jobinsonlis's review
3.0
Like a lot of people who read this book, I came to it because I’m a fan of the Faculty of Horror podcast. Personally nothing about it was as interesting as listening to the podcast. I don’t hate this era of horror but the analysis felt pretty surface-level and ultimately a little pointless. The Faculty of Horror sometimes has that first problem but I never feel like the second is true, probably because the hosts have so much chemistry and genuine enthusiasm for the topic. That same enthusiasm was on display here but with no one to bounce the ideas off of, it felt more like a superficial lecture. I’m not necessarily disappointed but I wish I’d enjoyed it more.
messyshelves's review
3.0
3.5/5
I love horror movies - especially 90s horror movies. Maybe it's because I was a kid in the 90s and I was never allowed to watch these movies.
This book was definitely interesting but it did often feel like I was reading a university paper and often felt dry and lacked it's own distinct voice. The first two chapters set up what America was like in the 90s and while I get how important that is because it influences the movies I found them hard to get through. Maybe because I'm not American? But I found myself skimming a lot of it. It picked up once we got to the analysis of the movies.
Each chapter focuses on a series or movies with similar themes. It gives a summary of these films and then offers an analysis of the themes. There was a lot of really interesting stuff here. I really liked looking at the themes of trauma especially in Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer (aka HELEN SHIVERS SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE FINAL GIRL!). It is hard to review this without critiquing the analysis themselves. Some of them I found really interesting and agreed with while others I felt like saying - honey, it's not that deep.
I did find the number of quotes in this annoying (though I did like the perspective of some of them). Even though the tone was very academic and dry at times I did find this a fairly quick read. If you like horror movies especially 90s ones you may find some interesting stuff here.
Or you could just watch the movies themselves, lol.
aheadfull0fghosts's review
4.0
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2 - such a fun, interesting read! As a female horror lover I really enjoyed this investigation of the 90s horror zeitgeist. It touched on many of my favorite films that were the basis for my undying love of horror.
shereadytoread's review
4.0
Solid book that touches on most of the mainstream horror films from the 90s (and even a few flops). I didn't agree with all of the analysis, but they are interesting perspectives nonetheless. I do wish it looked more into the effect that continuing sequels had on the formula and horror overall. Definitely worth a read if you are a horror fan. It's in-depth but doesn't drone on and it's not overly analytical in a way that can't be understood by most.
whitneymj's review against another edition
4.0
This is obviously a super niche book, but it is a niche that I am interested in! I really enjoyed West's analysis of the 1990s teen horror genre, especially since it largely uses a feminist lens to unpack the tropes of that decade. Definitely more academic than pop nonfiction, but worth a read if you're a horror fan.
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