I loved this book. I devoured this book. I have a lot of thoughts about this book. I have a lot of questions about this book.

Aspects of this story almost reminded me of the original Scream, as this becomes a mainstay of possession, demon, exorcist type horror while also acting as an extremely well-done send-up of the genre. We end up viewing the events of the story via three different sources - first person account, a re-telling of events from the narrator to a second source years later, and also a third person outsider’s perspective (well...) through a blog. The reader is left to sort out what to take as gospel and what to leave, and then to form their own thoughts on the true account. It’s hard to say much more without entering spoiler territory, but Paul Tremblay uses it to turn a good story into an unforgettable story.

Perhaps what worked best for me in Head Full of Ghosts was how real the family was, with particular emphasis on Marjorie and Merry, and their interactions throughout. The reader is left feeling that yes, in these extreme situations, this is the exact type of dialogue two younger sisters would engage in. Buying into the girls’ relationship left me reading the second to last chapter in a state where I was simultaneously horrified and enraptured. If you have ever hit a certain part in a story like that, you know that the trumpets could sound, and the stars could begin to fall from the sky, and I’d have no choice but to finish the chapter.

Any true horror fan probably read this book years ago, and has likely reread it since (I know I’m looking forward to a reread, knowing now what I do), but if you have deprived yourself of A Head Full of Ghosts for whatever reason, do so no longer.