Reviews

The Haunted Hillbilly by Derek McCormack

amotisse's review

3.0

now here is a vampire story with more than a twist!
warped, weird, wonderful, creepy!

lesbianlis's review

dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

this was an insane ride. it was v good though!

meganmilks's review

5.0

great fun! short. macabre. campy. grotesque. "the haunted hillbilly" is an alternative history of hank williams imagining his couturier as a sadistic gay vampire. i don't know quite what to think about the gay predator thing -- i think mccormack's sensibility for camp makes it self-aware. it's got a tongue in cheek quality made possible by mccormack's clipped, somewhat deadpan style -- "thunder. lilac sheets of lightning. the night engrossing ink. / a bat makes a moustache on the moon." -- the novel was obvs written with delight, and with equal devotion to both classic vampire films and the culture of country/western.
also, interesting use of first person -- it starts off as though omniscient and then the narrator steps right in. this happens frequently.
anyway, i liked it.

rsurban's review

A gay, predatory tailor (who may or may not be a vampire, his narration is not exactly reliable) physically and psychologically abuses men trying to make it in the world of country western music...spare and poetic, this sure is a one-of-a-kind fiction, inhabiting a world somewhere between Dennis Cooper and John Steinbeck.