Woah, it’s a new year and we’re back with our buddy reads! We’re keeping it to something simple, like a couple in a month, but I’m happy to be doing this again with Chandra!
EX-BOOGEYMAN – Kristopher Triana (Released October 3rd, 2022)
Book Description:
HE’S NOT FREDDY, HE’S NOT JASON…HE’S ALL WASHED UP.
As Nicky Hector—the unstoppable slasher from the Lunatic horror movie franchise—Jonathan Zain reached levels fame once unimaginable to a young actor. On top of headlining fifteen films, he appeared on MTV, had his own 976 number, and became one of the most recognizable faces of the 1980s.
But that was thirty years ago.Now it’s 2010, and Zain is a has-been celebrity making his living signing autographs at fan conventions, a relic of the bygone slasher movie boom. He’s broke, separated from his wife and children, lives in a crummy apartment, and hasn’t landed a role in years.
When he learns the studio is remaking Lunatic, he thinks it’s his chance for a comeback. But Redmax Studios isn’t interested in resurrecting Zain’s fame. They want the reboot to have a new face, to escape the campiness that plagued the latter films in the Lunatic series. For the studio, this is a brand-new start.
For Jonathan Zain, it’s the last straw.
Discovering the remake is being filmed at the same rafting center as the original, and his former “final girl” co-star Lola Lang is involved, Zain begins a descent into insanity. He slips into his old costume, sharpens his meat cleaver, and brings the Nicky Hector character back from the dead for one last bloodbath.
Chandra’s Thoughts: 5/5 stars
Do you like 80s slasher movies? I mean, how could you not? They’re fun and EX-BOOGEYMAN is an amazing homage to these favorites.
My favorite slasher franchise is the Nightmare on Elm Street movies. The series starts off frightening and then delves into corny one-liners and arm waggling runs but damn, I love them with all my heart. I was appalled and angry about the remake with the new actor and new voice. I tried more than a handful of times to watch it and had to quit every time. Don’t fuck with my Freddy, dammit! And now here, in Ex-Boogeyman, we have the Lunatic movies. So very popular that had the same fate. First few movies were frightening to added sequels becoming campier and campier. And now they want to do a remake?? Say it isn’t so! Jonathan Zain, who plays the Lunatic’s insane murderer, Nicky Hector, is pissed. Unable to do much since the movies finished, he lives and breathes off conventions and remembering the good old days. They don’t want him included in this remake and well… that’s the last straw. Fuck the movie and fuck everyone involved. Jonathan truly becomes Nicky, through and through and now our slasher movie has come to life. YIPPEE!
It is clear that Triana knows his horror. He’s like a walking encyclopedia of knowledge on all things horror and his love of slasher movies is very apparent in this read and bleeds through the pages. I love the character development and I squealed happily a few times during certain death scenes… especially to those who truly deserved their demises. There’s plenty of gore and action here. I think my favorite thing was just being inside Jonathan’s head as his own self and Nicky’s character starts melding into one. I got lost inside a character who got lost inside himself. Horrorception? Ish? Now I’m just making words up but lemme tell y’all, this book is just plain old fun.
As someone who grew up in the 80s and absolutely LOVE slasher movies, this book took me back and I couldn’t love it more. If you’re a fan of the 80s and even 90s slasher films, this is a must read and an exceptional ride to go on. Throw your hands up and forget the seatbelts. Safety third, my fellow horror readers.
My Thoughts: 5/5 stars
Slashers are always a go-to choice for me, especially when I need something to have on in the background while I do other stuff (apparently that’s weird to all my friends, because why would my comfort movies be gory and bloody)
I think it’s incredibly clear what my favorite slasher franchise is, and I couldn’t help but hear Kirby rattling off ALL of the remakes (as of 2011) that were being made.
The reboots and remakes are seemingly never-ending, and those of us wanting the nostalgia love to see the OG actors return. That’s what Jonathan Zain was hoping would happen for him. Starring in a slasher franchise that rivals Michael Myers, he skyrocketed into fame, but now he’s struggling and no longer the star he once was.
Hearing that a reboot was happening for the Lunatic franchise, he thought this was his chance because his final girl costar was involved AND it was being filmed in the same location (makes me think of Scream 2022 and Stu’s house making a comeback). Nope, the studio wants a fresh face for Nicky Hector and something in Zain snaps.
For fans of the glorious and campy 80s slashers, this is a no-brainer. Things played out in my mind like a film would, and I loved every second of it. All the suspense and build-up and anticipation kept me flipping the pages. There were some characters I hoped would die and made me think about watching horror movies with Chandra and us guessing who will be first and just getting mad when it wasn’t who we wanted it to be 😂 Everything is so vivid and bloody and exactly what you want – I personally loved the meat cleaver for the weapon.
If you like getting into the head of a killer, then you’re in for a treat. You can tell how much Triana loves and appreciates this horror genre, and it was such a fun ride from start to finish!
Jessicamap Reviews 