Unspeakable Horror!

How to Survive a Horror Movie is a new example of a bizarre, postmodern trend in the horror genre.  I think it all started with Wes Craven; first, his very strange, self-reflexive conclusion to the Nightmare on Elm Street series, followed by the equally self-reflexive Scream series.   I think this is the best way to describe the trend: horror that knows it's horror, or here's another way: storytelling that is self-conscious about being in a specific genre that has conventions and traditions.  For example, the characters in Scream discussing the rules of a slasher film.  The trend reached a pinnacle recently with Max Brooks' very innovative guidebook on how to survive a zombie invasion.  It is the intersection of fiction (zombie movie) and non-fiction (guidebook) that makes the satire hilarious, but also surprisingly satisfying for fans of the horror genre.

So it's very appropriate that Wes Craven provides the introduction to this strange little book.  The whole book is based on the premise that you are trapped in a horror movie somehow (a very postmodern premise to begin with), and this book is the guide on how you can survive.  So the humor of the book is derived from playing off cliches, conventions, and patterns in horror movies.  The result is very odd and sometimes hilarious.  It ranges from silly parody to sophisticated satire, and I found myself laughing out loud frequently.  This book is definitely for people who have seen enough horror movies to get the jokes and references.  I think my favorite part is when the author recommends testing the undeadness of a cemetery by burying a dead fish, and then rating its undeadness by how the fish responds.  A lot of really funny stuff here, and great illustrations too!  The book is also all-encompassing, covering everything from evil doll movies to Satanic possessions and alien invasions.  And inside the book jacket you'll find innards on the cover -- nice touch!