Genre: Horror
Publisher: Darkwater Syndicate
Published: 2017
Reviewer Rating: 
Reviewer: David L. Felts
Have you read this book?
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...
Slasher Sam, by Simon Petersen is a fun tongue-in-cheek take on the serial killer film subculture, primarily as it’s represented in late 70’s and early 80’s slasher movies. Peterson draws inspiration from a slew of flicks from what the protagonist considers to be the golden age of hack and slash. Hence we get references to cinema slasher-classics such as Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, My Bloody Valentine, Friday the 13th and more.
“Sam”, the subject psychopath, is a vegan, animal-loving indiscriminate killer who’s decided to follow in the footsteps of such greats as Michal Myers, Jason Vorhees and Freddy Kruger. That is, to say, Sam is determined to replicate the most favorite (and most gruesome) kills, perpetrated upon morally challenged teenagers in the midst of having camp-sex, car-sex, party-sex, drinking, smoking, drugging or otherwise engaging in immoral behavior.
And Sam’s blogging about it.
The result is a fast-paced and humorous story full of decapitations, piecing, stabbings and slashings. I most enjoyed the blog-like asides where the protagonist speculates on topics such as the top 5 favorite movie killers, or the top 5 worst slasher movie cops. They read like something you’d encounter on Cracked and added to the whole modern blogging slasher feel.
There’s no mistaking this as a “real” horror novel, as in a series of events that could actually take place. Were Sam committing these atrocities in the manner described, the authorities wouldn’t be far behind, and Sam would soon be caught and in the clink. Nevertheless, the unlikelihood of Sam’s success doesn’t detract from the fun.
One of the things that didn’t work for me was the reveal at the end, a “twist” that did nothing to add to the overall narrative and felt unnecessary to the success of the story as Peterson presented it. I also encourage Peterson, who evidently hails from Aukland, to brush up on American English spellings if he’s going to set his stories in the United States regardless of the audience he’s writing for.
Other than those quibbles, I have no complaints. Read it for the humor, because there’s plenty, but not for the scares, because there aren’t any. Is horror comedy a genre?
Share
Follow
