July 29, 2024
An eerie encounter at the start of an ordinary suburban family’s summer road trip sets the stage for spooky shenanigans in this uneven supernatural comedy from Kilmer (Hex Education). Narrator Leigh Somerset is a 42-year-old mother of three embarking with her family on a drive from their Wisconsin home to the Magic Land amusement park in Florida when car trouble diverts them from the highway to the ruins of a burned-down house in rural Indiana. Leigh’s oldest daughter discovers that the house is referenced online in urban legends of hauntings and her son confesses that he took a locket buried on its grounds, both of which help to explain weird events that occur at the family’s every stop thereafter, including spirit manifestations, inexplicable earthquakes, and clocks mysteriously resetting themselves to 11:15. Kilmer’s account of the exasperating parental headaches Leigh and her husband endure trying to rein in their rambunctious kids is sure to elicit smiles, but the explanation for why their family has been targeted by this particular haunt is a long time coming, revealed in an ending that stretches credibility even as it tugs on the heartstrings. This is strictly for committed fans of supernatural lite. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary.
December 6, 2024
Kilmer's (Hex Education) lighthearted tale of a haunted road trip has more in common with the comedy film National Lampoon's Vacation than the horror movie Poltergeist. Leigh Somerset was gamely looking forward to a family road trip from Milwaukee to Magic Land in Orlando. She and her husband Nick had everything planned for a fun-filled vacation their kids will never forget. What neither Nick nor Leigh anticipates is a stop at the wreckage of an Indiana farmhouse where they pick up a ghost who seems intent on not only ruining their vacation but tormenting the entire family, especially Leigh. Fans of Kilmer's horror debut, Suburban Hell, will find many of the same sitcom moments mixed with supernatural dread. Listeners will also empathize with harried mother Leigh, thanks to narrator Khristine Hvam, who ably portrays her as a woman experiencing supernatural terrors while desperately keeping a dutiful smile on her face. Husband Nick, like fellow father Clark from the Vacation movies, entertains as he comically watches his plans fall apart. VERDICT Fans of quirky suburban comedy like Christopher Moore's work or those who've been on vacations from hell may find themselves laughing at and commiserating with the Somersets' plight.--James Gardner
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