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The Late Night Horror Show
When the movie starts, the horror becomes real. It was a run-down old multi-plex in a seedy part of town. But it had a special late-night festival of the cheap horror movies one group of friends loved, movies filled with zombies, vampires and backwoods maniacs. How could they know it was a very special screening indeed? After the friends split up and their chosen movies began, they found themselves transported out of the life they knew and into the blood-drenched worlds of the films. Worlds where the living dead roam the countryside, the decrepit mansion of a vampire and his minions dominates the night sky, and the shrill scream of a buzz saw is always right behind you.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 5, 2013
48 people are currently reading
905 people want to read
About the author
Bryan Smith
105 books765 followersBryan Smith is the Splatterpunk Award-winning author of more than forty horror and crime books, including 68 Kill, the cult classic Depraved and its sequels, as well as The Killing Kind, Slowly We Rot, The Freakshow, and many more. Bestselling horror author Brian Keene called Slowly We Rot, "The best zombie novel I've ever read."
68 Kill was adapted into a motion picture directed by Trent Haaga and starring Matthew Gray Gubler of the long-running CBS series Criminal Minds. 68 Kill won the Midnighters Award at the SXSW film festival in 2017 and was released to wide acclaim, including positive reviews in The New York Times and Bloody Disgusting.
Bryan also co-scripted an original Harley Quinn story for the House of Horrors anthology from DC Comics. He has worked with renowned horror publishers in both the mass market and small press spheres, including Leisure Books, Samhain Publishing, Grindhouse Press, Death’s Head Press, and more. His works are available wherever books are sold, with select titles also available in German and Italian.
68 Kill was adapted into a motion picture directed by Trent Haaga and starring Matthew Gray Gubler of the long-running CBS series Criminal Minds. 68 Kill won the Midnighters Award at the SXSW film festival in 2017 and was released to wide acclaim, including positive reviews in The New York Times and Bloody Disgusting.
Bryan also co-scripted an original Harley Quinn story for the House of Horrors anthology from DC Comics. He has worked with renowned horror publishers in both the mass market and small press spheres, including Leisure Books, Samhain Publishing, Grindhouse Press, Death’s Head Press, and more. His works are available wherever books are sold, with select titles also available in German and Italian.
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May 30, 2019DHF 45%
It pains me to throw in the towel on a book by an author I usually enjoy, but I'm not enjoying myself anymore. This idea is good and the story is good, but the characters are so unlikable that they are annoying me every time they say something. I just don't care what happens to any of them anymore and I just want it to be over.
Hopefully the next one I read by this author will make me forget about this one.
It pains me to throw in the towel on a book by an author I usually enjoy, but I'm not enjoying myself anymore. This idea is good and the story is good, but the characters are so unlikable that they are annoying me every time they say something. I just don't care what happens to any of them anymore and I just want it to be over.
Hopefully the next one I read by this author will make me forget about this one.
December 15, 2025
3.5 stars. The effort was really, really there. Lots of funny moments, different horror icons, and all sorts of monkey business. And it was a very similar idea to Waxwork. For me, however, I struggled with the amount of characters, the lack of a particular focus, and the length of the book. At near 300 pages, I became very fatigued by the 200 page mark. And it seemed like Bryan Smith was really trying to drop as many love notes to different horror movies as possible, which became tiresome after awhile. Every chapter was a different character and different situation, with a fair amount of repetitive plot points. Even with the hysterical banter, it just overstayed its welcome. I did very much enjoy the dynamics between Victor and Kira, which seemed to keep my interest. If this reduced the characters, cut out a lot of the fluff, and made everything with the plot more straightforward, this would have easily gone from good to great.
November 1, 2014
This is mindless good fun, and a book that was obviously and unapologetically written to appeal directly to your ghoulish and prurient proclivities. Everything I've read by Bryan Smith so far has been has been like a love letter to your lizard brain.
This is no exception.
Is it ridiculous? Yes.
Is it over-the-top? Yes.
Are all of the characters stock horror movie cliches (hot guys and horny gals in their early 20s)? Yes.
Is this book chock-a-block with gratuitous sex and violence? Yes.
Will you care? Should you care? No. No! NO!
If this is the sort of thing you're in the mood for, pick it up. You won't be disappointed.
This is no exception.
Is it ridiculous? Yes.
Is it over-the-top? Yes.
Are all of the characters stock horror movie cliches (hot guys and horny gals in their early 20s)? Yes.
Is this book chock-a-block with gratuitous sex and violence? Yes.
Will you care? Should you care? No. No! NO!
If this is the sort of thing you're in the mood for, pick it up. You won't be disappointed.
December 27, 2021
We open up to our adventurous horror fans head out to a failing theater in the bad part of town. They had seen the ads on television. They promised cheap, and bloody movies. As the lights dim and the movies begin, they are transported into the worlds of the films, where the screams and the blood are real, and there doesn’t seem to be any way out.
Pretty decent read by Bryan Smith. Broken into different stories made it even better.
Pretty decent read by Bryan Smith. Broken into different stories made it even better.
June 26, 2023
A group of friends, who are all horror movie fans, decide to attend a “horror movie fest” of cheap movies, at an abandoned and disused multiplex, in a run down part of town. Once inside the cinema, and seated in their chosen screening, they pass out and find themselves inside the movies. It becomes a fight for survival as they battle zombies, vampires, and a crazy family (think Texas Chainsaw Massacre).
