Lullabies from Hell:

What evil lurks in the hearts of men? Hideshi Hino knows, and it seems this evil has leaked from his heart to his brain and fingertips, as this first English release by Dark Horse is dripping with the hideous heebie-jeebies. Where Scary Book is a bit more fun, Lullabies from Hell feels like getting strapped into a Disneyland ride where every cute animatronic robot is spurting blood out its eyes and is trying to kill you. The ride ends when the rickety cart carrying you spills into a gaping hole to Hell. If Hideshi Hino wasn't a successful horror manga writer, he surely would be a successful mental institution patient. His imagery is uniquely cute and creepy at the same time. Many of the realities he creates feel like a parallel world, just on the other side of this one (like in the story "Train of Terror"), but very dark and very wicked. The opening story, "Lullaby from Hell" is the real test of whether or not you are ready to enter Hino's heinous world. In this story a horror manga writer (Hino himself?) tells his sad life story. As can be expected, as a poor young lad, the writer gets little love and support from his delirious mother and his violent father. What he receives is mostly abuse and punches. As the writer gets older he finds he isn't as well-adjusted as he initially thought, but he has something better than a stable disposition... The ending of Lullaby from Hell comes from out of nowhere, and will take any and all readers by surprise. The remaining three stories are also extreme tales of horror. Hino understands the limitless nature of the manga genre, and in takes advantage of this in the oddly green-themed tale "Unusual Fetus - My Baby". What starts as a traditional told-around-the-campfire tale turns into a frantic story of survival in "Train of Terror". The regrettable and repulsive tale "Zoroku's Strange Disease" tugs at your heart-strings while sticking a finger down your throat. Lullabies from Hell is definitely not for everyone (especially younger readers), and if you are not familiar with J-horror, it might be a little much as a jumping-off point, (The Scary Book series might be a better introduction). But for those who like to laugh at children when they fall down and car accidents, Lullabies from Hell will be a perfect macabre match.

Japanese Horror Manga master Hideshi Hino is back with a new collection of terrifyinig tales in "Lullabies from Hell" from Dark Horse Books. Hino provides four gruesome stories including the title story, "A lullaby from Hell" which is an exaggerated (we hope!) autobiography of growing up as the weird little kid who had a mother who sang rather grotesque lullabies. When picked on by other kids, Hideshi soon realizes that he can make them die by whatever means he wishes, just by thinking it, and so not only takes care of the bullies, but his brother, father, Manga editor...and, he says the readers for reading this story! Next comes "Unsual Fetus--my Baby" in which a woman gives birth to a reptilian baby and raises it as her own. This is just the first of a worldwide phenomena where women give birth to animals due to ecological disasters. The end result is the doom of the human races since women are no longer giving birth to normal babies. "Train of Terror" finds a boy named Shuichi traveling on a train. When the train goes through a tunnel though, strange things start to happen. He pictures the other passengers with horrific, dark visages, and sees a mysterious dark cloaked man. He thinks he's safe at home until he sees his parents burying a body in the yard...and then coming after him. Poor Shuichi finds himself on the run from the entire world it seems in this nightmarish story. Finally, the bizarre "Zorokus Strange Disease" ends the book. A mentally handicapped man, covered with nasty, foul boils, is sent away by his family to live in a hut in the woods so his disease does not affect the rest of the village. This is a drippy, gooey, repugnant tale...I loved it! Hino's skewed, somewhat psychedelic art style is perfectly suited to the horrific, odd stories he writes. Another winner from the man who brought fans Hino Horror. Reviewed by Tim Janson