Kids who grew up in the 80s, especially those who come from religious upbringings, remember the phrase “Satanic 
Panic.” Those kids might remember it as a time when many pop culture properties, from Dungeons & Dragons to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, were considered gateway hobbies that could lead children to embrace Satan and commit acts in his name. Far more nefarious were accusations that schools and educators were drawing children into Satan’s eager embrace. Many of these were seemingly corroborated by child victims who’d had their recollections manipulated through unsubstantiated psychological techniques.
Fast forward years later, and Ed Brubaker, who was a teenager in the 80s, has already written comic stories like Criminal and Where the Body Was, along with his frequent artistic collaborator Sean Phillips. The two once again join forces to tell a story of the Satanic Panic’s aftermath in Houses of the Unholy.
Protagonist Natalie Burns was once a member of the infamous Satanic Six, a group of children who testified to satanic abuse by people they trusted, even though, as an adult, she isn’t sure what, if anything, took place. An adult Natalie helps rescue people from cults (for the right price) but the past comes roaring back when FBI agent West, an expert in cult cases, asks for her help in investigating a killer who might be evoking the demons that Natalie no longer believes in. As she and Agent West dig deeper into the case, Natalie starts to remember the past that she tried desperately to forget.
Brubaker’s story is straight-up noir with just the smallest sprinkle of Satanic evil. Rather than use supernatural tropes like demonic possession and summoning, Brubaker keeps the focus on the terror caused by human beings and the trauma caused by a strict religious upbringing supercharged with paranoia. Interspersed between the pursuit of a serial killer/road trip is Natalie reliving her past with her overly religious mother along with moments that showed how she couldn’t quite escape from under the shadow of being one of the Satanic Six. In this hyper-realistic world created by Brubaker and illustrated by Phillips, whose human characters are illustrated with all their bodily flaws and morose faces, many of the demons that plague these characters are of the personal variety.
While there are no horned demons flying around possessing people, that’s not to say demons (and the fear they create) don’t permeate this book. Phillips adds several pictures of these demons, along with other examples of both religious and satanic iconography, that read like the front of tabloid newspapers from that era, all done in a grisly red the color of spilled blood. It’s a similar red that’s used later in the book during a scene that, while not showing demons taking to the skies, creates an overall apocalyptic tone as the story barrels to an ambiguous but thought-provoking conclusion.
While working on supernatural books like Fatale and superhero books like Sleeper, Brubaker and Phillips have mainly built their reputation for creating bleak, blood-soaked noir, and this book maintains a modern noir feel throughout. The evil it reveals is as lacking in the supernatural as the panic that made Dungeons & Dragons seem to some like a gateway to Satan. The book may not satisfy those looking for demonic horror but it could be great for adult fans who know that evil in society never needed Satan’s help.
Houses of the Unholy
By Ed Brubaker
Art by Sean Phillips
Image, 2024
ISBN: 9781534327429
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)