Some of them die, while some become heroes, all the while, wondering ‘what the hell’s going on’, and ‘how did they become participants, fighting monsters’.
I love Bryan Smith’s books, and this one was quite good, despite feeling as though I was having a brain melt of confusion at the beginning, though all becomes clear... eventually...sort of 😳🤷🏻♀️
the characters aren’t very likeable, and tbh I didn’t care what happened to them.
Full of blood, gore, torture, and with the odd body part being chopped off, this was an entertaining enough read, though not one of Bryan’s bests.
3 ⭐️
Some of them die, while some become heroes, all the while, wondering ‘what the hell’s going on’, and ‘how did they become participants, fighting monsters’.
I love Bryan Smith’s books, and this one was quite good, despite feeling as though I was having a brain melt of confusion at the beginning, though all becomes clear... eventually...sort of 😳🤷🏻♀️
the characters aren’t very likeable, and tbh I didn’t care what happened to them.
Full of blood, gore, torture, and with the odd body part being chopped off, this was an entertaining enough read, though not one of Bryan’s bests.
3 ⭐️
December 10, 2014
8 individual set out for a night at the movies at the Sunshine 6 Cineplex. 6 movies filled with blood and murder. Only these movie-goers get more than they bargained for when they become part of the show. The movies are fiction, however, the characters they now play are real. The scenarios are real. And if you die in the movies...you die for real. An entertaining read in the vein of Waxwork.
A "just for fun" perfect read to while-away a few hours.
A "just for fun" perfect read to while-away a few hours.
December 12, 2016
What a ride!
If you are looking for vampires, aliens, zombies, mad scientists, serial killers.... and more in one book, pick this up right away. This was a fun read.
If you are looking for vampires, aliens, zombies, mad scientists, serial killers.... and more in one book, pick this up right away. This was a fun read.
October 22, 2016
Was a little undecided about giving 3 or 4 stars but in the end thought this book had enough fun and gore to deserve 4.
I did sometimes get a bit confused among the various story lines and characters but in the end it all came together.
I did sometimes get a bit confused among the various story lines and characters but in the end it all came together.
August 2, 2019
Nothing much happens in the relatively quiet college town of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. That's why the re-opening of the Sunshine 6 Cineplex is such a big deal. One ticket buys you a pass to six movies, each one played back to back and repeated six times, so you can set your own itinerary, watch what you want, and skip what you don't.
Got a hankering for masked killers wielding off-the-shelf hardware store merchandise? Lead off the show with Chainsaw Maniac. Vampires more your thing? Grab some popcorn and sink your teeth into Blood Lust. Or maybe you've a fever, and the only prescription is morecowbell zombies, in which case Rise of the Dead will feed your addiction. 'Doctor Ominous' (whoever he is) has promised a full-featured buffet of cheesy B-movie goodness at a rock-bottom price ($25 per ticket to see all six, so that's like...four dollars per film), and he's going to deliver.
He's just left out one minor detail: the customers, the patrons, who queue up for this incredible, one-in-a-lifetime horror extravaganza are going to be playing slightly more. . .active. . .roles than they were expecting. Doctor Ominous has discovered a way to redefine "audience participation" in a way that would shame even The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It's no longer a case of "Fuck the back row!" vs. "Fuck the front row!", now it's a case of "Fuck every row!".
Audience-goers often ask themselves if they'd have what it takes to survive a horror movie. Tonight, in Murfreesboro, a few dozen gore-hounds will find out for themselves.
* * * * *
I've never read Bryan Smith before, but after The Late Night Horror Show, I'm definitely going to be back for more.
This is a love letter to trashy B-horror films. Cabin in the Woods and Scream deconstructed A-list horror fare, but The Late Night Horror Show pays tribute to all the knock-offs, wannabes, and Asylum-Studio-style, straight-to-video rejects of the horror world. Smith has also come up with a premise that incorporates some scientific principles into the story to explain how a bunch of movie-goers get sucked into the stories they've paid money to see. I'm not going to spoil anything, and the execution still requires some hand-waving to connect the dots, but let's be honest, nobody reading a book like this is going to DNF it due to some unexplained science. It's a fun idea that Smith drags out to a little under 300 pages. This, by the way, works perfectly: 266 pages is the literary equivalent of a 90-minute run time on a DVD. It doesn't overstay its welcome, it just shows up, does what it needs to do, and rolls the credits.
What I'm most impressed with is Smith's ability to deliver a story this enjoyable within that page count while juggling five separate plots, and never dropping the ball. He introduces every one of his primary and secondary protagonists within the first few chapters, brings them together at the cinema, and then splits them all up as they go to view different movies and thus get caught up in different stories. Even people who wind up in the same film don't always wind up in the same place or the same scene, though they usually wind up crossing paths with other cinema-goers at some point or another. Balancing all these point-of-view characters, including one guy who does not wind up on the wrong side of the screen for reasons explained towards the end of the book, gives me a headache just thinking about it. Yet Smith's rapid-fire prose and stripped-down presentation make it look effortless. I'm not sure how much editorial input the great Don D'Auria (formerly of Leisure, now attached to Samhain) had on Smith's story, or even how much it required, but whatever he did helped shape this book into a lean, mean, character-vivisecting machine.
In true Splatterpunk style, there's an over-abundance of violence and horrible things happening to people, but Smith doesn't focus on these elements for very long. He's content to say what's happening, and give some punchy description of the aftermath, but unlike, say, Edward Lee (who never met a pile of grotesque he didn't want to put under a microscope with the magnification cranked up, oh, 40,000 or so times), he doesn't spend a lot of ink drilling what happened into the reader's head. There's a lot of "left to your imagination" here, and while this can be annoying, in this situation it really works. Remember, Smith is writing about low-budget horror films here -- the best way to save money is to reserve your special effects shots for the times when they're most effective. No need to use 120 gallons of corn syrup when a liter or two can work just as effectively and the audience's brain fills in the rest.
Besides, if he lingered on everything, The Late Night Horror Show would have run afoul of 400 pages, and that's far too long for this kind of thing.
I'm not saying The Late Night Horror Show is perfect, because it isn't. Many of the main protagonists are downright awful and hard to root for. There are some who come out of the other side when they really shouldn't have, and an attempt at redeeming one character who, before all the cinemassacring, committed a truly irredeemable act. But when all is said and done, I burned through all 266 pages in a single sitting. That's damn impressive, and I won't do that for just anybody. Smith kept me entertained and wondering how he was going to end it the whole way through, and even managed to surprise me with a couple of details towards the end. With as much horror fiction as I've read, that's hard to do, so I will happily give props to anyone who pulls it off.
Four awesomely bad straight-to-video Netflix streams out of five.
Got a hankering for masked killers wielding off-the-shelf hardware store merchandise? Lead off the show with Chainsaw Maniac. Vampires more your thing? Grab some popcorn and sink your teeth into Blood Lust. Or maybe you've a fever, and the only prescription is more
He's just left out one minor detail: the customers, the patrons, who queue up for this incredible, one-in-a-lifetime horror extravaganza are going to be playing slightly more. . .active. . .roles than they were expecting. Doctor Ominous has discovered a way to redefine "audience participation" in a way that would shame even The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It's no longer a case of "Fuck the back row!" vs. "Fuck the front row!", now it's a case of "Fuck every row!".
Audience-goers often ask themselves if they'd have what it takes to survive a horror movie. Tonight, in Murfreesboro, a few dozen gore-hounds will find out for themselves.
* * * * *
I've never read Bryan Smith before, but after The Late Night Horror Show, I'm definitely going to be back for more.
This is a love letter to trashy B-horror films. Cabin in the Woods and Scream deconstructed A-list horror fare, but The Late Night Horror Show pays tribute to all the knock-offs, wannabes, and Asylum-Studio-style, straight-to-video rejects of the horror world. Smith has also come up with a premise that incorporates some scientific principles into the story to explain how a bunch of movie-goers get sucked into the stories they've paid money to see. I'm not going to spoil anything, and the execution still requires some hand-waving to connect the dots, but let's be honest, nobody reading a book like this is going to DNF it due to some unexplained science. It's a fun idea that Smith drags out to a little under 300 pages. This, by the way, works perfectly: 266 pages is the literary equivalent of a 90-minute run time on a DVD. It doesn't overstay its welcome, it just shows up, does what it needs to do, and rolls the credits.
What I'm most impressed with is Smith's ability to deliver a story this enjoyable within that page count while juggling five separate plots, and never dropping the ball. He introduces every one of his primary and secondary protagonists within the first few chapters, brings them together at the cinema, and then splits them all up as they go to view different movies and thus get caught up in different stories. Even people who wind up in the same film don't always wind up in the same place or the same scene, though they usually wind up crossing paths with other cinema-goers at some point or another. Balancing all these point-of-view characters, including one guy who does not wind up on the wrong side of the screen for reasons explained towards the end of the book, gives me a headache just thinking about it. Yet Smith's rapid-fire prose and stripped-down presentation make it look effortless. I'm not sure how much editorial input the great Don D'Auria (formerly of Leisure, now attached to Samhain) had on Smith's story, or even how much it required, but whatever he did helped shape this book into a lean, mean, character-vivisecting machine.
In true Splatterpunk style, there's an over-abundance of violence and horrible things happening to people, but Smith doesn't focus on these elements for very long. He's content to say what's happening, and give some punchy description of the aftermath, but unlike, say, Edward Lee (who never met a pile of grotesque he didn't want to put under a microscope with the magnification cranked up, oh, 40,000 or so times), he doesn't spend a lot of ink drilling what happened into the reader's head. There's a lot of "left to your imagination" here, and while this can be annoying, in this situation it really works. Remember, Smith is writing about low-budget horror films here -- the best way to save money is to reserve your special effects shots for the times when they're most effective. No need to use 120 gallons of corn syrup when a liter or two can work just as effectively and the audience's brain fills in the rest.
Besides, if he lingered on everything, The Late Night Horror Show would have run afoul of 400 pages, and that's far too long for this kind of thing.
