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Warning: I'm not going to reveal any crucial plot twists, but the following does contain some mild spoilers.
3. Before I mention the name of this book, I'd like to say that those of you who have only seen the movie adaptation will most likely be wondering to yourselves what the hell is wrong with me. I mean, what sort of bed-wetting pansy gets scared by John Dies at the End by David Wong?
There's a drug called soy sauce, which is about as similar to its namesake as crack is to a crack in the sidewalk. It kills most of the people it comes into contact with, and those who survive it start to see things that they wish they'd never seen. Also, it's sentient, so if you're in the vicinity of this stuff you may end up taking it whether you like it or not.
The magical thing about John Dies at the End is that it's the only novel I've read which is just as hilarious as it is terrifying. There's even a point where it takes on an emotional depth that I did not see coming. The sequel, This Book Is Full of Spiders, is just as funny and heartfelt if not more so, but not nearly as creepy.
The main character is the author's pseudonym, David Wong, who soon becomes the target of nightmarish creatures from another dimension after his body is invaded by the sauce. The story is told in a first person perspective, and it's the narration which provides most of the humor in this book. It becomes serious during the times when David is truly terrified, and you feel that sense of dread as it rises in him.
John, the title character, is David's best friend. He's this slacker with his head constantly in the gutter, and he adds just as much comedy to the story as David. His favorite conversational topic is his penis.
The villain of the story is Korrok, an ancient deity with the power to destroy our world. He doesn't appear until the final act of the book, but his presence lingers throughout. When he does meet the main characters face to face, he's not exactly what you'd expect, but you still believe that he is a true menace due to the buildup. One of the darkest moments is when David has a vision of what happened to those who tried to resist Korrok in the past. A large group of people, ranging from the elderly and infirm to infants being cradled in their mothers' arms, are thrown into a great fissure. Gigantic spiders crawl out from the soil of that fissure and tear all of those people to shreds.
One last thing I'd like to touch upon is why you should read the book instead of watching the movie. Don Coscarelli goes for an all out comedy with zero emotional depth and a complete lack of horror, which might actually work if his movie was funny. I did not laugh once during the film. Do you remember that part with the spiders I mentioned? That happens in the film too, only it plays out as slapstick comedy with some cartoon sound effects. And when Korrok shows up, you're just sitting there wondering to yourself "This is what I'm supposed to be afraid of?"
2. It by Stephen King
A book about a clown which is able to take the form of anything and everything you're afraid of might sound a little schlocky, but in the hands of a master it works. I'll give credit to Tim Curry for acting the part well, but he doesn't hold a candle to the beast of the novel.
Even before It shows up, you can feel its presence. When Georgie has to go down into the dark basement to get some wax for his paper boat, the sense of childhood fear is strong. The nameless menace that lurks in the basement in his head is simply referred to as IT.
Not only does the monster scare you, but there are times when it just says things that get under your skin. One example is when Beverly tries to visit her old man, and is scared off when the occupant of his old home turns out to be It. It takes the form of her father, and It tells her that the reason he abused her and smothered her so much was because he wanted to have sex with her all along. It then goes into sickening detail about having oral sex, and it just about makes the reader want to puke.
Not only is the shape shifting monster effective, but the story is sprinkled with human villains as well. Henry Bowers isn't a stereotypical "rebel" in the book. He's this disgusting little boy being raised by a lowlife father who barely provides for him, and he becomes deeply infected by his father's hatred. He even commits murder before pursuing the heroes into the sewers, and you believe that there is a legitimate danger from this boy.
There's another character who isn't in the movie named Patrick Hockstetter, a child who is by and large a textbook psychopath. He is temporarily a member of Henry's gang before they shun him for being too weird. His hobbies include molesting other children and throwing small animals into an old refrigerator to be suffocated. I feel sorry for Henry, but when Patrick meets his demise it's hard for me to have any sympathy for him.
Of course, this book isn't perfect. There are two moments in particular which could, and should, have been removed. For one thing, the kids discover late in the story what the monster is and where it came from. While you got to see Its true form in the movie, you still didn't know anything about its origins. When you do find out those origins, it defeats that fear of the unknown that made it so powerful and scary in the first place. Another moment that wasn't necessary was a certain scene that took place when the children were on their way out of the sewer after wounding the monster. I won't go into specifics because it happens toward the end. Whereas the film focused on the past during the first half and the present in the second, the book goes between the two time periods throughout.
1. The Hungry Moon by Ramsey Campbell
There's a small town called Moonwell. Every year on Midsummer's Eve, the local children decorate the mouth of a cave with flowers and handmade crafts. This has been a tradition for generations, and the origins of it have long been forgotten. A devoutly Christian woman named Mrs. Scragg seeks to put an end to this, believing it to be a sacrilegious pagan ritual. She enlists the help of an evangelist named Godwin Mann, who enters the cave. The people standing by watch as he emerges from the cave, smiling and preaching salvation. But he did not escape the cave. The thing which wears his face and smile is not human.
That night, all electrical power in Moonwell goes out, and the moon is not visible in the sky. At the time of dawn, there is no sun rising in the east. That which has been at rest in the cave for so long has been sustained through worship. When it is denied the people's offering, it demands their sacrifice.
There's a line in The Mist in which Tom Jane says "you throw people in the dark, you scare the sh*t out of them - no more rules." And that ideal blossoms into full effect in this novel. I used to be scared of the dark when I was a little kid, but as I grew older I became more used to it, and now I can't sleep without turning all the lights off. Even the green light on my cable box has to be covered up. It was this book which brought that fear back into my heart. I got over it eventually after I was finished reading it, but it took a few days for the effect to wear off.
