Book Review: Johnny Gruesome by Greg Lamberson
Medallion's 2008 release returns to classic horror
Nov 8, 2008
Johnny Gruesome
Published: October 2008
ISBS 193755451
Price: US $15.95 CDN $17.95
Red Hill, New York
Johnny Gruesome is the second novel published by Greg Lamberson, the director of the 80s cult classic Slime City, and the first to be released by Medallion Press.
Every high school needs a badass it seems and, for the students of Red Hill High School, the title of King Badass is held by Johnny Grissom a.k.a. Johnny Gruesome. Johnny is your typical play-by-his-own-rules, pot smoking, heavy metal teenager who puts gray hairs on the heads of teachers and students alike. When Johnny is murdered, he returns from the dead by reanimating his own corpse so he can haunt his killers and avenge his own death.
Johnny Gruesome Back From The Dead
One glance at the sinister zombie face on the cover, and there will be no mistaking what the novel will be about. The book is reminiscent of the 80s low budget horror movies that Lamberson once directed, and in fact, was the original plan for the story concept. The book caters to those who crave a flavor of horror from yesteryear, which is much more direct and focused.
For Lamberson, the transition from writing movie scripts to the literary form seems to have been a relatively swift one, as his prose is very clean, powerful, and easy to follow. Lamberson is not the first horror filmmaker to dabble in the literary form, with Wes Craven having given it a go, but he has proven that he has taken the time and dedication necessary to honing his craft.
Adult Horror to YA Horror
Sometimes books are difficult to categorize by subject or even the targeted age group. J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is one that challenged boundaries in terms of age groups meant to enjoy a particular type of fiction. Kids books do not have the same restrictions that they might have had even fifteen years ago. In Johnny Gruesome’s case, the story of a heavy metal teenager might be more suited to a younger age group, despite the sex and drugs. What is essentially teen fiction has been targeted at an adult audience. Still, the novel might still have considerable appeal for slightly older readers, who might have fond recollections of being a pain in the neck kid.
Johnny Gruesome in Horror Publishing
Johnny Gruesome seems to ignore the trends of modern horror publishing by making no apologies for the fact that it is a horror novel. The very fact that the word ‘horror’ is printed on the spine (something that many mass market publishers do not do) is evidence of this. The novel is also a good fit for those who like their horror the old fashioned way.