I'm not saying The Late Night Horror Show is perfect, because it isn't. Many of the main protagonists are downright awful and hard to root for. There are some who come out of the other side when they really shouldn't have, and an attempt at redeeming one character who, before all the cinemassacring, committed a truly irredeemable act. But when all is said and done, I burned through all 266 pages in a single sitting. That's damn impressive, and I won't do that for just anybody. Smith kept me entertained and wondering how he was going to end it the whole way through, and even managed to surprise me with a couple of details towards the end. With as much horror fiction as I've read, that's hard to do, so I will happily give props to anyone who pulls it off.
Four awesomely bad straight-to-video Netflix streams out of five.
February 28, 2013
Samhain Publishing just keeps getting it right when it comes to horror. With every new release, they continue to push the boundaries of terror and offer up a nice diversity of new and unique frights. Their upcoming release, THE LATE NIGHT HORROR SHOW, is a perfect example of this. Wildly entertaining and full of the horror that fans like me love, this book thrills on many different levels.
Author Bryan Smith is certainly a writer to watch out for. With a vast imagination and an easy-to-read style of writing, Smith is already a force in the world of horror fiction. He has several novels under his belt, and I have decided to check out as many as I can.
THE LATE NIGHT HORROR SHOW is fast-paced and written well. The wording and sentence structure flow nicely, which allows the reader full immersion into the world Smith creates. And you definitely want full immersion with this book. There are plenty of scares and gore to satiate even the hardest of hardcore horror fans.
The characters are widely diverse and fleshed out to the point of realism. I specifically have to point out how well Smith nails the stereotypical Southern traits within them; as a Southerner myself, I am proud of how well he writes them into the story.
My sole complaint about THE LATE NIGHT HORROR SHOW is that there’s way too much profanity for me, specifically F-bombs. Normally I don’t object to cussing in horror novels, but when it is used so often (like on almost every single page) that I start noticing it, I feel that’s a bit too much. Some folks might not care, but I feel this is worth mentioning.
Otherwise, THE LATE NIGHT HORROR SHOW is an excellent foray into terror. It is a taut horror-fest that will keep you riveted and turning the pages late into the night. I highly recommend this one so give it a look next week when it hits shelves.
Author Bryan Smith is certainly a writer to watch out for. With a vast imagination and an easy-to-read style of writing, Smith is already a force in the world of horror fiction. He has several novels under his belt, and I have decided to check out as many as I can.
THE LATE NIGHT HORROR SHOW is fast-paced and written well. The wording and sentence structure flow nicely, which allows the reader full immersion into the world Smith creates. And you definitely want full immersion with this book. There are plenty of scares and gore to satiate even the hardest of hardcore horror fans.
The characters are widely diverse and fleshed out to the point of realism. I specifically have to point out how well Smith nails the stereotypical Southern traits within them; as a Southerner myself, I am proud of how well he writes them into the story.
My sole complaint about THE LATE NIGHT HORROR SHOW is that there’s way too much profanity for me, specifically F-bombs. Normally I don’t object to cussing in horror novels, but when it is used so often (like on almost every single page) that I start noticing it, I feel that’s a bit too much. Some folks might not care, but I feel this is worth mentioning.
Otherwise, THE LATE NIGHT HORROR SHOW is an excellent foray into terror. It is a taut horror-fest that will keep you riveted and turning the pages late into the night. I highly recommend this one so give it a look next week when it hits shelves.
March 12, 2021
Yet another excellent horror novel by Bryan Smith. This one started a little slow, but just shy of the halfway point it really takes off and will have you staying up too late and rocketing towards the conclusion for the remainder of the book. I won't go into the ins and outs of the plot and plots, but it basically turns into 4 intertwined novellas that are all very, very suspenseful, shocking, mind bending and harrowing. It really is quite a feat, what Smith accomplished with this book. Smith has used a similar theme as the one that ties the stories in this book together in some of his other books, but never as well as he does here. Absolutely one of my favorite Bryan Smith novels. Highest recommendation for horror fans, especially those who love B movies.
August 8, 2013
The Late Nighy Horror Show was the first novel I have read by Bryan Smith but will not be my last. The book was a lot of gruesome fun with three drastically different horror tales coalescing into 1. While all 3 of the tales are so stereotypical they can be predictable the back story of a group of friends being sucked into the worlds of 3 different B Horror films keeps you pushing on and the nasty grue that fills the segments keeps you squirming while you do it.
The novel is not particularly deep but fans of the horror genre and splatterpunk especially will have a good time.
The novel is not particularly deep but fans of the horror genre and splatterpunk especially will have a good time.
November 22, 2013
Another solid and satisfying horror "good read" from one of horror fiction's best writers, and one of my favorites in the genre. A horror film fest, of the B movie variety, is taking place in an old, seemingly rundown, cineplex, and unbeknownst to several strangers, they are about to live the horrors they see on the screen. Will they each survive the zombie apocalypse, vampires, and maniacal backwoods killers? Read this brutal and unrelenting novel to find out! Highly recommended for fans of hardcore horror!
February 25, 2013
I loved this book! Take the best of each type of Horror movie and mix them together in one book.Bryan Smith takes us on a fast paced Roller Coaster ride through the movies
October 4, 2014
Bryan Smith is an extremely talented wordsmith and The Late Night Horror Show is one of those rare horror novels that is extremely fun to read while being equally violent and horrific. In horror-nerd speak, this is "our shit".
