Review – The Dollhouse Family #5: Into the Depths

The Dollhouse Family #5 – M.R. Carey, Joe Hill, Writers; Peter Gross, Layouts; Vince Locke, Finishes; Dan McDaid, Backup Artist; Cris Peter, John Kalisz, Colorists

Ratings:

Ray – 9/10

Ray: The Dollhouse Family #5, the penultimate issue of Carey and Gross’ original cross-generational chiller delivers in the answers we’re looking for, even if it’s at the cost of some of the chills we’re used to getting in every issue.

After the disappearance of Una last issue – and the disturbing sudden reversal of her mother’s disability as part of the deal with the dollhouse – Alice is suspect #1 in the police’s eyes and knows she’ll have to solve the mystery on her own. A look at historical documents reveals the truth about the other four residents of the dollhouse – both where they came from and what their tie is to Alice. That begins a journey into the unknown, as Alice heads to the place where it old began – the Kent estate of Cordwainer’s father, the man who began the curse. And inside she finds ghosts, echoes, and trouble as she’s arrested for trespassing before she can get to the real answers.

But that’s only the beginning of the story, as Alice discovers that she’s far more closely linked to the dollhouse and the house it originates from, and that she’s been given the key to fully unlock its secrets. Most of Dollhouse Family #5 is a bit of an infodump, but once the horror fully begins in the last few pages, it delivers in spades.

It has one of the most disturbing visuals I’ve seen in a comic in a while, and further emphasizes why this is far and away the best book in the Hill House line. With only one issue left, it’s hard to see how everything can be tied up, but we’re headed for a spectacular finale of a mother willing to literally descend into hell to rescue her daughter from an inhuman evil. If the final issue is as good as the series preceding it, it’s likely to go down as the best horror book to come out of DC in some time. Carey and Gross are about to deliver another entry in their near-perfect career.

To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.

Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.