Things never end well with cults, just look back through history and you will see what I mean.
Having said that, they are becoming quite popular within mainstream culture again, whether it’s Midsommar, American Horror Story, or Delilah S. Dawson’s House of Idyll.
Dawson takes the age-old tale of a person obsessed with a rock group and gives it a fresh spin.
We follow Angelina, who is waiting tables while dreaming of becoming a musician herself. One night she is given the opportunity to meet her idols, the band Black Idyll at a remote retreat, and despite the obvious red flags she goes along.
What makes House of Idyll stand out is that it is as much an erotic story as it a trippy horror one.
Not everything is always what it seems, even for Angelina, who is our straight person in the tale. Seeing a narrative from a certain point of view and potentially shattering it to serve the plot is one of Dawson’s big strengths.
It does have a little lull as it readjusts for its twisted finale, but House of Idyll feels like it breaks new ground and for that it should be commended, especially in a crowded horror market.
House of Idyll by Delilah S. Dawson is available now in various formats from Titan Books.
Bloody Flicks 