Still haunted by the horrors they survived underwater, Ander and Liam arrive at Knotty Oak Ski Lodge, a remote Minnesota retreat, searching for answers about Ander's crystal necklace. But the lodge is already hosting an annual New Year's Eve reunion for the cast of the classic sitcom Neighbors. When a blizzard traps everyone in the lodge, the festive mood quickly turns to terror after Ander once again unleashes something monstrous. As the storm rages outside, a vengeful spirit wreaks havoc inside, turning the cozy lodge into an icy, blood-soaked tomb. When laughter turns to screams, can Ander defeat the killer before the snow is stained red?
This was a spectacular effort that comes together incredibly well. That this features one of the strongest storylines in the series, as long as the initial goofiness of the pair ending up at the ski lodge isn't off-putting with the two getting into a car accident on the way there and being stranded during a snowstorm coming off as somewhat cliche, but past that this is quite fun. The rest of the story involving them getting to hang out for a special New Years' Eve celebration at the location which is being hosted as a secret gathering for a beloved sitcom cast that they share a special connection with gives this the typically heartwarming beginning to everything with everyone getting together, meeting the few staff left to care for everyone, and the special treatment that exists with them and the cast that develops during their stay. The series of secrets and personal history that comes to the forefront is littered with dozens of hidden references and in-jokes that keep it light, even with the horrific allegations being levied against each other that should've turned them into unlikable irritants that they could've easily turned into.
Moreover, the continuation of several series-long themes is brought up, which makes for a closely tied connection to the previous books. There's far more depth and emotional resonance between the two leads as they explore the physical boundaries in their relationship, continuing on from meeting together in the first one and having their first kiss in the second. Now a full-blown couple and looking to go further despite some reluctance and hesitation, the implications of their status now, after making the steps they have here, make for a great throughline that makes them even more relatable and fun to follow along. There's also quite a bit of depth explored into the use of the crystal necklace and what some of its characteristics are about, giving this some great extra context involving the glowing properties it exhibits whenever something dangerous is about to happen, or the meaning behind the different colors. The hints at upcoming information to be revealed about how it connects them together over time is a strong hint at what the future might entail is a great way to bring that about as well.
There's also the great condition of continuing the series' stellar and standout series of slashing elements. The killer's backstory and appearance make for a striking impression once he gets involved in the story, as once again it takes a while going through the arrival at the lodge and meeting up with the cast going through their reunion there, but the killer is still imposing and quite impressive in his dispatch methods. The sense of brutality and sheer inhuman cruelty displayed here is immensely enjoyable to imagine playing out with the carnage featured here, involving some getting their skin melted off in a furnace, being frozen solid and shattered against hard flooring, impaled with ice spears ripping through multiple parts of the body, and hacked up with a hatchet among others. As there's even a full-on torture sequence leaving the body in pieces, there's a lot of bloodshed that comes about here through the constant action in the second half to make everything feel far more intense with the rapid-fire pace. It's just the one issue here involving the slow build-up that the rest of the series employs that keeps it down overall.
4.5/5
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