I must have been living under a rock, because all these years of reading Japanese literature had failed to unearth the work of Junji Ito. Ito is well reknowned for his horror stories, and the fact he illustrates his own work too. I wonder if part of the success of his writing is having the ability to articulate his imagination with ink, allowing him to execute his stories exactly as they were conjured in his mind.
Drawn in by the intriguing title, I had no idea just how much nightmare fuel I was about to digest in Ito’s latest manga. Tombs is a collection of short stories, celebrating horror at its most macabre and disturbing. In the title story we see a terrible accident take place in a strange mountain town, where tombstones grow from the bodies of the dead. This is a truly chilling reading experience, and just as melancholy as it was horrifying – guilt twisted with grief.
In another story, a grotesque creature tries to seduce her young neighbour through his window at night. More than any of the other stories for me, this especially showed how Ito is an expert at tapping into raw human fear. Who isn’t chilled to the bone at the thought of their home not being safe anymore? Or their loved ones acting strangely unlike themselves? Or of people just unhinged enough to cause them the very worse harm?
This incredible collection lets you experience horror in so many of its guises. Some stories are gory and grotesque, whereas others more nuanced, the creepiness digging quietly under your skin and lingering there long after you’ve read the last page. For me, that kind of kick is the joy of the horror genre, and I can’t wait to read more of what Ito has to offer.
*I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
★★★★★ (5/5)
