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A review by justinkhchen
My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
5.0
5 stars
A perfect blend of horror nostalgia and lasting friendship, My Best Friend's Exorcism captures the irreverence of teen horror movies from the 80s (visuals from Nightmare on Elm Street and Vamp immediately come to mind), where the gore and violence are more over-the-top sensational than brutal, and all adults are useless idiots who simply don't 'get' the youth. It also manages to balance its moments of silliness (the 'exorcist' being a fitness fanatic) with some chilling, factual undercurrents, such as the Satanic panic in the US during that period, as well as light commentary on religion and rape culture. Lastly, I did not foresee the ending to tug at my heartstrings — an unexpected cherry on top.
Overall, My Best Friend's Exorcism is a brisk, escapist fun (highly recommend the audiobook), particularly if one has the knowledge of America's pop culture from that era (so many name dropping!); it's nothing groundbreaking, or trying too hard to stretch beyond its inspiration, but this is an impeccable execution for what it set out to be.
A perfect blend of horror nostalgia and lasting friendship, My Best Friend's Exorcism captures the irreverence of teen horror movies from the 80s (visuals from Nightmare on Elm Street and Vamp immediately come to mind), where the gore and violence are more over-the-top sensational than brutal, and all adults are useless idiots who simply don't 'get' the youth. It also manages to balance its moments of silliness (the 'exorcist' being a fitness fanatic) with some chilling, factual undercurrents, such as the Satanic panic in the US during that period, as well as light commentary on religion and rape culture. Lastly, I did not foresee the ending to tug at my heartstrings — an unexpected cherry on top.
Overall, My Best Friend's Exorcism is a brisk, escapist fun (highly recommend the audiobook), particularly if one has the knowledge of America's pop culture from that era (so many name dropping!); it's nothing groundbreaking, or trying too hard to stretch beyond its inspiration, but this is an impeccable execution for what it set out to be.