When things look grim … never forget the past.
Creative Staff:
Writers: Joe Brusha
Artwork: Babisu Kourtis
Colors: Leonardo Paciarotti
Letters: Taylor Esposito
What They Say:
Paradise Court is supposed to be the idyllic place to live but Amy has found out that behind the community’s pristine lawns and beautiful houses, it is nothing but a nightmare. She’s seen past the facade and found something sinister lurking in the shadows. Her story comes to an end with a twist so shocking, you will never look at your neighbor the same way again.
Content (please note that portions of review may contain spoilers):
The neighborhood is eerily foreboding as Amy and Christian find themselves alone within the confines of Paradise Court: lights are out, people are absent, no cell phone service and worst of all – they cannot find any of their friends. Within this creepy environment the scared red head has surrendered to her innermost fears, and no amount of smoothing words will calm his girlfriend from this state of hopelessness. She remembers the death of her parents by that murderer and eventually thinks the people who accompanied them to this nightmare have all met the same fate, bringing Amy into a more melancholic state with each passing minute. But Christian constantly urges her forward to find a way out, however each exit they try seems to be mysteriously locked, herding them into the one person they did not want to met, the one stalking them this whole time – the Ram’s Head Killer. As this menacing persona confronts them with knife in hand they have no choice than to run, only to find a grisly trophy blocking the way until they are cornered and Christian gets in a lucky kick stunning him, allowing a frantic boost over the wall to give Amy a chance to escape and get help.
While Christian frantically looks for a weapon to defend himself, Amy flees in panic around the compound’s outer wall until she sees the familiar face of Janey emerging from the shadows. As the two old friends catch up on events, panic ensues once they receive a text from Rich stating he saw Barry carrying away the unconscious boyfriend; even as her friend insists on waiting for the police, Amy will not allow another to fall and asks if her husband knows where this psychopath took him – and unfortunately it is the same place where Amy first had her suspicions, the cave in the canyon. Insisting Janey wait for her outside, the brave woman dares to enter where this escapade all began, cautiously feeling her way along the rocky walls until she emerges into a torch lit opening with Christian barely awake, feet and hands bound. After cutting him free, Amy leads the way back to the entrance but they are stopped by a wall of black cloaked figures with hoods drawn, and in the middle of this crowd is their pursuer the Ram’s Head Killer. Is this truly the end or is there any way out from this nightmare?
In Summary:
I sincerely hoped Paradise Court would be a refreshing departure from clichéd horror stories that we have been inundated by in recent times, but with an ending slowly tumbling down into mediocrity, sadly it appears this title concludes with a whimper than a resounding fight against terror. When we were first introduced to Amy she gave us a glimmer of optimism as opposed to other fright film heroines, she had a chilling backstory concerning similar circumstances, thus giving her the resolve to fight back once she came to know the truth within the community. And with Barry cast as the creepy neighbor with a sinister secret, everything appeared set to allow the protagonist an entry into the hidden world within the community, and yet writer Joe Brusha shamelessly skips over these choice opportunities to venture into formulaic tangents gleaned from this genre. Even with the convenient stranger who warned about danger and flashbacks to haunting memories, none of these indications were seriously heeded and instead brushed aside to allow Amy to succumb to panic attacks which erased any bravery to confront the past. And yet it seemed as if these sincere injections of fortitude allowed the story to proceed toward a confident path, even as events grew darker, Amy still was determined to find the truth, allowing the reader to anticipate a sudden venture into the unknown where someone actually wins against the villain. The audience was sympathetic to Amy, wanting her to succeed in confronting her past and winning against the darkness, but then … all of her self confidence collapsed once her friends began to disappear. Why build up the story with positive inklings of sincerity if it is going to be struck down in the end? Readers anticipated something different but as we neared the conclusion, Brusha fell into the same pitfall as all other teen scream movies – a heroine who appears to have the confidence to face her fears but then collapses into the frail girl who needs a strong man to protect her. Why create a moving background if there is no intention to follow through?
Even with a narrative which loses steam as we reach our goal, the series still creates a stunning visual tapestry of intrigue and passive horror due to a dynamic display of Babisu Kourtis’ subdued tension embodied within these pages and the muted and suffocating colors by Leonardo Paciarotti. We have enjoyed this artistic team’s enshrouding panorama since the beginning and this finale does not waste any of these chilling effects, opening with a striking panel showing the truth behind Paradise Court’s haunting community layout – a human skull, reminiscent of some an Aztec ceremonial plaza. You cannot but smile to see this image was planned for optimal shock, allowing the reader to understand there is no place safe as we delve into the closing act for this warped story. You cannot but feel sorry for Amy and Christian with this new found knowledge as they frantically race around the neighborhood, somber tones eclipsed by shadow amplifying the sheer terror they must feel as the past and present collide, only to be stopped in place with the appearance of the Ram’s Head Killer. And it is Paciarotti’s noteworthy choice of contrasting crimson and blacks playing off each other, tying the scene together as we watch the grimacing details blend into a sickening tale. Even the normally comical overexaggerated text effects work with action lines to magnify the conflict, allowing the reader to follow each panel with smooth transition, never allowing the audience to take a break from the excitement. You have the cinematographic presence of a thrilling horror movie and all that is missing is an enticing soundtrack to announce the events with audio cues. However as we reach the midway point, even this amazing synergy of images and colors begins to dwindle once the familiar darkness of a creepy cave makes its presence known, slowing dragging down the progression into one of recognition and the audience screaming at the screen to watch out for the obvious. It is a shame the story was so predictable since it in turn ruins the captivating scenery of what could have been an intriguing and enticing display of their talents.
Paradise Court began as a promising tale of the past clashing with the present, and while the genre is familiar as to breed predictability, you became enamored by Amy’s history and in turn to sympathize with her suffering as the story unfolded. However while the premise was intriguing, it soon began to lose any planned seriousness once the tale unraveled into familiarity and thus tumbled into another blasé attempt of baseless horror. However the main reason I found the title ultimately unsatisfying is due to the fact that all Zenescope’s female heroes are brave and determined, allowing their own skills and abilities to conquer any fear they face within in a struggle, but this series falls flat of this ideal. Instead we find Amy starting off with this personality, but as the narrative unfolds she is reduced to the Damsel in Distress who needs a big strong man to come to the rescue … a serious blow to the tale. I wish they could have carried the original foundation along to the end, but as of now, all we are left with is a mediocre teen scream film which may be good for a bit of a chill, but it leaves the audience wanting more.
Grade: C+
Series Grade: B+
Age Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: November 28, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
