Puppet Combo has in recent years made a string of indie games inspired by the slasher genre which really kicked off in the late 70s and early 80s. Enter new slasher novella Chopping Spree, also inspired by classic horror pulp.

While these games are sometimes more gruesome than the original slasher films (Halloween, people often forget, had very little blood) but they are pretty loyal to the overall vibes. If you’re a slasher fan, an evening where you’re playing a Puppet Combo title and then watching a classic slasher later with friends is a pretty good evening.

But what could be even more fun for readers is if you throw a companion novella with the games and movies. Not something too long or too obsessed with purple prose (not that there’s anything wrong with either) but rather something quick but just as gory as a Puppet Combo title or a Friday the 13th film.

Readers will be happy to know that such a book is releasing this month from the publishing horror house, Dark Matter Magazine. Chopping Spree is a vintage-style slasher novella set in a Minnesotan mall.

The novella is making waves in the slasher scene, with even an occasional call to adapt Chopping Spree into a movie or game. I personally think Puppet Combo could make a compelling game out Chopping Spree.

While Puppet Combo’s games get praise for their retro style and over-the-top graphics, the one thing I’ve seen criticized repeatedly is the sometimes-shallow storylines. Adapting a similar-style companion novel to the genre by an actual horror writer could solve that problem fairly quickly.

Here is the blurb on the back of Chopping Spree, which can be ordered either directly from Dark Matter Magazine or from Amazon:

Eden Hills, Minnesota, is famous for two things: its lucrative, ‘80s-inspired fashion mall, and a missing-persons epidemic that has plagued the town’s youth and confounded officials for years. High school junior, Penny, has grown skeptical of the town’s official stance on the disappearances, but has so far kept that to herself. See, she just started her first-ever job at one of the mall’s trendiest stores and doesn’t want to sound like a conspiracy nut to her cool friends and the popular guy who might just help her get over the dream girl who broke her heart. But when a late-night party in the mall turns deadly, Penny won’t have the luxury of playing it cool. A killer is on the loose, and the dark history of Eden Hills is about to be revealed.