As a child of the 80s & 90s, I grew up with slasher films. I didn't LIKE them, mind you, but they were unavoidable back then. And it is childhood nostalgia that drew me to Grady Hendrix's new horror novel, The Final Girl Support Group. This darkly humorous novel pays homage to those gory and often comically bad films that defined the latter decades of the 20th century.
The book focuses on "Final Girls," that horror movie stereotype given to those girls who survived the bloodbath and often took down the killer. In The Final Girl Support Group, Hendrix writes about a collection of final girls who find themselves in a support group dedicated solely to those women who were able to escape slaughter and live to tell the tale. If anyone needs a support group, it is these women, because as you can imagine, the horrors they have faced are not pretty and there's a lot of baggage and emotional trauma to unpack, even decades later.
But the final girls find their support group disrupted when it becomes apparent that someone is attempting to pick them off one by one. Narrator Lynette Tarkington, a final girl who lives her days cautiously in fear, takes it upon herself to follow the trail of terror and uncover who has targeted the support group. But can she catch the killer before they end her life for good?
Equal parts horror and humor, much like slasher films themselves, The Final Girl Support Group is sure to be enjoyed by any fan of the film genre. The premise of this book is quite interesting, and I appreciated Hendrix's attempt to tap in on slasher film nostalgia and create something horrifyingly unique. This book is atmospheric and gives off major B-flick vibes, which heightens its appeal for those who can't get enough of the likes of the Friday the 13th, Halloween, and Scream franchises. Even better, Hendrix slowly incorporates vignettes of the women's witnessed bloodbaths by way of articles, websites, interviews, and more, building the suspense and tension as we learn just what made these women "final girls."
I personally rated this novel 3 stars because I read for amazing characters, and many of the "final girls" felt flat and lifeless to me. While Hendrix writes a pulse-pounding plot, his characters would have benefited from more dimension and voice.
Availability: Book; Large Print Book
Rating: *** Stars (I liked it) Reviewer: Brooke, Public Relations Librarian
ARE YOU AND THIS BOOK A GOOD MATCH? DISCOVER MORE WITH NOVELIST APPEALS! The Final Girl Support Group
GENRE: Horror
THEME: Final Girls (Final girls are the lone female survivors of a horrific event -- from serial killers to supernatural monsters. They battle, and even defeat, the creatures ordinary humans can't face. Whether through virginity or ingenuity, a final girl is a heroine for the ages.)
WRITING STYLE: Compelling; Gritty
TONE: Creepy; Darkly Humorous; Gruesome; Suspenseful; Violent
LOCATION: Los Angeles, California
SUBJECT: Coping in Women; Group Psychotherapy; Massacres; Paranoia; Psychic Trauma; Secrets; Serial Murderers; Support Groups; Violence Against Women; Women Murder Victims
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