A group of friends meet up at a dilapidated cineplex to attend a late night horror film festival of the B-movie variety. Once seated in their respective auditoriums, the group is mysteriously transported into worlds of the fright films that they were, up until recently, just passive viewers. Think The Cabin in the Woods meets your favorite zombie, vampire, and slasher films all rolled into one breakneck, blood-soaked adventure, where the stakes are very real and survival may be less than imminent.
To say that I enjoyed this novel is an understatement. If you're a hard-core horror-hound, this book will seem to have been written solely for you. Enjoy.
A group of friends meet up at a dilapidated cineplex to attend a late night horror film festival of the B-movie variety. Once seated in their respective auditoriums, the group is mysteriously transported into worlds of the fright films that they were, up until recently, just passive viewers. Think The Cabin in the Woods meets your favorite zombie, vampire, and slasher films all rolled into one breakneck, blood-soaked adventure, where the stakes are very real and survival may be less than imminent.
To say that I enjoyed this novel is an understatement. If you're a hard-core horror-hound, this book will seem to have been written solely for you. Enjoy.
October 20, 2013
I did not like this novel at all. Bad writing and bad clichés. It read like a high school project.
June 5, 2020
Didn't finish..
November 17, 2025
4.25 ⭐️
Okay I DEVOURED this. It was unlike anything I’ve ever read before. It was so unique, brutal and fun.
The story follows a group of friends who decide to go to the late night horror show, an event taking place at their local movie theatre, where they have the choice to watch a variety of different horror films. Little do they know, they will actually be pulled into the movies, where they will have to fight to survive against whatever the movie was about.
This was literally an 80’s gore fest. A mix between the VHS movies and fear street. I just couldn’t stop reading.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND 🧟🧛🪓🌲
Okay I DEVOURED this. It was unlike anything I’ve ever read before. It was so unique, brutal and fun.
The story follows a group of friends who decide to go to the late night horror show, an event taking place at their local movie theatre, where they have the choice to watch a variety of different horror films. Little do they know, they will actually be pulled into the movies, where they will have to fight to survive against whatever the movie was about.
This was literally an 80’s gore fest. A mix between the VHS movies and fear street. I just couldn’t stop reading.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND 🧟🧛🪓🌲
July 4, 2018
I wanted to enjoy this book, however as I am pickier about my Sci-Fi than my horror and it didn't quite work for me. I think it was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek, but I didn't find it funny.
The premise is that a group of people at a B-Film festival gets transported into alternate dimensions where the schlocky horror movies are real. Four movies are mentioned: a zombie film, a vampire film, a chainsaw slasher pic and a haunted house film but only the first three worlds/dimensions are explored because none of the movie goers happens to be at the haunted house film. (I was actually rather dissapointed the author didn't have any of the characters sent to the haunted house.) I GET that the settings were supposed to be campy low-budget films with bad scripts and cliches however there were things that didn't quite click, even then.
For starters, I couldn't figure out when the movies were supposed to have been made. The zombie one sounded like it was supposed to have been relatively contemporary but the chainsaw film started out like a bad slasher flick from the 1980's except one of the characters mentioned cell phone signals, and while cell phones did exist in the 1980's they were big, expensive, rare things that no stock character at a cabin-in-the-woods schlock setting would mention. Likewise the vampire film started out like a late 1960's/early 1970's bit of drive-in cheese then was suddenly a 1980's movie. I get that B-movies are oft confused and anachronistic and I am not complaining that in a dreadful film a gothic castle would have a helipad. I am merely pointing out that if a film was made in 1972, it would not have had a 1986 hot tub party or, if it had been made in 1986, that it wouldn't have resembled some kind of Hammer-knockoff for the first hour.
I have watched loads of B movies and cult films. It's funny when a supposedly ancient Egyptian mummy speaks perfect English, especially if it has an inexplicable fake "European" accent. It's hilarious when a Roman legionary is wearing a Timex watch. It's delightful when a giant, atomic Monster is clearly a small, stop-action, puppet in front of a postcard depicting a famous landmark. But the movies in the story missed the point. I just didn't feel like I was reading a "real-life" version of a direct-to-VHS, second-rate, clone of a dated genre pic. It's a shame really because I was looking forward to that bit of the story.
My biggest issue, however was with the science fiction element. I can't say it was laughable because I didn't laugh. "Oh, hey, aliens gave me technology because I'm a mad scientist with a little green assistant. Kill yourself and I'll save that ex-girlfriend who hospitalized you, as well as her friend you don't like and some folks you don't even know." Um...yeah...once again, I think it was supposed to be funny, but as I said, I can be quite picky about my science fiction novels. It just felt like that part was chucked in to fill the plot hole of getting the characters into the movie worlds. Except true camp doesn't waste valuable screen time filling in plot holes. It lets the audience members chuckle and scratch their heads and ask "Why did that EVEN happen?!?"
Likewise the ensemble "cast" of the novel bugged me. Alcoholic guy kills wife in a drunken haze then goes to movies. Recently beaten man stalks ex girlfriend at movies. Foul-mouthed biggot, gun-toting country gal, hipsters, dates and college pal go to movies. Because...um...er? Well if they weren't all there the story wouldn't happen. The bits of the novel that were -supposed to be- the here and now felt more like scripts for B-movies than the films in the book. Was that the author's intention? Maybe it was and I missed the point.
