Book Review: "How To Survive A Horror Movie" By Seth Grahame-Smith

Horror films, no matter how inane, have always been able to find an audience unlike any other genre known. Many of the most obscure films have a deep cult following that surpasses belief and defies expectations. Most fans of the genre relish in the clichés and the stupidity of the genre while also clamoring for more sophisticated fair. In Seth Grahame-Smith’s “pocket-sized” book “How To Survive A Horror Movie” he delves into the dos and don’t of horror film fandom in case you find yourself trapped inside one.

The book is a cleaver and funny look at all the clichés of the horror genre and all its sub-genres and how to survive any situation that you might somehow find yourself in. Grahame-Smith calls this place the “Terrorverse” and anything can and does happen when you find yourself visiting there. Everything from how to survive encounters with zombies to vampires to demons to slashers and even the chance encounter with Satan is touched upon in the book making for some very funny anecdotes. He even provides examples and much of what he explains both from famous films and just in general in a “real life” situation (these make for some of the best read). Although the book has no photographs from any films the artwork is dead on perfect for the book illustrating some of the threats one might encounter in a horror film.

The book touches upon a little of everything leaving nothing to chance although in hindsight (and for a possible sequel or “remake” of the book they should put in interviews with some survivors of horror films to add to the insanity of it all). As Grahame-Smith explains it, the Terrorverse is filled with all kinds of supernatural as well as natural monstrosities and you shouldn’t go anywhere without first consulting this book because even if you’re stuck with snakes on a plane, this book will help you get through and survive.

I recommend this book to all those horror fans whose lives are just a little too exciting.