Let's get one thing out of the way first: I'm not the target audience for this. Personally, it's either the full-blown magic of children's books or the grittiness of adult books for me. Teens and the shared world of YA novels just don't appeal to me at all.

When it comes to movies, though, there are exceptions: slashers, cheesy horror, John Hughes etc., and that's probably the main reason that drew me to My Best Friend's Exorcism, because I was expecting to get the same feeling from it. It does have some of the YA angst/drama that I don't care for, but its advantage is the bit of a tongue in cheek approach to the story. Considering that Hendrix has also written a very well-received book about 70s and 80s horror paperbacks, it's no wonder that he seems to know what he's doing. I especially loved the

Spoiler

giant worm stuck inside Gretchen

. I wish there was more of that.

In the end, it didn't win my heart, but it's nevertheless a pretty decent dive into the fantastically ridiculous world of 80s horror. Might be the perfect combo for people who love both YA and 80s nostalgia. After all, the heart of the story is the friendship of Abby and Gretchen, so don't expect anything massively scary.

Another one of those non-supernatural werewolf stories. Not particularly compelling, but the Western Austrian village milieu is perfect and Doyle's writing is fine as always. Apart from one slightly creepy scene, this is more crime than horror.

A peculiar mix of horror and humor. One of those stories that are simple on the surface, but the deeper you dig the more food for thought you find.

Lighter werewolf piece than Gabriel-Ernest, but Saki's typical wit and humor make it seem fresh and charming, and it has a nice twist to the whole transformation thing.

"If our hostess has really vanished out of human form," said Mrs. Hoops, "none of the ladies of the party can very well remain. I absolutely decline to be chaperoned by a wolf!"