The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires [Dramatized Adaptation]

by Grady Hendrix

1 pages, Audio CD

Published July 28, 2025

About the author

Grady Hendrix is the author of the novels Horrorstör, about a haunted IKEA, and My Best Friend's Exorcism, which is like Beaches meets The Exorcist, only it's set in the Eighties. He's also the author of We Sold Our Souls, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, and the upcoming (July 13!) Final Girl Support Group!

He's also the jerk behind the Stoker award-winning Paperbacks from Hell, a history of the 70's and 80's horror paperback boom, which contains more information about Nazi leprechauns, killer babies, and evil cats than you probably need.

And he's the screenwriter behind Mohawk, which is probably the only horror movie about the War of 1812 and Satanic Panic.

You can listen to free, amazing, and did I mention free podcasts of his fiction on Pseudopod. He also does a podcast called Super Scary Haunted Homeschool.

If you're not already sick of him, you can learn all his secrets at his website.

Reviews

[Hades ( Disney's version ) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Graphic Audio LLC for an ALC of this book!!

I was elated when I saw this book was made into a graphic audio. This book is very near and dear to my heart. Once upon a time I was on the fence on whether or not I was a fan of Grady Hendrix and this is the book that knocked me off that fence at about 95mph to the side of team Hendrix for life! So obviously I absolutely had to listen to the graphic audio and it did not disappoint (and the bar was set pretty high). The cast does an amazing job making this a truly spine-tingling experience. While listening I had goosebumps more times than I didn't. Half of that was from the physical book itself. The other half was from the volts of excitement you get from realizing just how much Hendrix gets us horror people. Like, he's not just someone trying to make a profit off of being a horror author because its a popular genre, or some other fake reason. He is truly one of us. Just a horror lover with stories to tell. While that is something that has always emanated from his pages actually hearing it performed just brings that fact home so much harder. This is an experience that will bring even the most seasoned of horror lovers utmost joy!

[Tiffany Tabiai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! The husbands were awful; demeaning, full of gaslighting. James was the worst of the bunch, but he’s had years to perfect it. He twisted everything to his favor, manipulative to the core. Patricia felt like the only truly sane and relatable character in the whole mess. The story itself was creepy and twisted in all the best ways, and while I’m not usually a fan of scary reads, this one struck the perfect balance between unsettling and unputdownable.

[Kiely Dowd · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
Is it the best book I’ve ever read? No. Is it the worst book I’ve ever read? Also, no. But was surprisingly entertaining. Even tho it had such weird, gross and bizarre scenes, it all came together in the end. Definitely kept me on my toes and I had no idea what was coming next.

Would like to add that I absolutely despise all of the husbands.

[Maria Merced · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Listened at 1.5x speed. These southern ladies do not mess around 🔪🧛

[Reneaue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media and the author for this dramatized audio adaption in exchange for an honest review.
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A Vampire That Quotes George R.R. Martin Can’t Be All Bad, Right?

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one."

This Southern Gothic horror story is set in Mount Pleasant, a quiet suburban neighborhood in Charleston, South Carolina, during the 1990s. The setting is more than just a backdrop as it shapes the novel’s tone, blending Southern charm with creeping horror.

At the heart of the story is a women’s book club that begins as a social escape and gradually transforms into a sisterhood for survival. When a mysterious newcomer, James Harris, moves into the neighborhood, strange and disturbing events begin to unfold, shattering the town’s sleepy façade.

Narrated by Dawn Ursula, this dramatized audio adaptation has a full cast of actors and immersive sound effects to deliver a cinematic experience and set the listener on edge. The book is graphic, and the audio book drives the creepy unease that words alone cannot convey. But at least with this format, you’re spared the visual horror of elderly women being devoured by rats.

The story follows Patricia Campbell and her fellow book club members: Mary Ellen, Slick, Kitty, and Grace as they navigate both supernatural threats and the oppressive dynamics of their domestic lives. Patricia, a former nurse turned housewife, still identifies with her profession, a subtle act of resistance against the erasure of her autonomy. The women in her circle give off Stepford wives vibes, dutifully catering to their husbands’ demands and lacking agency or respect.

When Patricia begins to suspect that James is not what he seems, her concerns are swiftly dismissed by the men in their lives. Her husband prescribes her Prozac, while others face even harsher consequences for speaking out. Silenced and subdued, the women are left vulnerable as James unleashes his own brand of destruction on their community.

The true horror of this novel isn’t the gore, it’s the chilling lack of control these women have over their own lives. Though they appear privileged, they are psychologically diminished and routinely silenced, whether through threats, violence, or medication. Their warnings are brushed off as hysteria, dismissed as the result of reading too many murder mysteries. It’s frustrating, but as someone from the rural South, I wasn’t surprised by the dynamics. Still, I thought things had evolved more by the 1990s.