Even the happy ending left me unsatisfied. Happy endings are for Hollywood RomComs and animated musicals. Horror films often end on a down note. If the ending seems happy there is typically a twist - the masked killer gets back up, a horde of ghouls staggers over the horizon, the cursed tome ends up at a dusty pawn shop, the evil space monster was actually just a scout for a huge invasion fleet...something, anything, that leaves the possibility of a sequel open. Here the book lost me once again; perhaps two of the characters suddenly being actual vampires was supposed to be the "scary twist" but it didn't feel menacing as it was written.
It's an easy read, and a bit of mindless fun but I just felt like it missed the mark on too many counts. It wasn't funny enough to be a humor book and while there was sex and violence and swearing and guns and blood and over-the-top gore, it lacked the underlying creepiness of a great horror story. As a work of science fiction, it especially didn't satisfy. I guess I was expecting too much from the cover art and the blurb on the back; so in that way it rather does meet the criteria of a B-Movie in the $5.99 DVD bin.
The premise is that a group of people at a B-Film festival gets transported into alternate dimensions where the schlocky horror movies are real. Four movies are mentioned: a zombie film, a vampire film, a chainsaw slasher pic and a haunted house film but only the first three worlds/dimensions are explored because none of the movie goers happens to be at the haunted house film. (I was actually rather dissapointed the author didn't have any of the characters sent to the haunted house.) I GET that the settings were supposed to be campy low-budget films with bad scripts and cliches however there were things that didn't quite click, even then.
For starters, I couldn't figure out when the movies were supposed to have been made. The zombie one sounded like it was supposed to have been relatively contemporary but the chainsaw film started out like a bad slasher flick from the 1980's except one of the characters mentioned cell phone signals, and while cell phones did exist in the 1980's they were big, expensive, rare things that no stock character at a cabin-in-the-woods schlock setting would mention. Likewise the vampire film started out like a late 1960's/early 1970's bit of drive-in cheese then was suddenly a 1980's movie. I get that B-movies are oft confused and anachronistic and I am not complaining that in a dreadful film a gothic castle would have a helipad. I am merely pointing out that if a film was made in 1972, it would not have had a 1986 hot tub party or, if it had been made in 1986, that it wouldn't have resembled some kind of Hammer-knockoff for the first hour.
I have watched loads of B movies and cult films. It's funny when a supposedly ancient Egyptian mummy speaks perfect English, especially if it has an inexplicable fake "European" accent. It's hilarious when a Roman legionary is wearing a Timex watch. It's delightful when a giant, atomic Monster is clearly a small, stop-action, puppet in front of a postcard depicting a famous landmark. But the movies in the story missed the point. I just didn't feel like I was reading a "real-life" version of a direct-to-VHS, second-rate, clone of a dated genre pic. It's a shame really because I was looking forward to that bit of the story.
My biggest issue, however was with the science fiction element. I can't say it was laughable because I didn't laugh. "Oh, hey, aliens gave me technology because I'm a mad scientist with a little green assistant. Kill yourself and I'll save that ex-girlfriend who hospitalized you, as well as her friend you don't like and some folks you don't even know." Um...yeah...once again, I think it was supposed to be funny, but as I said, I can be quite picky about my science fiction novels. It just felt like that part was chucked in to fill the plot hole of getting the characters into the movie worlds. Except true camp doesn't waste valuable screen time filling in plot holes. It lets the audience members chuckle and scratch their heads and ask "Why did that EVEN happen?!?"
Likewise the ensemble "cast" of the novel bugged me. Alcoholic guy kills wife in a drunken haze then goes to movies. Recently beaten man stalks ex girlfriend at movies. Foul-mouthed biggot, gun-toting country gal, hipsters, dates and college pal go to movies. Because...um...er? Well if they weren't all there the story wouldn't happen. The bits of the novel that were -supposed to be- the here and now felt more like scripts for B-movies than the films in the book. Was that the author's intention? Maybe it was and I missed the point.
Even the happy ending left me unsatisfied. Happy endings are for Hollywood RomComs and animated musicals. Horror films often end on a down note. If the ending seems happy there is typically a twist - the masked killer gets back up, a horde of ghouls staggers over the horizon, the cursed tome ends up at a dusty pawn shop, the evil space monster was actually just a scout for a huge invasion fleet...something, anything, that leaves the possibility of a sequel open. Here the book lost me once again; perhaps two of the characters suddenly being actual vampires was supposed to be the "scary twist" but it didn't feel menacing as it was written.
It's an easy read, and a bit of mindless fun but I just felt like it missed the mark on too many counts. It wasn't funny enough to be a humor book and while there was sex and violence and swearing and guns and blood and over-the-top gore, it lacked the underlying creepiness of a great horror story. As a work of science fiction, it especially didn't satisfy. I guess I was expecting too much from the cover art and the blurb on the back; so in that way it rather does meet the criteria of a B-Movie in the $5.99 DVD bin.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 27, 2017
Have you ever watched B-horror movies? These are the horror movies that are so bad they're good. They're a lot of fun to watch because they never make sense, the people in the movie always make the same mistakes, and they are always full of clichés, which makes them kind of hilarious. The problem with B-horror movies is that you always know how things are going to end. Personally, I'm a big fan of horror movies, but not really the new torture porn stuff that borders on obscene. I prefer to be scared with creepy horror, not gory horror.
