Cicada is a delicious pulpy horror novella, part of the Killer V/H/S collection that is published by Shortwave Media, written by Tanya Pell. An excellently paced story, which is not only an excellent homage to slasher films and to the final girl figure, imbued of a deserved feminine rage, creating the perfect set for making Ash shine (and I'm totally sure her name is not a coincidence).

Ash gets stranded with her loser boyfriend, Richie, in the strange town of Revelation, where a festival in honor of an obscure found-footage film, CICADA, is being celebrated. However, when strange things start to happen, she realizes that they are going to become part of the sequel, a big complot which explains many details that are part of the small rural town.

We cannot understand the character of Ash without thinking about the final girl role that was so classic in slasher movies; while she's definitely playing it, we can identify a stronger role, being fed up with Richie (who totally deserves the blame), and especially, surviving because she's decided and fights for it. Her interactions with the rest of the cast definitely led to some interesting situations that allows Pell to create a complex character.

The horror elements are well played, keeping some gore and violence, but playing into the trope of small rural town; the creatures are made with the lack of budget in mind, working more on those practical effects that look so well in VHS. Pacing is great, slowly escalating the madness into the final confrontation.

If you feel nostalgic of slasher/creature horror, but want to read something with a fresh take on it, Cicada by Tanya Pell is definitely an excellent election. Another hit in the Killer V/H/S series.