Every family has skeletons in the closet, but the Grimaldis keep something much worse in their basement.
Mad Cave Studios has announced Filthy Lambs, a new horror series from writer and letterer Pallie Paul Allor, artist Chris Evenhuis and colorist Sjan Weijers Launching in October, the series blends occult horror, family drama and dark comedy into a story about the hidden cost of inherited wealth.
“Writing Filthy Lambs, I wondered if the woman in the basement could hear the children laughing,” Allor said. “I knew she could smell the candles burning and feel the rope digging into her wrists. But could she hear the children? The birds screeching in the conservatory? Could she hear the family matriarch telling her children that the family is blessed? The family is not blessed. The family is haunted, not by ghosts, but by a contract forged in hell. They’re haunted by every warm and comfortable night they’ve spent in a house splattered by decades of blood.”
That family is the Grimaldis, whose generations of privilege are built on a contract with Hell. As their latest patriarch performs a gruesome ritual in the basement of the family estate, three generations of Grimaldis continue their comfortable lives upstairs, unaware that the infernal bargain sustaining their fortune is beginning to unravel. Their contract with “Their Lord Below” has 10 years left on it, but old bargains have a way of turning sour.
Evenhuis described the book as a blend of classic horror influences with an offbeat sense of humor.
“This night’s unholy ceremony will not be for the faint of heart,” Evenhuis said. “We’re skipping dinner… Or are we? Get ready to squirm, jump, run, scream, burst out laughing (only to soon regret having laughed; what is *wrong* with you?) A hefty dose of Hammer Horror, a pinch of Giallo, a touch of David Lynch. Clue. Yes, our latest gothic horror offering, Filthy Lambs!, is a book very close to my heart. Also because I, too, have ferocious creatures stalking the hallways of our ancient family manor.”
Colorist Sjan Weijers added that readers can expect “the old classic horror-vibe with monstrous family drama,” promising a story filled with “Dracula, Suspiria, fountains of blood and the slashing of old rich evil elites.”
Variants for the first issue are by Meghan Hetrick and Caitlin Yarsky:
Filthy Lambs #1 goes on sale Oct. 21. Mad Cave will also be exhibiting at San Diego Comic-Con this week at Booth #2806, where attendees can learn more about the publisher’s upcoming releases.