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The Late Show
It's an all-night movie horror show - but this time it's for real...
- GenresHorror
220 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
47 people want to read
About the author
John Douglas
10 books1 followerLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
John Douglas was born in 1955. He graduated from Oxford University in 1976, and since then has worked on the creative side for various advertising agencies. He lives in Manchester with his wife and son. He knows a lot about films.
John Douglas was born in 1955. He graduated from Oxford University in 1976, and since then has worked on the creative side for various advertising agencies. He lives in Manchester with his wife and son. He knows a lot about films.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 18, 2018
(Full review 7/1/17)
Here's a better look at the awesome Steve Crisp art for the 1995 New English Library mass-market (267 pages). Another book I got almost solely based on its cover, but the synopsis isn't too shabby. A bunch of teenagers trapped in a demon-haunted movie theater, getting taken out one by one in increasingly horrific ways? Fine by me.
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Welp, that'll learn me. I should have known better, since I have about a 10% hit-rate when taking total stabs in the dark with horror fiction, but it's always rewarding to find those forgotten gems. This definitely isn't one of them. I didn't think it'd be possible for a book with that synopsis to be boring, but I was wrong.
Basically it's about a down-on-his-luck cinema owner in some English town who enters a pact with a demon that promises to save the dying theater. And when a bunch of teenagers show up for an all-night horror movie fest, hell is unleashed. The death scenes were pretty creative and insane, but the characters were paper-thin and mostly unlikable, which I kind of expected, but when reading a book I need to sympathize with the characters at least a little, unlike with a trashy horror flick. After a while the ridiculous ways the teens meet their ends began to grate on me. Because I didn't care. It started to become repetitive: 2-3 paragraphs of an annoying character's backstory, then they meet their untimely demise. Repeat.
Another thing that bothered me was the fact that the struggling cinema owner has an unbelievable collection of movie memorabilia in his apartment above the theater, including a dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot, that alone would be well beyond his means. I mean, he could have used the money he spent on that to save his business instead of releasing a demon from hell. I was, however, impressed by the fact that the author referenced the band Oasis (a band I loved back in the day) even though this book came out in Dec. 1994, just a few months after their debut full-length. Which means he wrote it before the album came out. What a hipster. But I guess the band was huge in England even before their first album was released.
Overall, this novel felt like a failed film treatment, but I'm still holding onto it based on that badass cover. Sometimes it's all about timing, but I think that even if I were in the middle of one of my super-trashy horror binges this would have failed to do anything for me.
Here's a better look at the awesome Steve Crisp art for the 1995 New English Library mass-market (267 pages). Another book I got almost solely based on its cover, but the synopsis isn't too shabby. A bunch of teenagers trapped in a demon-haunted movie theater, getting taken out one by one in increasingly horrific ways? Fine by me.
------------------------------------
Welp, that'll learn me. I should have known better, since I have about a 10% hit-rate when taking total stabs in the dark with horror fiction, but it's always rewarding to find those forgotten gems. This definitely isn't one of them. I didn't think it'd be possible for a book with that synopsis to be boring, but I was wrong.
Basically it's about a down-on-his-luck cinema owner in some English town who enters a pact with a demon that promises to save the dying theater. And when a bunch of teenagers show up for an all-night horror movie fest, hell is unleashed. The death scenes were pretty creative and insane, but the characters were paper-thin and mostly unlikable, which I kind of expected, but when reading a book I need to sympathize with the characters at least a little, unlike with a trashy horror flick. After a while the ridiculous ways the teens meet their ends began to grate on me. Because I didn't care. It started to become repetitive: 2-3 paragraphs of an annoying character's backstory, then they meet their untimely demise. Repeat.
Another thing that bothered me was the fact that the struggling cinema owner has an unbelievable collection of movie memorabilia in his apartment above the theater, including a dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot, that alone would be well beyond his means. I mean, he could have used the money he spent on that to save his business instead of releasing a demon from hell. I was, however, impressed by the fact that the author referenced the band Oasis (a band I loved back in the day) even though this book came out in Dec. 1994, just a few months after their debut full-length. Which means he wrote it before the album came out. What a hipster. But I guess the band was huge in England even before their first album was released.
Overall, this novel felt like a failed film treatment, but I'm still holding onto it based on that badass cover. Sometimes it's all about timing, but I think that even if I were in the middle of one of my super-trashy horror binges this would have failed to do anything for me.
March 29, 2023
The Late Show is great fun and reminds me of 80s horror movies. It revolves around a run down cinema on its last legs trying to survive after a multiplex is established the town over. Its owner Bill is movie obsessed and lives above the cinema. Unknown to Bill an evil presence lurks in the building and a pact is made between the two.
To help rebrand the cinema an all night horror movie marathon is put on featuring low budget gore movies and all the local teenages flock to the cinema for a night a drinking, partying and gore. This is when the presence in the haunted cinema comes out to play using its host Bill to feed and become stronger.....Now the real horror show will begin.
Its all round great fun, plenty of movie references, inventive death scenarios and descriptive prose. Andy and Grady are likeable heros of the book and the theme of a haunted cinema during a horror movie marathon along with its awesome looking cover makes it a really enjoyable read.
To help rebrand the cinema an all night horror movie marathon is put on featuring low budget gore movies and all the local teenages flock to the cinema for a night a drinking, partying and gore. This is when the presence in the haunted cinema comes out to play using its host Bill to feed and become stronger.....Now the real horror show will begin.
Its all round great fun, plenty of movie references, inventive death scenarios and descriptive prose. Andy and Grady are likeable heros of the book and the theme of a haunted cinema during a horror movie marathon along with its awesome looking cover makes it a really enjoyable read.
September 24, 2012
I always approach an author whose work I have not read before with a little trepidation. This is the first of four books written by John Douglas and I have to say...I was thoroughly entertained.
It did remind me of a homage to those classic horror flicks of the 80's, many of which are mentioned in passing in this book. The plot revolves around a failing cinema and it's owner who strikes a deal with a demon of sorts as a last resort to save his beloved business.
Suffice to say, the cinema is adept at showing late night horror movies and attracts quite a crowd for it's last night. Ok, so it doesn't win many awards on ground breaking human insight and plot building but it is very entertaining how the cinema literally comes alive and disposes of some rather unpleasant teenagers.
The death scenes are quite inventive, people being pulled into posters and getting trapped in a toilet which turns into a crusher are but a few of the zany moments.
If you are a fan of horror films, particularly from the 80's, you will like this book. I will definitely be checking out Mr Douglas' other works to see if they live up to this one.
It did remind me of a homage to those classic horror flicks of the 80's, many of which are mentioned in passing in this book. The plot revolves around a failing cinema and it's owner who strikes a deal with a demon of sorts as a last resort to save his beloved business.
Suffice to say, the cinema is adept at showing late night horror movies and attracts quite a crowd for it's last night. Ok, so it doesn't win many awards on ground breaking human insight and plot building but it is very entertaining how the cinema literally comes alive and disposes of some rather unpleasant teenagers.
The death scenes are quite inventive, people being pulled into posters and getting trapped in a toilet which turns into a crusher are but a few of the zany moments.
If you are a fan of horror films, particularly from the 80's, you will like this book. I will definitely be checking out Mr Douglas' other works to see if they live up to this one.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews