unrelated comics stapled together. Horvath’s opening and closing sequences provide the connective tissue, while the shifting approaches to color, facial expression, and page design give every story its own identity. Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou handles the lettering across the material not otherwise credited, keeping the dialogue lively and the horror beats readable. Jared Cullum letters his own contribution, and the difference in presentation feels deliberate rather than distracting. Nathan Widick’s design work helps pull the whole package together.

Now, not every story gets enough breathing room. That’s the headache with horror anthologies. One minute you’re getting comfortable with a character, the next somebody’s screaming, bleeding, or running for their life, and suddenly we’re moving along. A couple of endings arrive quicker than I’d like, especially when the concepts could easily support longer stories. The tonal jumps can also be pretty wild. One contribution has you chuckling at these goofy little woodland weirdos, then the next reminds you that this town is basically a crime scene with a gift shop. Still, I’d rather have an anthology take chances than serve me five variations of the same predictable scare.

Horvath wraps everything up with the kind of wicked humor that made this property such a standout in the first place. Underneath the costumes, campfire stories, and Halloween nonsense, there’s a rotten little community full of secrets, resentment, and people who really shouldn’t be trusted with sharp objects. This special understands its audience. It gives us the familiar charm, lets some talented creators get gloriously weird, and leaves enough blood on the leaves to justify the trip. Not every scare is a knockout, but the overall package is a nasty little Halloween treat.

CRUSADERS SCORE:
4/5

Creator: Patrick Horvath
Opening, Closing & Interstitials
Writer & Artist: Patrick Horvath
Riley’s Story
Writer: Che Grayson
Artist: Matt Emmons
Sean’s Story
Writer: Tony Fleecs
Artist: Dave Wachter
Nate’s Story
Writer, Artist & Letterer: Jared Cullum
Fiona’s Story
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Tyler Boss
Additional Lettering: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Design: Nathan Widick
Editor: Jake Williams
Publisher: IDW Publishing / IDW Dark