Take a photo of a barcode or cover
900 reviews by:
findingmontauk1
3.5 but rounding up to 4 stars because this would have definitely freaked me out reading this as a kid! Full review to come
The best part of this book is the mentioning of titles that I may not have thought about in quite some time. And there were times where I enjoyed hearing the author's take on some of my favorite movies and killers. What I didn't like? Oh, Lord... so much.
First, the writing about heavy metal music (really? I could care less about that when reading a book about a moviegoer's writing on horror). I understand how there is heavy metal in some horror movies, but let's get back to the topic at hand, please.
He spends way too much time tearing down and deconstructing classic horror films and basically calling them all overrated trash (without saying those words) for titles such as The Exorcist, Psycho, Suspiria, etc. Alien is a boring movie? He even calls Wes Craven's Scream a fraud... like... okay... let's see what would have happened to the slasher genre had that series NOT been so famous and awesome. It would probably still be buried in the 80s. I am all about other people having different opinions, but how can you write a book on horror and hate on every single staple horror film and think you will come off as valid and reliable?
And why do I care about an entire chapter dedicated to Charlie Sheen and a snuff film? I dunno, this book was just a jumbled mess to me overall. The second half of the book goes right off a cliff quicker than Thelma and Louise. What started out as interesting, charming stories from Rockoff's experiences turns into just a roast fest of negativity and boredom. At the end of the day, I feel no better and no worse for finishing this book. I have left and feel zero impact. And that is just not how I want to feel when I finish a book.
It seems that excruciatingly difficult work in writing a screenplay/remaking a CLASSIC AND AWESOME horror movie (I Spit On Your Grave) gave him some license of entitlement? His real masterpiece was naming a book "The Horror Of It All" when that's exactly how I feel after finishing. Next. 1.5 stars out of 5 for me. I had hoped to really love this because, before finishing, I was also interested in Rockoff's first book Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film, 1978-1986. But maybe he was less pompous and entitled 10+ years before writing this book.
First, the writing about heavy metal music (really? I could care less about that when reading a book about a moviegoer's writing on horror). I understand how there is heavy metal in some horror movies, but let's get back to the topic at hand, please.
He spends way too much time tearing down and deconstructing classic horror films and basically calling them all overrated trash (without saying those words) for titles such as The Exorcist, Psycho, Suspiria, etc. Alien is a boring movie? He even calls Wes Craven's Scream a fraud... like... okay... let's see what would have happened to the slasher genre had that series NOT been so famous and awesome. It would probably still be buried in the 80s. I am all about other people having different opinions, but how can you write a book on horror and hate on every single staple horror film and think you will come off as valid and reliable?
And why do I care about an entire chapter dedicated to Charlie Sheen and a snuff film? I dunno, this book was just a jumbled mess to me overall. The second half of the book goes right off a cliff quicker than Thelma and Louise. What started out as interesting, charming stories from Rockoff's experiences turns into just a roast fest of negativity and boredom. At the end of the day, I feel no better and no worse for finishing this book. I have left and feel zero impact. And that is just not how I want to feel when I finish a book.
It seems that excruciatingly difficult work in writing a screenplay/remaking a CLASSIC AND AWESOME horror movie (I Spit On Your Grave) gave him some license of entitlement? His real masterpiece was naming a book "The Horror Of It All" when that's exactly how I feel after finishing. Next. 1.5 stars out of 5 for me. I had hoped to really love this because, before finishing, I was also interested in Rockoff's first book Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film, 1978-1986. But maybe he was less pompous and entitled 10+ years before writing this book.
4 out of 5! would have been 4.5 but docking half a star because i figured out at least 80% of what was going to happen by the halfway mark. full review to come!
2.5 out of 5 for me. Not nearly as interesting/entertaining as I had hoped. Just a little dry for my tastes when it comes to a book about a notorious serial killer.
My introduction to DeMeester did NOT disappoint! This was a great book and irked me hardcore - full review to come!
Bad Man, by Dathan Auerbach, follows the story of Ben who loses his brother at a grocery store one afternoon. Flash forward to five years in the future and Ben has not given up hope in finding his brother and starts working at that same grocery store! Ben can sense something is wrong with the store, or the employees, or even the townspeople… he knows he is on the right path.
