House of Rot, by Danger Slater
The Book
Synopsis:
The pink mold growing on the walls isn’t the worst thing about Elenya and Myles’ brand new fixer upper. There’s also the inexplicable footsteps in the night; the sealed-over windows and doors; the neighbor that hears their screams but can’t be bothered to help. Soon, there’s no leaving at all. No hope of cleaning. And that encroaching mold? It’s practically become a second skin. Welcome to the House of Rot . You’re never getting out.
My Review (3.75 out of 5 )
House of Rot is a weird horror novella, written by Danger Slater, and published by Tenebrous Press. An exploration of body horror and fungus horror, while being a veiled critic of the precarious situation many people enter in order to acquire a house.
We meet Eleyna and Myles, a happy couple that is entering their first apartment, happy and full of dreams; the prize of the apartment is too good to be true, but sometimes, luck smiles on normal people.
Some weird noises are heard the first night on it, but after a search, nothing seems to happen. However, when they get up in the morning, the house is covered in mold; filaments have sealed all the possible exits, making the couple prisoners in their own house. To add salt to the wound, their weird neighbour is observing from the outside, and not doing anything to help them.
Soon, the fungus has taken over the house, invading all possible surfaces, and it is starting to affect our protagonists. With this premise, we are spectators of their demise, how they change due to the invasion of their bodies, an exploration of body horror.
I read it whole in an afternoon, being an enjoyable experience despite its flaws; the pacing is a bit off, and personally, I think Brad ended up being a flat character, outside of incarnating a stereotype.
Said that, I think if you are looking for some weird horror, with a social critique implied, House of Rot will be an awesome read for you (and it is enhanced by the illustrations). Slater creates an interesting concept and explores it in a really original way.
