Misha knows that chasing success in Hollywood can be hell.

But finally, after years of trying to make it, his big moment is here: an Oscar nomination. And the executives at the studio for his long-running streaming series know just the thing to kick his career to the next level: kill off the gay characters, “for the algorithm,” in the upcoming season finale.

Misha refuses, but he soon realizes that he’s just put a target on his back. And what’s worse, monsters from his horror movie days are stalking him and his friends through the hills above Los Angeles.

Haunted by his past, Misha must risk his entire future―before the horrors from the silver screen find a way to bury him for good.

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle is not only entertaining horror but also insightful and powerful fiction. From the very introduction, the reader is plunged into what it takes in Hollywood to not only be creative but to embrace your identity. The simmering horror blends the real world horror of being forced to assimilate to be successful and the price of capitalism but adds in the sheer horror of having your own creations attempting to kill you. 

What makes this so powerful and emotional is how haunted Misha is by his past. The character is complex as he struggles with his identity and risks everything for his friends. What I found even creepier than the first half though was the resolution as Misha finds a way to survive but the new horror facing him is sugar varnished art that lacks realism. It is a great insight into how capitalism will change what is offered as art but always with a price. It also shows that great horror can actually show us what it means to be alive and how to find ourselves.

If you like Chuck Tingle and his previous horror, this one will take you to new places. It is insightful and powerful as it delves into Hollywood and the price of success, how art can challenge our beliefs and show us how to embrace our identity but also how difficult it can be to fight the status quo, how much of yourself you must rip out to keep your dream alive. This is horror with heart and the ending will truly make you think.

Rating: 5 out of 5 creations