An unorthodox horror story, equal parts hidden worlds, lost love and mammoths, Heathentown
is that rarest of things—a genuinely unusual take on the undead. Anna Romano comes to Florida for the funeral of her friend Kit Durrel, a linguist who had worked with her in Africa and died there in a horrific incident of mob violence. The evening after the funeral, she visits Kit’s grave only to find another visitor already there—Kit herself. This leads to her discovery of a murderously strange culture of the walking dead living in the depths of the Everglades: those that are buried there come back, not so much revived as preserved by something of a ghoulish version of the Fountain of Youth. What follows is a breathless series of escapes and attempted rescues that is also simultaneously an emotional story of sacrifice and lost chances. Bechko and Hardman, who worked together on the Zuda Web comic the Crooked Man, are a perfectly matched team as Hardman’s beautiful, highly cinematic art captures the excitement and complex emotions of Bechko’s memorable and nuanced story. (Mar.)