The first few pages in this book are straight fire and hooked me in right away. I started having all kinds of nostalgia vibes of me and my older brother when we were younger. We would play games and annoy each other just like Ben and Eric. You get a sense of the relationship between the two brothers and you can start to learn just how much the vanishing of young Eric affects Ben and his family life. But after Eric’s disappearance things go a little downhill…
For starters, I felt saturated with the inner workings and description of a grocery story. I have been in one… quite a few actually… and many times. I did not need the drawn out details of the store. We get to know some of Ben’s new co-workers but as the pages keep turning, I found myself forgetting all about the plot line of the vanishing brother and wondering where the heck this was going.
Once you pass the halfway mark in the book, it seems the story gets a little more on track to what you expect it to be about. You start to think maybe there will be some answers coming and some plot twists and less grocery store descriptions and long, semi-meaningless conversations between Ben and his co-workers that add what to the plot? I am not sure if it’s just to throw all these red herrings our way or what, but it didn’t work for me.
And when the fate of Eric is revealed, it just seems rushed and almost under-explained. After hundreds of pages, that was what we get? Then the book just ends. It’s all just a little jumbled up at the end. Ok. So I think the book could have been at LEAST 100 pages shorter and been just as effective if not more effective. The amount of time the book focused on things that were just totally unrelated to what is happening can be wiped out. I had higher hopes for this one because the synopsis sounded so good. But 400 pages is just too long of a book for the way this one panned out in my opinion…
Also, I went into this book expecting it to be a horror novel. It was definitely more of a mystery/suspense book and read as such.
Dathan Auerbach writes extremely well and I want to check out his first book, Penpal, as well as keep an open eye for his future works. Thank you to Doubleday for providing the Night Worms this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The first few pages in this book are straight fire and hooked me in right away. I started having all kinds of nostalgia vibes of me and my older brother when we were younger. We would play games and annoy each other just like Ben and Eric. You get a sense of the relationship between the two brothers and you can start to learn just how much the vanishing of young Eric affects Ben and his family life. But after Eric’s disappearance things go a little downhill…
For starters, I felt saturated with the inner workings and description of a grocery story. I have been in one… quite a few actually… and many times. I did not need the drawn out details of the store. We get to know some of Ben’s new co-workers but as the pages keep turning, I found myself forgetting all about the plot line of the vanishing brother and wondering where the heck this was going.
Once you pass the halfway mark in the book, it seems the story gets a little more on track to what you expect it to be about. You start to think maybe there will be some answers coming and some plot twists and less grocery store descriptions and long, semi-meaningless conversations between Ben and his co-workers that add what to the plot? I am not sure if it’s just to throw all these red herrings our way or what, but it didn’t work for me.
And when the fate of Eric is revealed, it just seems rushed and almost under-explained. After hundreds of pages, that was what we get? Then the book just ends. It’s all just a little jumbled up at the end. Ok. So I think the book could have been at LEAST 100 pages shorter and been just as effective if not more effective. The amount of time the book focused on things that were just totally unrelated to what is happening can be wiped out. I had higher hopes for this one because the synopsis sounded so good. But 400 pages is just too long of a book for the way this one panned out in my opinion…
Also, I went into this book expecting it to be a horror novel. It was definitely more of a mystery/suspense book and read as such.
Dathan Auerbach writes extremely well and I want to check out his first book, Penpal, as well as keep an open eye for his future works. Thank you to Doubleday for providing the Night Worms this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Going with a 3.5 out of 5 for this one - I have a feeling that this book will mean more overall once I read the entire trilogy. This book was strong enough that I already found the next two books online and ordered them. I love anything to do with sororities and witches, so this trilogy is a no-brainer for me that I will have some good, nostalgic, fun! The characters were fun and semi-archetypal of what you would expect for a story like this. It's got a huge late 80s B-horror movie vibe effect to it... all that's missing are some non-popular poppy songs in the background! Full review to come for the ENTIRE trilogy once completed.