In this novel, a group of college students ends up being transported into these B-horror movies. The premise of this book is interesting, but it doesn't hit the mark for me. First off, the writing in this book was a lot better than I expected. I thought it would be comparable to the terrible writing of bad horror movies, but it was better. At times, of course it was clichéd, but that's because the movie itself was cliché. That was one of the hardest parts for me to wrap my head around. Sometimes the writing needed to be bad because the dialogue in terrible horror movies is bad.
While the individual story lines were each intense in their own ways, like terrible B-horror movies, you know what's going to happen before it does. And like those movies, the gore was bordering on obscene. Well done to Bryan Smith for making me want to throw up, but honestly, when I read a book, I don't want to feel sick to my stomach. Unlike horror movies, I can't cover my eyes and have someone tell me when it's over.
It's a good book for what it is, but it's not good enough to have me raving about it.
I received this book through the Goodreads FirstReads program.
In this novel, a group of college students ends up being transported into these B-horror movies. The premise of this book is interesting, but it doesn't hit the mark for me. First off, the writing in this book was a lot better than I expected. I thought it would be comparable to the terrible writing of bad horror movies, but it was better. At times, of course it was clichéd, but that's because the movie itself was cliché. That was one of the hardest parts for me to wrap my head around. Sometimes the writing needed to be bad because the dialogue in terrible horror movies is bad.
While the individual story lines were each intense in their own ways, like terrible B-horror movies, you know what's going to happen before it does. And like those movies, the gore was bordering on obscene. Well done to Bryan Smith for making me want to throw up, but honestly, when I read a book, I don't want to feel sick to my stomach. Unlike horror movies, I can't cover my eyes and have someone tell me when it's over.
It's a good book for what it is, but it's not good enough to have me raving about it.
I received this book through the Goodreads FirstReads program.
January 5, 2017
I have tried to read this book twice. The first time was during last summer. I read the first page and put it off until recently. I dont know why I thought it would have more appeal to me when it obviously was a bore in the first place. I know, I know, you're probably thinking I must be an idiot for judging a book based off the first page. Call me impatient, but if the first chapter of any book doesnt turn me on, then I just move along. Halloween rolled around, so I pulled out this book again and this time read up to chapter 10. That would only be fair so at least if someone asked I could honestly say I gave it a try.
I guess it all narrows down to the fact that I am just not into zombies or vampires. The reason I gave it a 2 stars was because I didnt like how it kept switching from one character to another, which is really what the whole book was about. Some are being chased by zombies, others are dealing with vampires, and then there's the girl who's being chased by a psycho with a chainsaw. I did enjoy psycho thriller but I hated skimming over the other other chapters just to read about her.
Basically, if you are into zombies and vampires, and psycho killers, this is a book you might enjoy. I wish I had. As a conclusion, I am just going to read spoilers.
I guess it all narrows down to the fact that I am just not into zombies or vampires. The reason I gave it a 2 stars was because I didnt like how it kept switching from one character to another, which is really what the whole book was about. Some are being chased by zombies, others are dealing with vampires, and then there's the girl who's being chased by a psycho with a chainsaw. I did enjoy psycho thriller but I hated skimming over the other other chapters just to read about her.
Basically, if you are into zombies and vampires, and psycho killers, this is a book you might enjoy. I wish I had. As a conclusion, I am just going to read spoilers.
June 3, 2021
A fun riff on the themes behind late-night zombie, slasher, and vampire flicks.
November 6, 2023
Take a visit to Doctor Ominous and see his Late Night Horror Show. This book would make a great gory 80's horror movie.
December 6, 2015
Bryan Smith's The LATE NIGHT HORROR SHOW is in the top three books I've read this year, 2015. It is a trifecta of horror storytelling. A book that tackles three major horror sub-genres and manages to make it all fresh and exciting and new. I'd shied away from Bryan Smith after the first book I'd read by him, Rock N Roll Reform School Zombies. It was a good book but not a great book. THIS is a great book and I now have a greater appreciation for all the clout he gets in the horror fiction genre.
The story starts off introducing an ensemble cast of characters all attending a cheesy horror film festival at a local dive theater. Once each group of characters sets in for their genre of choice: zombie apocalypse, vampire or slasher movie, things really kick into gear. At that point, the book becomes three different books. You get a zombie survival story, a vampire love story and an all out blood bath of a slasher story. Each captivating and entertaining and exciting. The storytelling is smooth and each part isn't confused by the others.
Even with the large cast of characters to follow, nobody gets lost or confused. the characters are strong and distinct. This is a gem of a book from top to bottom. Dare I say... flawless. My first Bryan Smith book left me hesitant to try him out again. Indeed its been many years since i first read him. this story was just intriguing enough to rope me back in and now I am glad I've read the Bryan Smith that everyone raves about. Well deserved, I will rave now also. This is horror perfection.
The story starts off introducing an ensemble cast of characters all attending a cheesy horror film festival at a local dive theater. Once each group of characters sets in for their genre of choice: zombie apocalypse, vampire or slasher movie, things really kick into gear. At that point, the book becomes three different books. You get a zombie survival story, a vampire love story and an all out blood bath of a slasher story. Each captivating and entertaining and exciting. The storytelling is smooth and each part isn't confused by the others.
