I Hate This Place comic review + D&D campaign guide

So you're looking for your next comic binge between sessions? Check out I Hate This Place (also delightfully titled F*ck This Place for the alternate variant covers), the horror comic mini-series from Kyle Starks and Artyom Topilin that's basically every horror trope you've ever loved gathered together on a cursed cattle ranch. And yes, this 10-issue comic series packed with ideas you can straight-up steal for your D&D campaign.

Why you should check it out

This Skybound/Image Comics series follows Gabby and Trudy, a couple who inherit a farmhouse and think they're about to live their best cottagecore life... except the property is a supernatural magnet that's been attracting ghosts, aliens, zombies, serial killers, and a terrifying entity for decades. Yeah, it's got everything.

Writer Kyle Starks (known for his hilarious work on Rick and Morty and Assassin Nation, among others) balances genuine scares with his signature wit, while artist Artyom Topilin delivers beautifully detailed, creepy visuals that perfectly capture each horror element. Colorist Lee Loughridge adds atmospheric depth that makes every shadow feel threatening.

Gabby and Trudy's relationship dynamics give the horror real emotional stakes, and makes you feel like you're not just watching people run from monsters; you're watching a couple try to build a life together while their dream home actively tries to kill them.

The series ran for 10 issues total (across two volumes), giving you a complete arc of supernatural chaos, and a perfect horror comic gateway for fans of The Cabin in the Woods and Evil Dead.

THB tips for running this in your D&D campaign

The Cursed Manor plot hook

Have your players inherit, discover, or be hired to investigate a remote property (farmhouse, manor, keep) that's experiencing "unusual activity." Start with one obvious threat (try specters for lower level parties or ghosts and wraiths for more difficulty), then layer in complications as sessions progress. It can be anything! Zombies rising from the nearby graveyard or a hooded figure stalking the woods at night. The key is making each threat feel connected to the location itself, like the property is a magnet for horror.

Create your own "haunted house rules"

Design a list of supernatural rules the property enforces with specific consequences or encounters that occur if the party breaks them.

You can have the party discover these rules a lot of different ways:

• through cryptic notes left by previous occupants

• ability checks (your choice)

• failed attempts with horrible consequences

• by watching NPCs break them

The fun is in players figuring out the pattern and then deciding whether following the rules is actually keeping them safe or playing into something worse.

Survival Horror Resource Management

Borrow the series' claustrophobic tone by treating the location as a survival scenario rather than a dungeon crawl.

• Limit long rests (the property makes true rest nearly impossible)

• Have the party manage dwindling supplies

• Escalate the supernatural threats the longer they stay.

Suddenly light sources become precious, your spellcasters are more frugal with those spell slots , and every healing potion matters. To turn things up a bit more, try adding a ticking clock: maybe there's only a limited window when escape is possible, OR someone important is trapped deeper inside and won't last much longer.

The cursed ranch is coming to your console!

If reading I Hate This Place isn’t enough, Broken Mirror Games (under Bloober Team’s new horror label) has developed an isometric survival horror game set in the same universe but taking place in the 80s.

You’ll play as Elena, a new protagonist who accidentally awakens a malevolent force on the cursed property. The game features bold 80s colors, day/night cycles that affect gameplay, crafting and base-building mechanics.

A demo was available during Steam Next Fest in October 2025, so you can wishlist it now and get a taste of the nightmare before the full release January 29, 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.

Ready to checkout?

Grab I Hate This Place Vol. 1 ( here ) & Vol. 2 ( here ) on Amazon or at your local comic shop. And if you’re in Glendale, AZ, make sure you stop by Drawn To Comics in downtown Glendale! Everybody there is super friendly, especially the owner Ken Brown, and John has some really great recommendations for comics (thank you again for suggesting Killadelphia!).

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