A Great Decade for Horror - My Best Friend's Exorcism

The minute I heard about My Best Friend's Exorcism, the "typical" exorcism story taking place in a high-school in the 1980s, I was hooked. What a great premise, to put these two things together. And boy did it deliver.

The only thing more awesome than this
book is its cover. 

Now, I'll tell you (though you should already know by now, if you read this blog regularly, which of course you should), I have seen lots and lots and lots of exorcist stories. There's a level of expectation in terms of where the story is headed, and what kind of demonic shenanigans you might expect to see along the way. There's also tales (both in fiction and film) that do this better than others.

My Best Friend's Exorcism is one of the very best exorcism stories I've ever come across. Part of its strength lies in the fact that the exorcism itself does not constitute the majority, or even the center, of this book. It's the possession itself which takes center stage here, and it is brilliantly done. Not to say you don't expect possessed persons to do certain things, but the specifics were really unique, ingenious, and so organic to the setting. The setting was so real, and so grounded to the plot, that I felt this story couldn't have taken place in any other place or time, it was that intricately woven together. At the same time, it was a biting commentary of the American social mores and failings of the eighties. And that is some literary feat for a story trope that is, in the grander world of horror, tropish. It was the freshest, most diabolical horror I have read in a good long while, and going down into the depths with Gretchen and Abby felt like a breath of fresh air from all the people who wish they could write good horror, who bank on selling sub-standard horror to the undiscerning public, and who fall terribly, terribly short of all the potential that this genre, by devil, still has to offer. Go get this book - that's all I can say.

K Rating: 5/5