“He thinks we're what we look like on the outside: nice Southern ladies. Let me tell you something… there's nothing nice about Southern ladies.”

This novel is a sharp, unsettling blend of horror and social commentary, and it’s as much about the monsters within society as the ones lurking in the shadows.

[Ammon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for GraphicAudio’s dramatized, multicast adaptation of Grady Hendrix’s The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.

I’ll be honest, I love audiobooks. They’re how I get through as many books each year as I do. I listen in the car, while walking, or during chores. The hallmark of a great audiobook is when I start finding excuses to keep listening by prolonging one of the aforementioned activities. That’s exactly what happened with this one.

The concept is fantastic. Imagine a 1990s Desperate Housewives meets Interview with the Vampire meets Monster Squad. I haven’t read the original novel, so I can’t vouch for how faithful the adaptation is, but the plot was tight, the pacing solid, and the character development surprisingly thoughtful within its limited 12.5-hour runtime.

I’ve listened to a few of Hendrix’s other works, and while they were fun and entertaining, this is my favorite so far. I give full credit to the team at GraphicAudio. Over the years, I’ve sampled several of their productions. Not all were great. The background sound or inconsistent narration sometimes took me out of the story. Not this time. This production shows how far they’ve come.

The performances were strong across the board, the sound design immersive without being distracting, and the pacing just right. It was a completely engaging experience from start to finish. I’ll definitely be checking out more of their titles, especially adaptations of books I already love.

Story: 🧛🧛🧛🧛
Audio Experience: 🧛🧛🧛🧛🧛
Overall Rating: 🧛🧛🧛🧛

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced reader copy (ARC) from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mysterious man with an ever changing past arrives in an old fashioned little village southern town and upends everything. The women in the town have a book club that starts to get into serial killers and true crime but when new guy starts acting up and people start dying the husbands, who are downright infuriating the entire book, assume their little women are bored and accusing the new man from fantasies they’ve read about. It’s finally realized he’s a version of a vampire but the husbands still don’t believe them and block their attempts to go to police because mystery man has heavily invested in their businesses. In the end, thank god, the women stand up for themselves and though they’re never believed and a few folks die along the way, they are able to chop him up and bury him in pieces. Main character gets a divorce, peace, and her kids choose her in the end after being gaslit by their father and mystery man. The husbands made we want to scream, but the end was satisfying and the dramatized audio adaptation was *outstanding*. Will def read more Grady Hendrix and more graphic audio adaptations!

[Holly Taggart · Rating 5 out of 5]

THe graphic audio for this novel was very well done! I had a few moments when listening on walks out doors where the wind was picking up and I was feeling like a storm was indeed coming - only to realize it was the graphic audio creating the atmosphere.!
For many people, the title and the adorable bleeding peaches on the cover seem to indicate that this is going to be some sort of cute romp through a quaint southern town. And it, kind of is. BUT, it is also billed as horror, and it very much is horror.
There are body horror moments, and general gross ones, which of course is in keeping with the HORROR genre. What I delighted in with this novel was the way that people will cling stubbornly to any reality in order to not disrupt their feeling of normalcy and safety.
And Did I enjoy the Graphic audio? I thin kit was super well done, I did feel as if I was in a movie theatre with the book. It was almost a little too real in the moments of suspense with creaking doors and screams, but I think it was most definitely an immersive experience.

[RebeccaReadsTooMuch 💁‍♀️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first listened to the Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires about 2 years ago. I rated it 5 stars. The story is a wild ride, completely engaging, and the right amount of unsettling that I can finish it without lasting trauma. The audiobook narration is amazing. To this day, I still hear “Pa-TRI-cia….” in Bahni Turpin’s voice whenever I come across that name in print (😰).

When I saw there was a dramatized adaptation released this year, I had to hear it, even though I didn’t really expect the audiobook could be topped by much. Well. This was phenomenal. The music, the actors, the sound effects - it was so perfectly done. Grady Hendrix books are MADE for this format.

If you want the perfect spooky season listen, this is the one. 🍑 🧛‍♂️ 😱

Many many thanks to Graphic Audio for the gifted copy.

[Kera’s Always Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook of this the first time I read it... and loved it. I was excited to hear the dramatized adaptation and this was better than I had hoped. The entire production, from the full cast to the over the top sound effects was so entertaining. It brought a whole new level of intensity to the story and reminded me why I loved it in the first place.

[Richelle Diener · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chilling, unexpected, and yet kind of predictable. The part with the cockroach in her ear about did me in.🤢😂

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

plus one star for the quality of the audio dramatization, minus one star for the cockroach scene