190 reviews for:

Horror for Weenies: Everything You Need to Know About the Films You're Too Scared to Watch

Emily C. Hughes

4.35 AVERAGE

nightwing's review

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 Pretty funny and sassy about the ridiculousness of horror! I haven't been able to sit through "Hellraiser" so that particular chapter was useful.

(The only minor gripe I have was "Deadites" from "Evil Dead" were listed as zombies, I mean, yes, but also they "possess" dead OR alive bodies. They're kinda demons possessing people but also not really demons in the first place. So I would call them zombie-adjacent, not exactly zombies. But I know I'm a nerd and this isn't super important since they're not real, ha!) 

broookish's review against another edition

5.0

funny informative reflective fast-paced

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I had such a great time listening to this audiobook. Having grown up watching horror movies with my dad (admittedly at a much too young age), reading Horror for Weenies was such a nostalgic treat. Though this book is aimed at spoiling and discussing some of the most iconic horror movies to date, if you are an avid fan of the genre, there's still a lot here to love. Hughes not only talks at length about the plot of said movies, but also goes into detail about the history of horror and the ways in which the genre has impacted culture. Very seldom do I pick up books that fall into the category of humor, but there were parts of this audiobook that genuinely made me laugh out loud. I found Hughes's use of humor to be not only entertaining but well executed. 

Fair warning, this book 100% DOES spoil every movie mentioned, so if there is are any movies you may plan to watch in the future that you do not want spoiled for you, I would definitely advise checking out the table of contents or skimming throughout ahead of time. Each chapter is dedicated to an individual movie, so it is not hard to avoid spoilers if this is the case. 

Overall, I found Horror for Weenies to be super fun and informative. If this is one that sounds up your alley, I would absolutely recommend picking it up!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for granting me access to this copy in exchange for an honest review! 

theb00kcryptid's review against another edition

5.0

funny informative fast-paced

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Omg I’m so bad at this and I never have good recs but finally, my time has come! If you liked Horror for Weenies check out the Ruined podcast! It’s the same concept, same premise and the hosts of the pod are just as funny as the author of this book.

I’m not exactly a weenie when it comes to horror but I love movie commentary, especially horror movies so I just had to check this out. This was such a fun read I instantly subscribed to the author’s blog Jump Scares!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

endless_tbr_list's review against another edition

5.0

medium-paced

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As a definite 'weenie' when it comes to horror on film, I cannot express how much I love that this book exists! Filled with plot summaries, discussions of historical significance, and party talking points, this novel is a pretty substantive crash course on 25 of the most important horror movies in history. There's spoilers abound, but that's what makes it perfect - readers get a rundown on the horrific stories, learning about every plot twist and jump scare, without needing to actually watch a second of the film. Emily C. Hughes' wonderfully amusing writing, paired with Cassidy Brown's delightful narration, helps to take away most, if not all, fear one might experience listening to these summaries. For fellow horror *readers* like myself, each chapter ends with a list of suggested books that cover similar or related topics to the previously discussed movie, which is such a thoughtful touch. Horror can certainly be a divisive genre, so I really appreciate Hughes' efforts to share their love for the gruesome and terrifying via literature as well as film. 

To wrap up and avoid any possible spoilers I'll just finish by saying, if you're not in the mood to attempt another (likely doomed) horror movie night, but still want to know what happens in the Exorcist or the Blair Witch Project, then this just might be the book for you! It's fun, it's funny, and it's informative - what more could you ask for!

Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own. 

adam_penny's review

5.0

funny informative medium-paced

kaliesbooksandbobbins's review

5.0

funny informative fast-paced

margueriteturley's review

5.0

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Omg this book has all the great horror flicks!! Emily has a fantastic sense of humor and her detailed descriptions on each of these movies had my laughing my face off!! I was so happy she included Babadook and Hereditary, my two favorite movies. For Hereditary she describes the beginning and then says “We are just over a half hour into the movie. It is emphatically not going to get better from here”. Truer words have never been spoken! This is a must for any weenies, I myself am a recovering weenie now I’ll watch anything! The intro she speaks of how thinking about horror is as rewarding as watching it, in my case too also reading it. There’s so much to discover in horror and Emily does an amazing job creating an incredibly entertaining look at some of the most incredible horror movies ever made!

broughtbybrokenminds's review

5.0

funny informative fast-paced

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While Horror for Weenies is designed as a starter guide to iconic Horror Films for people who find horror a bit to0 scary, it is also a great resource for die hard horror hounds.  Emily C. Hughes commentary throughout the film summaries is entertaining and provides a humorous tone to balance out the scares.  Like most Quirk non-fiction books, the design of the pages is visually striking, keeping readers interested by promoting a fast pace for the chapters.  Each chapter has pop-outs for Trope Spotlights and facts about the production of each film, with many sections ending with an overview of the movie’s sub-genre or another related topic.  One of my favorite features was the “Can’t watch it? Read these instead:” sections which select read alike titles that are great for both fans of the movies looking for more and folks that are too scared to watch, but still want to engage with the themes explored.  Editor Jess Zimmerman introduces this book as the first in a series of “Outsider’s Guides” with the goal of making these pop culture discussions accessible for people who might not be ready to commit to a deep dive, but still want to understand the impact of the subject.  While I was an “insider” for this particular book, having seen all of the movies that get a dedicated chapter, I still feel like I came away with a deeper appreciation of the genre and learned a good bit along the way.  I am excited to check out future releases in this series (the introduction teases the topics reality shows and romantic comedies) to explore some areas of pop culture I am less familiar with.

Thank you Quirk Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

emmagrahxm's review

5.0

informative fast-paced

emchughes's review

5.0

funny informative fast-paced