How to Survive a Horror Movie: All the Skills to Dodge the Kills

One doesn't expect a particularly serious work when one picks up a book about surviving a horror movie. That's not to say one can't use horror as a framework to teach real survival skills (even FEMA has used the idea of a zombie apocalypse as a tongue-in-cheek way to teach people about actual emergency preparedness skills). This, however, is not such a book. This is entirely a work of comedy.As comedy, it's a bit hit or miss. On the one hand, I love all the references to the tropes of my favorite genre. The book is certainly not without its charm. And for a quick read, it'll keep you entertained.However, the constant advice to break the fourth wall (e.g, tips for how to confuse the filmmakers writing the horror movie in which you're trapped) rapidly began to wear on my nerves. Advise people to study a dog's behavior to determine if an object is evil? Sure, within the context of a horror movie, that makes sense, and is a funny reference to a well-established trope. On the other hand "hide in the deleted scenes" just seems like a step too far.If you read it expecting just a quick book worth a couple of chuckles, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Cool Book!This book would be hard to do a backstory as there really isn't one, so I am just giving out thoughts on it.The whole book is about what kind of scenarios you would go through if you were stuck in a horror movie and what you would have to do to survive. If you are a horror lover and you love to watch horror movies - this book is for you. Every situation that happens in horror movies good or bad is in this book. I found myself laughing a lot as there is just so many things that were funny with the survival skills needed to get through the horror movie tropes. Giving this book five "Screaming Survivor Horror Skills" stars!Highly Recommend!

Fun reading with the bonus of a list of horror movies to make your fall deadly entertaining. If you enjoy horror movies you will enjoy this. Make it a party. Read with friends and shout out the movie referenced. Don't underestimate the value of the movie list. Use it to prepare appropriately for Halloween. Turn the fall into an onscreen bloodbath.

As a fellow Horror movie junkie I could not wait to get this book. I was not disappointed. The way Seth Grahame-Smith transforms a movie genre into a physical space ( The Terrorverse) is just non stop hilarious. The writing style is epic with great pictures to illustrate what's being said and has been done in movies in the past. Some of it is incredibly gory but hey this is a book about horror movies not kittens ( though there is a section about evil cats ; ) )I also learned about a few horror movies and sub genre's I hadn't heard of before. Hooray for new things right?Grahame-Smith divides the book into section and makes his way through virtually every genre and sub genre of the horror movie scene. Describing in detail how not to become just another dismembered body in your favorite movie. What is truly unique is how the author seems to pull you into the movies so you really feel like your suddenly a part of the movies we all loved watching growing up, but then you remember the survival statistics for the characters of this movie and suddenly you are desperate to gobble up all the info to stay alive.Seriously though if you love all things scary and don't just wait for Halloween to roll around once a year to break out the mayhem and frights this book is for you. I laughed my butt off non stop and was sad when I had finished the book. I will definitely be looking into a few other books this author has written.

My daughter loved this book and finished it right away. Great for conversations and if you are a horror fan…must have.

Additional: Don’t put your hand in alien slime. World War Z, Shawn of the Dead. Must see horror/zombie films, Good Luck!

How could my favorite author make such a blah of a book?!? It's the beginning of the Scream movie put in print with illustrations. Drawn out cliches of horror movies harped upon ad nauseum, but severely missing the fun and wit that Seth puts in his better books. If I hadn't caught this on sale I would be ticked! It's a slog to read through, and I had to go read other books in between so I wouldn't get bored. The movie references at the end were the nail in the coffin. Tom Savini's Night of the Living Dead is WAY better than the B&W original, and Devil's Rejects is far superior to House of 1000 Corpses! Opinions aside, just read Seth Graham Smith's other books and use this one as "The book best kept by the toilet because you'll only want to read it in small spurts."

Everybody knows some of the skills to survive a horror movie just from watching several of the genre. However here you have all the skills in one place for you to get you out of trouble In the terrorverse if you are unlucky. Really you will think as you read that you have seen these skills not being used so many times that it makes you want to scream. So sit back and enjoy.

