Steven Spielberg and Stephen King have a baby

I enjoyed my time with the Dust Bunnies from Hell, which is more than our protagonist Krista can say. A light-hearted horror that brings to mind a Gremlins with cuter antagonists and more likeable characters, Dust Bunnies does take some refuge in comedy in order to soften the blow the hellish torment of the story has on its cast, but never leans too far into it to cause a distraction. Comedy is used as a sharpening tool on an already potent horror tale. Underneath the surface is the heart-breaking story of a young genius stuck in the liminal space between girlhood and adulthood, in a world full of antagonism and prejudice. This gives us the kind of grounded, harsh setting that evokes memories of Stephen King's It and Carrie.

Kirby really captures Krista's voice. Unlike most narrators who read in the first person, Kirby speaks as if she is actually playing the role of Krista telling the story. At times, she sounds incredulous, stunned, confused, disgusted, and amused, just as her character would. A wonderful skill that really hooks in the listener.

Erickson uses the little space he has to give us a narrative packed full of foreshadowing and character building. The story does take a while to really get going, and we do spend some time with some characters that don't stick around or add much to the overall plot, but don't let this throw you off - everything happens for a reason, even if it is something like accidentally infesting your apartment building with self-replicating, blood-thirsty dust monsters.

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