Behind the Scenes with Son M. and MadCursed
The new supernatural horror thriller Something Crawled Out slinks into the shadows between Silence of the Lambs and Something is Killing the Children. Set in the forgotten corners of the American Midwest, this genre-defying comic is a blood-spattered love letter to small-town terror, twisted friendships, and the unforgivable things we’ll do for family. With chilling art and unflinching storytelling, Something Crawled Out is the next must-read for fans of psychological horror comics, violent thrillers, and horror that cuts to the bone.
Co-creators Son M. and MadCursed take readers inside the making of Something Crawled Out, from thematic obsessions to artistic inspirations, and the unholy bond between Eddie and Rainer at the heart of it all.
“SOMETHING CRAWLED OUT emerged from a need to explore the relationship of Midwest small towns and the eruption of attractive cities not too far off the road from them. I love midwestern horror, I love the middle of nowhere, the rest stop at the edge of a town, just off the exit of a highway.
These places feel temporary to passersby but whole lives are born and raised there. Outside of just the locale, I really wanted SCO to explore the feeling of an ‘aggressive final girl.’ Often times, in the classic slasher film, the final girl is reacting until the turning point — merely surviving before she decides to take action. One of my favorite movies is YOU’RE NEXT, which explores a more active final girl. Someone competent enough to immediately get the context and act on it.
Eddie is an extreme — she realizes what is happening to her sister Charolette and immediately takes action. The big elephant in the room is that she’s not kind about it. She’s vicious, bloodthirsty in her own right, and completely willing to do the wrong thing for what she considers to be the right reasons. She’s not a palpable final girl, she might even be the worst killer in the whole series. But I wanted you to root for her nonetheless, I wanted you to be a part of her devilish journey.
With Rainer, what was really awesome to explore was the reluctant ‘Devil’ type. Someone with all the power to be the worst version of themselves, the strongest entity in the room — and yet, his near co-dependency with Eddie is what makes him spiral. I just think it’s neat!"
— Son M.
Where Son M. dives into the emotional stakes and character psychology behind Something Crawled Out, artist MadCursed offers an inside look at the visual language of the book, one that blends stylish action, creeping dread, and haunting intimacy. From manga to muscle cars, MadCursed's vision enhances the tension at every turn, delivering a horror comic that feels as cool as it is cruel.
“I was immediately caught, the first time I read the plot, by the violence that Son portrayed.
Putting myself whole into it and make every frame as I imagined them, from my action movies-influenced way of thinking, has been an immense satisfaction. Once the dynamic I wanted to create began to be clearer, my plan was to drag the readers in with the characters handsome looking and ordinary despite their crooked vibes, that it would be too late to put down when the violence crawled already into the pages between everyone's fingers.
By intertwining my personal interests and emotions, I wanted to craft a narrative rhythm that truly captured the story's distinctive vibe as I painted it; somehow brutal but comforting.
My goal was melt the influences I got from manga into the darkest style I could experiment; this heightened the unsettling emotions that threaded through the tale.
The harmony was there, so this story had to be recognisable as a perfect mix!
Creating this series has been a wild ride, between a lot of binge watching, coffee and dancing on the only music genre you could listen to in a Ford Mustang."
— MadCursed
What is Something Crawled Out?
In the dying town of Welling Grove, Eddie Miller doesn’t have much—until the night her sister disappears. When the police fail her, she takes matters into her own hands, uncovering a gruesome pattern of missing girls and unspoken evil. But Eddie’s not your average heroine. She’s violent. She’s reckless. And her only ally might be a devil in disguise.
From its gritty small-town setting to its ferocious lead and disturbing twists, Something Crawled Out delivers horror that bites back. For fans of supernatural thrillers, psychological horror comics, and final girls with blood on their hands, this is one story you won’t put down-until it’s too late.
Shop Something Crawled Out
Something Crawled Out the graphic novel is now available for order at bookstores and online retailers.