Scan barcode
knightofswords's review against another edition
1.0
Pandering and uninteresting fan-service written like a bad YA novel. Snooze.
narzack's review against another edition
3.0
Like a lot of horror I've read recently, it chugs along at a furious pace, then stumbles and falls at the finish line.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up. The audiobook was very entertaining and easy to get invested in. Liked the creepiness and found the movie plot interesting. Havnt seen much older movies, nor know much of the history of horror movies but still thought it was a good story.
picklebrinedgoblinmind's review against another edition
2.0
Meh, it was ok enough that I finished reading it. The story was alright, but Kihn really struggles with his point of view (jarring changes, lots of characters 'supposing' things that that they shouldn't know), too much exposition and scene-setting that was meant to sound poetic but was just unneeded and out of place, and all-around unlikable characters that the reader doesn't even care about enough to full-on hate. All in all, a decent concept that falls flat.
bryce_is_a_librarian's review against another edition
2.0
Could have been so much better. Story starts off well, with interesting points about the way film present sweeps film past under the rug and an intriguing plot about the origins of a cursed film. Unfortunately these only show up in the framing device, once that's done so is most of the fun.
Once we go back to the past we also lose a lot of the fun and the book becomes a game of "Match the skeleton to the closet to the thinly veiled fictional character" which really isn't that hard for anyone with more then a passing interest in classic horror, or anyone whose seen Ed Wood for that matter. The revelations aren't at really all that exciting and the whole thing has a feeling of been there done that.
A great book remains to be written about this era, it's just not this one.
Once we go back to the past we also lose a lot of the fun and the book becomes a game of "Match the skeleton to the closet to the thinly veiled fictional character" which really isn't that hard for anyone with more then a passing interest in classic horror, or anyone whose seen Ed Wood for that matter. The revelations aren't at really all that exciting and the whole thing has a feeling of been there done that.
A great book remains to be written about this era, it's just not this one.
erat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm sure it's been said many times before, but it's my turn: who knew Greg Kihn could write? There are more established authors that can't write like this. Color me impressed.
This was a fun one. Lots of campy mid-century monster movie goodies to chew and gag on. I'll definitely be checking out Kihn's other books.
This was a fun one. Lots of campy mid-century monster movie goodies to chew and gag on. I'll definitely be checking out Kihn's other books.
biblio_lore's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like I should have a shelf in my collection for books wherein I got overzealous and was ready to five star them at the beginning and found myself losing stars along the way. And yet I still end up giving them a nod towards reading them anyway. This book fits in that category for certain!
For one: Kihn (whose name you might be familiar with if you are a music fan) is a good writer and the characters he draws up are interesting and all fairly complex, even if they aren't likeable. I give props for that because this is far from a boring book and with a cast this large, it would be in the hands of a much less interesting or skilled writer. Also, this man knows his stuff when it comes to horror, particularly that iconic decade that gave us so much in the way of creature features - The 50s. The setting is absolutely perfect and worth reading for that alone. If you are a fan of those days, please do yourself a favor and read it for the nostalgia buzz alone because this will hit all those happy buttons.
And now we have to go into why I gave it only three stars with all that heaping praise. I stand by the fact that I think this was a great idea and I loved the nod towards the icons of the genre being represented here. What I have more difficulty with is that they are mostly, if not completely, unlikeable in a way that is difficult to get past. This is not always a deal breaker for me, especially given that some of my absolute favorite characters of all time are complete bastards and I love them all the more for it. What I do have a harder time with is that Kihn doesn't always give them much to balance the acidity or the cruelty of their characters. He does showcase that they can be more than just a one trick pony sometimes and I think that sometimes this is meant to be more funny than horrifying but it was harder to tell. I think if he showed the more human sides of these characters more, it would have been easier to swallow and would have given more punch when they were assholes. It's entirely possible that this was a kind of statement on Hollywood and the lack of humanity in its greed and the climb to get ahead and while that certainly comes across, it's still not always enjoyable to read.
And the other star that found its way to the floor was on account of that tonal issue that came from the characters. I think this book was aiming to be funny sometimes but without the foil to make up for the more callous behavior, it sometimes just felt more awkward. There are times when it shines through and I really enjoyed that part of the book. There's one part where a character is trying to persuade another one to do something by promising to do something nice for him and upon getting what he wants, immediately forgets about it as this guy moves on to make other parts of his plan happen. It's an asshole move but it's still funny because he's not trying to be an asshole so much as it's what he does and little moments like this are actually a lot of fun to read about. Its when characters end up doing things that feel a little too far in the trying camp that I found I was no longer on board and having far less fun than I wanted to be.
Still! Long review is long and all to tell you that this book has some minor tonal issues, some parts that I didn't care for and some characters that I wasn't on board for but it is a nostalgia bomb and a fitting tribute to the horror of yesteryear. If you love 1950s horror and a look at the sleezy underside of Hollywood glamour, give it a read anyway.
For one: Kihn (whose name you might be familiar with if you are a music fan) is a good writer and the characters he draws up are interesting and all fairly complex, even if they aren't likeable. I give props for that because this is far from a boring book and with a cast this large, it would be in the hands of a much less interesting or skilled writer. Also, this man knows his stuff when it comes to horror, particularly that iconic decade that gave us so much in the way of creature features - The 50s. The setting is absolutely perfect and worth reading for that alone. If you are a fan of those days, please do yourself a favor and read it for the nostalgia buzz alone because this will hit all those happy buttons.
And now we have to go into why I gave it only three stars with all that heaping praise. I stand by the fact that I think this was a great idea and I loved the nod towards the icons of the genre being represented here. What I have more difficulty with is that they are mostly, if not completely, unlikeable in a way that is difficult to get past. This is not always a deal breaker for me, especially given that some of my absolute favorite characters of all time are complete bastards and I love them all the more for it. What I do have a harder time with is that Kihn doesn't always give them much to balance the acidity or the cruelty of their characters. He does showcase that they can be more than just a one trick pony sometimes and I think that sometimes this is meant to be more funny than horrifying but it was harder to tell. I think if he showed the more human sides of these characters more, it would have been easier to swallow and would have given more punch when they were assholes. It's entirely possible that this was a kind of statement on Hollywood and the lack of humanity in its greed and the climb to get ahead and while that certainly comes across, it's still not always enjoyable to read.
And the other star that found its way to the floor was on account of that tonal issue that came from the characters. I think this book was aiming to be funny sometimes but without the foil to make up for the more callous behavior, it sometimes just felt more awkward. There are times when it shines through and I really enjoyed that part of the book. There's one part where a character is trying to persuade another one to do something by promising to do something nice for him and upon getting what he wants, immediately forgets about it as this guy moves on to make other parts of his plan happen. It's an asshole move but it's still funny because he's not trying to be an asshole so much as it's what he does and little moments like this are actually a lot of fun to read about. Its when characters end up doing things that feel a little too far in the trying camp that I found I was no longer on board and having far less fun than I wanted to be.
Still! Long review is long and all to tell you that this book has some minor tonal issues, some parts that I didn't care for and some characters that I wasn't on board for but it is a nostalgia bomb and a fitting tribute to the horror of yesteryear. If you love 1950s horror and a look at the sleezy underside of Hollywood glamour, give it a read anyway.
sireno8's review against another edition
4.0
What a fun ride! At first it took me a little while to get on board because I had trouble separating the characters from their real-life inspirations (Ed Wood et al) but once I realized that anything goes I was all in.
More...