3. Before I mention the name of this book, I'd like to say that those of you who have only seen the movie adaptation will most likely be wondering to yourselves what the hell is wrong with me. I mean, what sort of bed-wetting pansy gets scared by John Dies at the End by David Wong?
There's a drug called soy sauce, which is about as similar to its namesake as crack is to a crack in the sidewalk. It kills most of the people it comes into contact with, and those who survive it start to see things that they wish they'd never seen. Also, it's sentient, so if you're in the vicinity of this stuff you may end up taking it whether you like it or not.
The magical thing about John Dies at the End is that it's the only novel I've read which is just as hilarious as it is terrifying. There's even a point where it takes on an emotional depth that I did not see coming. The sequel, This Book Is Full of Spiders, is just as funny and heartfelt if not more so, but not nearly as creepy.
The main character is the author's pseudonym, David Wong, who soon becomes the target of nightmarish creatures from another dimension after his body is invaded by the sauce. The story is told in a first person perspective, and it's the narration which provides most of the humor in this book. It becomes serious during the times when David is truly terrified, and you feel that sense of dread as it rises in him.
John, the title character, is David's best friend. He's this slacker with his head constantly in the gutter, and he adds just as much comedy to the story as David. His favorite conversational topic is his penis.
The villain of the story is Korrok, an ancient deity with the power to destroy our world. He doesn't appear until the final act of the book, but his presence lingers throughout. When he does meet the main characters face to face, he's not exactly what you'd expect, but you still believe that he is a true menace due to the buildup. One of the darkest moments is when David has a vision of what happened to those who tried to resist Korrok in the past. A large group of people, ranging from the elderly and infirm to infants being cradled in their mothers' arms, are thrown into a great fissure. Gigantic spiders crawl out from the soil of that fissure and tear all of those people to shreds.
One last thing I'd like to touch upon is why you should read the book instead of watching the movie. Don Coscarelli goes for an all out comedy with zero emotional depth and a complete lack of horror, which might actually work if his movie was funny. I did not laugh once during the film. Do you remember that part with the spiders I mentioned? That happens in the film too, only it plays out as slapstick comedy with some cartoon sound effects. And when Korrok shows up, you're just sitting there wondering to yourself "This is what I'm supposed to be afraid of?"
2. It by Stephen King
A book about a clown which is able to take the form of anything and everything you're afraid of might sound a little schlocky, but in the hands of a master it works. I'll give credit to Tim Curry for acting the part well, but he doesn't hold a candle to the beast of the novel.
Even before It shows up, you can feel its presence. When Georgie has to go down into the dark basement to get some wax for his paper boat, the sense of childhood fear is strong. The nameless menace that lurks in the basement in his head is simply referred to as IT.
Not only does the monster scare you, but there are times when it just says things that get under your skin. One example is when Beverly tries to visit her old man, and is scared off when the occupant of his old home turns out to be It. It takes the form of her father, and It tells her that the reason he abused her and smothered her so much was because he wanted to have sex with her all along. It then goes into sickening detail about having oral sex, and it just about makes the reader want to puke.
Not only is the shape shifting monster effective, but the story is sprinkled with human villains as well. Henry Bowers isn't a stereotypical "rebel" in the book. He's this disgusting little boy being raised by a lowlife father who barely provides for him, and he becomes deeply infected by his father's hatred. He even commits murder before pursuing the heroes into the sewers, and you believe that there is a legitimate danger from this boy.
There's another character who isn't in the movie named Patrick Hockstetter, a child who is by and large a textbook psychopath. He is temporarily a member of Henry's gang before they shun him for being too weird. His hobbies include molesting other children and throwing small animals into an old refrigerator to be suffocated. I feel sorry for Henry, but when Patrick meets his demise it's hard for me to have any sympathy for him.
Of course, this book isn't perfect. There are two moments in particular which could, and should, have been removed. For one thing, the kids discover late in the story what the monster is and where it came from. While you got to see Its true form in the movie, you still didn't know anything about its origins. When you do find out those origins, it defeats that fear of the unknown that made it so powerful and scary in the first place. Another moment that wasn't necessary was a certain scene that took place when the children were on their way out of the sewer after wounding the monster. I won't go into specifics because it happens toward the end. Whereas the film focused on the past during the first half and the present in the second, the book goes between the two time periods throughout.
1. The Hungry Moon by Ramsey Campbell
There's a small town called Moonwell. Every year on Midsummer's Eve, the local children decorate the mouth of a cave with flowers and handmade crafts. This has been a tradition for generations, and the origins of it have long been forgotten. A devoutly Christian woman named Mrs. Scragg seeks to put an end to this, believing it to be a sacrilegious pagan ritual. She enlists the help of an evangelist named Godwin Mann, who enters the cave. The people standing by watch as he emerges from the cave, smiling and preaching salvation. But he did not escape the cave. The thing which wears his face and smile is not human.
That night, all electrical power in Moonwell goes out, and the moon is not visible in the sky. At the time of dawn, there is no sun rising in the east. That which has been at rest in the cave for so long has been sustained through worship. When it is denied the people's offering, it demands their sacrifice.
There's a line in The Mist in which Tom Jane says "you throw people in the dark, you scare the sh*t out of them - no more rules." And that ideal blossoms into full effect in this novel. I used to be scared of the dark when I was a little kid, but as I grew older I became more used to it, and now I can't sleep without turning all the lights off. Even the green light on my cable box has to be covered up. It was this book which brought that fear back into my heart. I got over it eventually after I was finished reading it, but it took a few days for the effect to wear off.
Last edited by JoeHorrorFanatic; 06-05-13 at 08:27 PM.
