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A review by humblebee20
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix
3.0
I came into this expected schlocky "IKEA" themed horror, and I guess I got what I paid for, however lukewarm it may have been. I'm sure there are millions of people who have made jokes about how creepy an IKEA would be after dark and how easy it would be to get lost in there. With how safe this book plays it, I think this could have remained just that, a joke made between friends.
This entire book reads like a corny 80's made for tv horror film, and maybe if that was how it was made, it might have made it more tolerable. It feels like a screenplay that is begging to be made into the cheesiest movie possible and I spent so much of this book wishing that this was what it was instead.
With half of the book being set up, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Unfortunately, when it did, it was kind of a let down. Let us spend more time in the creepy parts! It feels like we only got a glance at the truly horrifying aspects and the books taunts us with cool illustrations and list of people who need to be cured. Again, if this were a film, that wold make sense, but this is a book where the author had all the pages imaginable to expand and draw us into the world.
Speaking of, the books design was probably my favorite part. There are so many little details that I loved. The entire book is a catalog, with items listed throughout that are both illustrated and have a little description of the item. Even though the joke has been done to death, the fake "Swedish" names did get a chuckle out of me, with "dritsekk" being my favorite. The serial numbers all have a "666" within them which is such a cute touch and the coupons at the final stretch tie it all together. Major props to the cover and overall book design.
While not breaking any new ground, I found this book enjoyable enough for what it was and would recommend it for people who like cheesy, goofy horror if they're willing to wade through some boring set up first.
This entire book reads like a corny 80's made for tv horror film, and maybe if that was how it was made, it might have made it more tolerable. It feels like a screenplay that is begging to be made into the cheesiest movie possible and I spent so much of this book wishing that this was what it was instead.
With half of the book being set up, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Unfortunately, when it did, it was kind of a let down. Let us spend more time in the creepy parts! It feels like we only got a glance at the truly horrifying aspects and the books taunts us with cool illustrations and list of people who need to be cured. Again, if this were a film, that wold make sense, but this is a book where the author had all the pages imaginable to expand and draw us into the world.
Speaking of, the books design was probably my favorite part. There are so many little details that I loved. The entire book is a catalog, with items listed throughout that are both illustrated and have a little description of the item. Even though the joke has been done to death, the fake "Swedish" names did get a chuckle out of me, with "dritsekk" being my favorite. The serial numbers all have a "666" within them which is such a cute touch and the coupons at the final stretch tie it all together. Major props to the cover and overall book design.
While not breaking any new ground, I found this book enjoyable enough for what it was and would recommend it for people who like cheesy, goofy horror if they're willing to wade through some boring set up first.