It takes eight pounds of pressure to rip off a human ear. Considerably more force is needed for an arm or leg. Surprisingly, little effort, however, is needed to pull the guts out of someone and hang them from a tree.
These are the words that greet readers in Kalvin Ellis’s debut novel, In The Hills Above The Gristmill. A story about a podcaster named Paisley Mott who investigates a series of brutal murders in an Appalachian mining town.
I remember reading that opening and sitting up straighter. The opening line of a book is so important because it’s the hook that gets readers to turn the page and the next one and the next one. Kalvin’s work was a call to arms for me. Not only was I intrigued, but I just had that feeling that I had something special in my hands. Reading further only confirmed that.
In the Hills Above the Gristmill reads like you’ve uncovered a new Netflix documentary about murder and deception in a small town. There’s a sense of reality here – a reality that’s strange, perhaps even a little Twin Peaks-tinged – yet believable. It’s an incredibly fine line to walk; become too fantastical and you lose the grounded edge; become too believable, and readers may feel like they’re reading a newspaper instead of a horror novel.
One of the ways Ellis achieves this is by embracing something that a lot of genre fiction either avoids or paints only in a negative light: technology. Specifically, social media. The protagonist, Paisley Mott, is a podcaster. She has a fan base and keeps in contact with them via posts and tweets throughout the story. It’s a part of her life just as being online has become part of all ours.
Ellis has a refreshing take on social media. While he doesn’t sugarcoat it, Paisley’s online experience is mostly positive and doesn’t undermine any of the book’s tension or atmosphere. In fact, it cleverly manipulates the reader into second-guessing everyone’s true intentions, luring them further into the mystery.
It’s a thread that continues in the sequel, In The Grave Where The Bones Are Still Wet, where Paisley is recovering from the events of the first book while becoming embroiled in a modern-day Silence of the Lambs-style story. And the use of technology continues as Paisley receives help from a mysterious social media follower, and, again, the reader can’t be certain the aid is genuine.
In this impressive follow-up, readers get a sense that Ellis is no longer mirroring creative influences, but reflecting the real America of today, angst and all.
As if the Paisley Mott books aren’t enough, Ellis also contributed to the FrightVision series- middle-grade horror reminiscent of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series. Ellis’s book, Don’t Turn Around, follows Sam, a young boy with a passion for online gaming and a dispassion for homework. This creates a back-and-forth battle between parent and child as Sam’s mother wages war on his hobby by canceling the Wi-Fi. But Sam discovers a new game, one that doesn’t require the internet, a game called Don’t Turn Around where Sam inhabits a series of protagonists that attempt to flee from an unseen monster. A monster that Sam quickly realizes isn’t a work of fiction. 
Don’t Turn Around uses a classic Goosebumps trope of terrorizing a young protagonist through their vices, such as a video game obsession. However, Ellis does not take the stance that gaming is wrong; the obsession and what it costs are. The story is a clever update for fans wishing for more Goosebumps and Point Horror books. I urge readers to check this one out and the entire FrightVision series if you yearn for those kinds of reads.
Then there are the short stories. Ellis’s latest release is a collection called Bury My Body Somewhere Nice. I remember reading a foreword about Joe Hill where the author compared Hill to an all-rounder for his ability to produce novels, short stories, and graphic novels of such a high standard. I feel it’s safe to say Ellis is the same. His short stories are distinctly delicious. “Scissors: A Love Story” presents readers with a memoir of sorts from the perspective of a pair of sentient yet inanimate scissors. In “Atomic Despair,” readers are treated to a gorgeous piece of writing that hits all the feels before descending into gory mayhem. And in the title story, “Bury My Body Somewhere Nice,” the author flexes his comedy muscles in a story about body disposal. In other words, there’s something for everyone in this collection.
If you’re looking to be entertained with immersive thrills, Kalvin Ellis delivers. I hope you’ll take the time to check out his work.
You might find your next favorite book.
(Article by Jamie Stewart)
About the Authors
Jamie Stewart is a horror author and editor. His books include The Cult of Choiche, Something Wicked, Something Dark, Montague’s Carnival of Delights and Terror, Price Manor: The House That Bleeds, and I Hear The Clattering of the Keys (And Other Fever Dreams). He has co-edited anthologies such as Welcome to the Funhouse for Blood Rites Horror and The Sacrament.
He lives in Ireland with his wife, Claire. He can be found on Instagram @jamie.stewart.33 where he reviews and promotes books.
Kalvin Ellis is the author of In The Hills Above the Gristmill and In The Grave Where the Bones Are Still Wet, as well as an installment in the middle-grade FrightVision series called Don’t Turn Around. His recent release is a collection of short stories titled Bury My Body Somewhere Nice. He is also Co-Chair of the Colorado Chapter of the Horror Writers Association. You can connect with him on Instagram – @kalvinellis and on his website – kalvinellis.com