This was such a funny book! I’ve seen so many of the movies mentioned in this book,that I could see the scenarios in my mind’s eye, which made it even more funny as I read through each part.

This satirical book reads like an actual survival guide...(What To Do If You Become Stranded, sort of thing). It works under the premise that the reader is a character in a scary movie, and offers tips to help them identify & avoid dangerous situations. Some examples are...A.) Don't go swimming in Crystal Lake.B.) Keep a coffee pot beside your bed.C.) Never, ever, answer the phone. To his credit, the author, (Seth Grahame-Smith), does know what he's talking about. He covers all the key horror fanchises...(Halloween, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Child's Play, Friday the 13th, Psycho, and since the foreword is written by Wes Craven, there is noticeable admiration towards A Nightmare On Elm Street and the Scream trilogy)...however; his writing style is so juvenile there are times it feels like the book is intended for a fourth grade student...(if it weren't for the coarse language, that could be true.). It's most likely you'll fly through this book in (literally) twenty minutes...It's an extemely easy read. Also, his sense of humor is just too arrogant. It's almost as if he's saying, "Duh!", to the reader. His review of SleepAway Camp reads like this..."Most. Insane. Ending. Ever.". It's likely all this stuff is common knowledge for hardcore horror buffs. If you're expecting a behind the scenes look into the production, or rare photographs, you won't find them here. There are illustrations by Nathan Fox, some of which are dynamic...(pg. 48 depicts a generic Jason, Freddy, Norman Bates, and SAW killer attacking all at once). The author has included a few "Top 10" lists of the best horror flicks. As with any list, the influences listed are up for debate; making it impossible to please everyone. Some of his questionable picks include...A.)Misery (Excellent movie, but more of a suspense thriller.)B.)The Blair Witch Project (Is it scary just because people flocked to see a movie with the budget of a new car?)C.)Silence Of The Lambs (An Oscar winning picture has no business among the likes of Hostel & Final Destination.) As mentioned earlier, the foreword is by Wes Craven; but don't expect it to be a spectacular, ground-breaking revelation that will carry you through the rest of your days. (In all honesty, Craven's involvement was the main reason I bought the book.) Finally, I've noticed that there's a hardcover edition of "How To Survive..." that commands over $100. Stick with the $30 paperback. Reading this dribble and then seeing the charges on a credit card statement?...Now that's scary.

I lifted this book out of curiosity in the humour section of my local waterstones and sailed through the Wes Craven's introduction and the first chapter before racing to the till to purchase it.This is one brilliant book, very, very entertaining, lots of hilarious cartoon illustrations through and a very funny and very engaging narrative style. Right down to the photo of the author on the back leaf of the wrap around cover.The author uses a number of literary tricks to really draw readers into the book, its a lot of fun and much more than reportage of cleverly observed movie and genre cliches.I loved the idea that discovering the book is an indication that you've been trapped in a horror movie, your only hope of survival to the end credits being the clues in the rest of the book. Fantastic idea that and you can bet that if Ash Williams was reading something other than The Necronomicon in The Evil Dead it was this.A great, great book which doesnt fail to raise the laughs and provide the satisfaction that The Worst Case Scenario books and Zombi Survival guid should have. A real page turner. Buy one for yourself, then some for your friends.

Having pondered for many a year whether I am living in a horror movie, I decided to take a stab in the dark (pardon the pun, it was fully intentional), and purchase this book to confirm once and for all whether this was indeed the case, and if so how best to survive.....I found the information on how to deal with demonic cars and Zombies particularly helpful, as I frequently find myself battling these terrors during the rush hour, and with the help of this tome now know the best way to defend myself against a supernatural intruder in my home is not in skimpy underwear armed with just random fruit.If you have ever wondered why none of the stereotypical ways characters in a horror movie employ to defend themselves never work, then this is definately the book for you...

I do like this book, it's highly amusing to read when you're a horror fanatic like myself, it describes all the different types of horror films, and if you're a true fan you'll recognise all the specific films they are talking about as you read.It's a good bit of fun, not an epic novel, you'll have finished it within 2 days, but it does what it says on the tin :]