Is there any harder genre to pull off than the horror/comedy? Unless you're watching Bruce Campbell in Evil Dead 2 or in Bubba Ho-Tep, you're virtually guaranteed to be left feeling unsatisfied. In Ticktock, the big bad starts out like something from the movie Child's Play and then evolves into a Terminator rip-off. The whole thing has a make-it-up-as-you-go feel to it, and the ending--which comes out of nowhere--is likely to give you a headache in its absurdity. The characters act stupidly, behave irrationally, and annoy you with their goofy banter. Koontz can be a brilliant writer at times, but I don't think he has a good ear for comedy; and his weak attempts at humor do nothing but water down the scary aspects of the story and make it harder to suspend disbelief.