The Exorcist meets Heathers in Grady Hendrix’s 80s pulp horror novel
Life for Abby and Gretchen was miserable before they met but when they were thrust together at a roller-rink birthday party their lives were changed forever. Whereas most friendships have to overcome the usual breakups, graduations and the ups and downs of teenage angst, Abby and Gretchen also had the small matter of Gretchen’s potential possession by a demon to contend with.
The novel is author Grady Hendrix’s follow up to his Ikea-set ghost story Horrorstor. It is an 80’s infused, pulsating coming of age tale about the horrors of the rapid onrush of adulthood. Like his influencers, Hendrix uses horror as a means of exploring the nature of transitioning from a teenager into an adult.
Without spoiling the books patient and purposeful reveal of Gretchen’s possession, the imagery employed by Hendrix at once evokes the image of Carrie standing on the stage post-pig blood shower and the image of Pennywise set against the innocence of the Loser’s Club from Stephen King’s seminal opus IT.
The relationship between Abby and Gretchen runs deep, like a friendship cemented upon years of shared experiences and shared embarrassment. By the time Hendrix builds to the horror you feel invested in both Abby and Gretchen, understanding the strength of their bond having lived through their beginning.
It sounds almost cliche to say that because you like Abby and Gretchen the horror feels more wrenching but Hendrix’s colloquial, teenage prose serves to align the reader with the characters in a way that evokes a more powerful response to the horror.
When the horror creeps to its climax, however, the book moves at a pace not unlike King’s more brisk short stories moving swiftly through the motions while building a sense of dread that drips off each page lasting right up to the closing chapters. The 80s references and 90s setting taps into the reverence for nostalgia that exists in the world of Stranger Things while also serving to build the world around the characters while also contextualising the horror.
From the VHS designed cover to the pulpy possession plotline, My Best Friend’s Exorcism is a shot of fresh energy into the horror genre that leaves you desperately wanting to hangout with its main characters. To get close, but, as the action unfolds, maybe not too close.