Even with the large cast of characters to follow, nobody gets lost or confused. the characters are strong and distinct. This is a gem of a book from top to bottom. Dare I say... flawless. My first Bryan Smith book left me hesitant to try him out again. Indeed its been many years since i first read him. this story was just intriguing enough to rope me back in and now I am glad I've read the Bryan Smith that everyone raves about. Well deserved, I will rave now also. This is horror perfection.
September 14, 2013
I received this book through Goodreads First Reads.
Being a big fan of horror, I was excited to start this book. The premise I thought was fascinating - who could pass up a multitude of iconic horror-movie antagonists? That of which included zombies, chainsaw-wielding maniacs, and vampires. (They had me at the Z-word.)
To be honest, the gratuitous swearing put me off almost immediately. And as we met each of the novel's main characters, I became almost disappointed at how little depth they had. However, as their journeys progressed, I began to think of them as actual people and not just expendable characters stuck in horrid situations. By the end of the book, I thought that if this was purposefully done by the author, I could forgive that. The book, after all, parodies b-horror and in itself becomes one.
I liked the few twists and plot-devices and thought it was a fairly good story.
Being a big fan of horror, I was excited to start this book. The premise I thought was fascinating - who could pass up a multitude of iconic horror-movie antagonists? That of which included zombies, chainsaw-wielding maniacs, and vampires. (They had me at the Z-word.)
To be honest, the gratuitous swearing put me off almost immediately. And as we met each of the novel's main characters, I became almost disappointed at how little depth they had. However, as their journeys progressed, I began to think of them as actual people and not just expendable characters stuck in horrid situations. By the end of the book, I thought that if this was purposefully done by the author, I could forgive that. The book, after all, parodies b-horror and in itself becomes one.
I liked the few twists and plot-devices and thought it was a fairly good story.
June 19, 2015
This is like three different books in one. We have a vampire story, a zombie story and finally the one with the chainsaw maniac. All the stories run in parallel. And the transition from one to another it so smooth that it is sort of fun thinking of the characters from one, while reading about other. Gore and Violence is to the extreme but never gross. It gives you a feel of the splatter punk Hollywood horror movies.
Eight young people in a small college town decide to attend the horror film festival in a rundown complex. Each chooses his or her pick of movie to begin with. And all of a sudden each of them, get inside the movie, he/her is watching. Literally. Now they have to survive whatever horror they have chosen from themselves.
If you are not bothered much about the character development or story or in a mood of a light horror comedy, you would enjoy it.
Eight young people in a small college town decide to attend the horror film festival in a rundown complex. Each chooses his or her pick of movie to begin with. And all of a sudden each of them, get inside the movie, he/her is watching. Literally. Now they have to survive whatever horror they have chosen from themselves.
If you are not bothered much about the character development or story or in a mood of a light horror comedy, you would enjoy it.
August 24, 2015
Wild
I am a huge fan of Bryan Smith. I love how his books take you out of reality, and spit you into some messed up, gory version of reality. I have yet to read a book by Bryan Smith that has disappointed me. This book is great because it touches on so many different genres of horror, most of the popular ones are represented. This was a fun read, albeit a gross one.
I am a huge fan of Bryan Smith. I love how his books take you out of reality, and spit you into some messed up, gory version of reality. I have yet to read a book by Bryan Smith that has disappointed me. This book is great because it touches on so many different genres of horror, most of the popular ones are represented. This was a fun read, albeit a gross one.
March 31, 2022
*some spoilers*
This was a stinker! This book borrows its premise from the movie Waxworks (which I love) but then does nothing with it.
Some characters were ok while others were down right cardboard or pieces of s#@%.
When the characters go to the movies and get transported into different horror movies some immediately turn to vampires and just accept the fact and murder people. By the way if you like gore this book has it but with no story to back it up its crap.
The whole book just jumps from scene to scene of a lame zombie story where nothing of importance happens. Two characters turn to vamps and just enjoy killing people, not sure how I'm supposed to root for them?
I can't stress enough how much of nothing but useless gore scenes happens in this book. I had to skim the whole thing past the quarter mark. I read another review that pretty much said it right, this is like a 7th graders attempt at a ripoff and they only had stupid murder scenes in mind.
SPOILER
At the end, the characters just poof back to the theater and go their separate ways! The scene/end of book is tied up within 3 pages. Like wtf!?
This was a stinker! This book borrows its premise from the movie Waxworks (which I love) but then does nothing with it.
Some characters were ok while others were down right cardboard or pieces of s#@%.
When the characters go to the movies and get transported into different horror movies some immediately turn to vampires and just accept the fact and murder people. By the way if you like gore this book has it but with no story to back it up its crap.
The whole book just jumps from scene to scene of a lame zombie story where nothing of importance happens. Two characters turn to vamps and just enjoy killing people, not sure how I'm supposed to root for them?
I can't stress enough how much of nothing but useless gore scenes happens in this book. I had to skim the whole thing past the quarter mark. I read another review that pretty much said it right, this is like a 7th graders attempt at a ripoff and they only had stupid murder scenes in mind.
SPOILER
At the end, the characters just poof back to the theater and go their separate ways! The scene/end of book is tied up within 3 pages. Like wtf!?
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