How to Survive a Horror Movie [Paperback]

Seth Grahame-Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2007

Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.
 
From ghosts, vampires, and zombies to serial killers, cannibalistic hillbillies, and haunted Japanese videocassettes, How to Survive a Horror Movie shows how to defeat every obstacle found in scary films. Readers will discover:
 
     •  How to Perform an Exorcism
     •  What to Do If You Did Something Last Summer
     •  How to Persuade the Skeptical Local Sheriff
     •  How to Vanquish a Murderous Doll
     •  How to Survive an Alien Invasion
     •  How to Tell If You’ve Been Dead Since the Beginning of the Movie
 
and much, much more. Complete with useful instructions, insane illustrations, and a list of 100 important films to study, How to Survive a Horror Movie is essential reading for prom queens, jocks, teenage babysitters, and anyone employed by a summer camp.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Grahame-Smith’s little volume is just like a horror movie: entertaining and…a fun afternoon’s diversion.”—The Hartford Courant

“If you have snakes on your plane, did something last summer or suspect you’ve been dead since the beginning of the movie, then this is the book for you.”—McClatchy-Tribune

“How to Survive a Horror Movie is essential reading for horror movie buffs of all ages.”—Think Geek

About the Author

Seth Grahame-Smith is the author of the New York Times best seller Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. He doesn’t know it yet, but he’s been dead since the beginning of the movie.
Illustrator Nathan Fox lives in Kansas City, Missouri, with his wife and daughter. His work has appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Wired, Print, Spin, and countless other national publications.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Quirk Books (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594741794
• ISBN-13: 978-1594741791
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.6 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #73,153 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Seth Grahame-Smith is a film and television writer/producer, semi-frequent blogger, and bestselling author. His first novel, "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," debuted at #3 on the New York Times bestseller list. Since its release in April 2009, it has sold over a million copies and has been translated into 20 languages. Seth is also the Co-Creator/Executive Producer of the upcoming MTV comedy series, "The Hard Times of RJ Berger." He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How to Survive a Horror Movie...A mostly funny read, July 1, 2007

By 

Honest George - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Survive a Horror Movie (Paperback)

While there were attempts at making "self-aware" horror movies before, it could be said that "Scream" was the best attempt at doing so. It is fitting then that Wes Craven writes a short introduction to "How to Survive a Horror Movie," a tongue in cheek manual on doing just that. This is one of those rare books that you could pass by in a book store, start flipping through, and decide then and there you must own it. It starts very strong with chapters on deciding if you are currently in a horror movie, what kind of horror movie you're in, and the unique skills required in surviving the many different genres of horror movies.
There are several laugh-out-loud passages, that I won't spoil here, and the book is filled with decidedly creepy pictures evoking the mood of the old EC comic books. Where the book falters is in the later chapters as the witty, self-aware horror movie depictions give way to simple how-to lists that offer no humor (the worst of which is the snakes on a plane bit that just falls flat).
"How to Survive a Horror Movie" does end with perhaps the funniest tip of the whole book with a "sure fire" way to defeat the devil (do yourself a favor and don't read it until the very end). While not a five star homerun, due to the last third of the book that starts to drag, this is an entertaining and light read that will please any horror fan and even the simple movie buff.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A lot of fun, July 28, 2007

By 

Blake Petit "Novelist, columnist & reviewer" (Ama, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Survive a Horror Movie (Paperback)

I picked up this book to have something to read on a long car ride. I wound up reading passages out loud to my friends, and we all laughed hysterically. This is a quick, funny read that basically takes the conventions of campy horror movies and turns them into a sort of mock self-defense manual. With sections on everything from alien attacks to slashers to how to tell what sort of horror movie you're trapped in, this book covers almost everything you can think of. Grahame-Smith is obviously someone with a deep affection for horror films, but not so deep that he can't point out the absurdity of them. Recommended for fans of Max Brooks' Zombie Survival Guide.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ultimate Survival, August 10, 2007

By 

R. Howell "boriskhan" (Medford, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Survive a Horror Movie (Paperback)

If you are out to ensure that you live a long and safe life, there are essentials you must get in order to absolutely ensure that so many dangers stay away or how to avoid them. You'll need "The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead", "How to Survive a Robot Uprising [UNABRIDGED]", and "Field Guide to the Apocalypse: Movie Survival Skills for the End of the World" among others. Now you can realize your safety in terms of finding out that you are part of a horror movie with "How to Survive a Horror Movie". This covers everything from slashers, evil spirits, haunted houses, possessed cars, exorcism, zombies, aliens, demonic dolls, and even animal attacks.

Seth takes you through how to realize if you are in a horror movie and helps to guide you into your continuing existance of fleshy-ness. There are guidelines on where to avoid (cemetaries, cornfields, cabins), rules for babysitting, what to do with your child-infested cornfield, and the sure fire way to defeat Satan himself.

I began reading this text in public, but had to retreat to private due to people staring at me with odd looks as I laughed my way through the book. It fits well into the humor-based survival guides out on the market and you will easily identify loads of horror movies without the author actually mentioning them (copyright loophole). It loses a star for the whole snakes on a plane garbage and really the exorcism chapter pretty much just outlines the movie events. Otherwise, this is a great book and has a pretty good horror-movie-must-see list at the end, I would add "Wrong Turn" and maybe "Turistas" to the list.