The words “meta” and “horror” weren’t typically mentioned together until the 1996 movie “Scream.” Not only did the movie revitalize 
the waning slasher genre, but it also serves as a blueprint as to how a movie can still entertain audiences while explaining the tropes it uses. Since the premier of Scream and its multiple sequels, horror movies have been given permission to give audience members well-versed in horror permission to get a good look behind the blood-streaked curtain. This has, in fact, become a trope in itself, one that has been adopted by Murder Kingdom, a garish, grim, and gory tale written by Fred Van Lente and illustrated by Chris Panda. Not only does this story stick the knife into the slasher genre, but it also eviscerates the notorious magical theme park down in Florida.
Tanith is disillusioned because, as the conductor of the Rock Candy Mountain Railroad, she has experienced the hardships of creating the magic at Storybook Kingdom theme park. Thanks in part to Tanith’s red locks, she is called away from her conducting duties to do meet-and-greets as princess Briar Rose. Unfortunately, the actress Tanith replaced is murder by a Girl with No Hands (a fairy tale character) and as more and more people are dispatched in methods taken from Grimms’ Fairy Tales, Tanith must find the killer to keep her own story from prematurely ending.
Those who have worked in theme parks (or in any job involving customer service) might find the horrors Tanith endures, such as leering fathers and the errant ashes of loved ones, just as awful as the prospect of a possible killer running around. Van Lente’s story follows all the slasher tropes, from red herrings to characters serving as convenient infodumps, but it saves its sharpest knives for the fairytale land it occupies, from skewering the sanitizing of what were quite gruesome children’s stories to exposing the corporate machinations behind the magic.
Rather than simply being a copy of Walt Disney World with enough changes to avoid Disney’s lawyers, Storybook Kingdom feels like a realized theme park, which is helped by Chris Panda’s illustrations. Everything from the overall look of the park to its underground tunnels (which do exist underneath Walt Disney World) have a look that balances authenticity and artifice. The colors seen here are vivid and vibrant, especially the reds when someone’s innards are exposed. Some of Panda’s artwork even has the look and feel of a page pulled from a storybook that could give young reader nightmares. With the ending leaving room for a sequel (as great slashers do), it will be interesting to see what kind of theme park aesthetics Panda creates next.
If Murder Kingdom is an ongoing series, this issue might be a good one for adult librarians to add for their horror and Disney loving patrons, particularly if those Disney/horror fans have a sense of humor. Even slasher fans who hate Disney might want to check it out because, as “Scream” has proven, sometimes the most memorable slashers are those who can make fun of themselves.
Murder Kingdom
By Fred Van Lente
Art by Chris Panda
Mad Cave Studios, 2025
ISBN: 9781960578785
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)
