To The Last Page

One of the characteristics that make Junji Ito a master of horror, aside from his own imagination and creativity, is the way his stories are often connected to Japanese folk character and tradition. It's something that all the best horror writers do, tapping into mythology and dark fears rooted in traditions that have an element of the eerie or bizarre about them. That's true about at least two of the stories in this new collection, but there are other deep concerns related to recent social and health issues that seem to have influenced and added to how Ito approaches the dark turns each of these stories take. In his afterword, Ito talks about how these stories may have only made it to the light of day because of the Covid lockdown. Developed from sketches of ideas that had been around for a long time, it seemed the right time to let his imagination and talent loose on them. The fevered aspect of the stories certainly reflects some of the concerns and fears going through his an...