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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
When Intellectualism Met Horror..., January 21, 2007
If Stephen Graham Jones' wickedly clever "Demon Theory" were to ever be made into an actual film, the witty tagline might go something like this: "Someone has taken his love of MLA too far." Culled from the fictional case notes of the fictional Dr. Neider at the equally imaginary Owl Creek Mental Facilities, "Demon Theory" is presented as a three-part novelization of the movie trilogy "The Devil Inside", based on the (you guessed it) fictional best-selling novel inspired by said notes. Part literary film treatment, part pop culture lexicon, "Demon Theory" tells a triptych of interconnected stories (imagined here as sequels) concerning a group of Midwestern med school pals and their encounters with the nasty titular creatures. Imagine throwing "Jeepers Creepers", the "Scream" films, TV's "Grey's Anatomy", and Paul Thomas Anderson's "Magnolia" into a blender and mixing on high. In part one, or Demon Theory 16, Hale, Nona, Con, and gang leave the trick-or-treat festivities of a Halloween party behind when Hale's diabetic mother calls with a medical emergency. Faster than you can utter the words trapped-at-an-isolated-country-house-in-a-snowstorm, these future doctors of America find themselves slasher fodder for a demon with an axe to grind (or in this case, garden shears). Part two, or Demon Theory 17, finds much of the gang, in one (re)incarnation or another, reunited in a hospital at Christmastime in a breathless, action-packed "Aliens" meets "Halloween II" roller coaster ride of gory entrails and acidic demon blood. Finally, in the third and final Demon Theory 18, several of the battle-weary characters return to the scene of the crime in order to figure the whole existential mess out. The layers of narrative unfurl at just the right moments throughout when the reader's mind has been gloriously stretched to its outer limits keeping track of this richly plotted tale. Using liberal doses of footnotes as the literary equivalent of pop-up videos, Jones creates a blood-soaked textbook of pop culture reference and epitomized post-modernism with "Demon Theory". He fashions a unique literary hybrid - part novel, part reference book - and seemingly satirizes the post-"Scream" self-awareness of the horror genre while lovingly chronicling it down to its last obscure nuance one footnoted annotation at a time. But in between the definition of retroactive continuity, Clive Barker quotes, deliberations of who rightfully deserves the first scream queen title, and the etymology of the word bumf*ck, Jones powers through a gripping narrative rich with convincing dialogue, atmospheric suspense, and an ample gore quotient. Lazy readers beware; "Demon Theory" is the anti-beach read. Jones challenges with an intricate read, at times frustrating and distracting until readers hit their stride shifting from footnote to narrative and back again against the backdrop of screenplay jargon. Although Jones offers no easy mass-market thrill rides here, the payoffs are well worth the workout of little gray cells. The ingenuity of "Demon Theory" is the true marvel at work here, presenting as the intellectual literary cousin of Wes Craven's "Scream" trilogy. This cerebral terror trip is made even more so by Jones' staunch refusal to lay his cards out on the table as to whether "Demon Theory" is an application of intellectualism to the horror genre or tongue-in-cheek boyhood homage to a genre he clearly loves. No, he's far too skilled a writer for that, his "Demon Theory" far too superior a novel.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read it!, June 23, 2006
Review originally published at Horrorwatch.com On Halloween night a med student named Hale gets a disturbing call from his mother. He heads out to the old farmhouse with a group of his fellow students to render aid. When they arrive there is no sign of Hale's mom but something is there waiting to pick them off one by one. Stranded because of a snow storm they must try to stay alive until morning while figuring out just what the hell is snatching them up. Demon Theory is hands-down amazing, brilliant even. Easily one of the best books I've read in ages. I haven't stopped thinking about it since I finished. I must warn you, if you're into spoon-fed horror with predictable outcomes and characters then don't read this book. I'm not going to say I'm an intellectual but I am well read and I had to focus all my attention into the story. Hell I may not even be smart enough to write this review with the acclaim it deserves. Stephen Graham Jones' Demon Theory is essentially the novelization of a horror movie trilogy written as a literary film treatment based on the notes of the fictitious Dr. Neider complete with footnotes. Ahhh the footnotes. Footnotes of not just horror trivia but info on hair bands, comic books and TV shows (Manimal!) as well. I thought I knew a lot of pop culture but Dr. Jones left me in the dust. I have to say however that the footnotes, while fascinating, kept drawing me out of the story. I'd recommend reading the story with the footnotes, then rereading the story alone. I'd actually like to see a small companion book with just the footnotes, they were that interesting. For example, where else can you read facts that start at THE GATE and end at APOCALYPSE NOW? Among all the talk of literature and footnotes and writing styles some of you may be wondering the most important question. Is it scary? The answer to that my friends is a resounding Hell yes! With gargoyle-like demons, the undead, moody atmosphere, chilling encounters, and blood, guts, and body parts flying this book delivers enough terror to satisfy any horror fan and it never lets up. Read it!
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Genre as Mnemonic (Demonic?) Device, October 5, 2006
Take every slasher horror convention you've ever seen on screen and deconstruct it on the page, with characters who are somewhat aware that they are part of the genre. The book is at once familiar and wholly original. It's sort of the literary equivalent of "Scream" (when it first came out and everyone was excited, anyway). Told as a trilogy, each "part" actually reads like a movie sequel (except that the third part is the best of the three). At first I thought some of the dialogue was a bit stale, but it's totally in service to the genre, and the archetypes become funny over time. Jones has a great gift for description, and you'll find yourself reading some passages a second time just to savor it. Not many complaints. The footnotes can be a little distracting if you let them, which I didn't. I read some and skipped many, as I grew up with all the same pop culture and understood the references. I recommend reading each of the three sections of this book without putting it down for too long, as it can be a little hard to keep track of time and place in spots. The characters are all introduced at once, so at first it's difficult to keep them distinct in your mind until we learn more about them. I would've prefered more gradual introductions. If you're looking for a fresh take on horror, and especially if you grew up in the 80s, this is for you.
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