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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
I love Lansdale, but this may have been a bit too excessive, even for me. Luckily, it was super breezy!
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
hail the popcorn king; eat babies
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Forever one of my favorites.
(Long Live the Popcorn King!)
(Long Live the Popcorn King!)
Brian Keene is one of my favorite horror authors (he is one of many peoples favorite horror authors). So when Brian Keene says that THE DRIVE-IN by Joe Lansdale is one of the best horror stories ever written, you go and read it. Which is exactly what I did. And I must say, Brian Keene was right.
THE DRIVE-IN is pure 80's horror. Written in the golden era, this story is an homage to classic cult horror movies. I'm not even sure how this one escaped my notice when it was first published. I guess I was too much of a Kingphile to notice much else going on in literary fiction at the time. I think this represents a changing of the guard at the time. People were looking for writers beyond King and Koontz and McCammon. The new wave of nineties horror writers were about to make a statement. I think both THE DRIVE-IN and Ketchum's THE GIRL NEXT DOOR sort of represent that metamorphosis.
I missed all these guys in the nineties. Keene, Ketchum, Lansdale and Laymon. But I'm doing the homework, seeing who I missed and I'm back tracking to get in these modern day classics. THE DRIVE-IN is just that, a modern day classic horror novel. It has all the elements. It hits all the right notes. The writing is beautiful in its simplicity. The execution, flawless.
I'm still not sure I am sold on the ending. I know this is a series and it goes on but... I dunno. I have ambiguous feelings about it. But like many great stories, all too often they do have endings that leaving you feeling like something was just not quite right about that (Keene's THE RISING comes to mind). So I can either forgive it as a cheesy way to set up a second story in the series or I can tip my hat to it for its brilliance in evoking strong emotional reaction and duplicity. Let's just call it a win.
THE DRIVE-IN is pure 80's horror. Written in the golden era, this story is an homage to classic cult horror movies. I'm not even sure how this one escaped my notice when it was first published. I guess I was too much of a Kingphile to notice much else going on in literary fiction at the time. I think this represents a changing of the guard at the time. People were looking for writers beyond King and Koontz and McCammon. The new wave of nineties horror writers were about to make a statement. I think both THE DRIVE-IN and Ketchum's THE GIRL NEXT DOOR sort of represent that metamorphosis.
I missed all these guys in the nineties. Keene, Ketchum, Lansdale and Laymon. But I'm doing the homework, seeing who I missed and I'm back tracking to get in these modern day classics. THE DRIVE-IN is just that, a modern day classic horror novel. It has all the elements. It hits all the right notes. The writing is beautiful in its simplicity. The execution, flawless.
I'm still not sure I am sold on the ending. I know this is a series and it goes on but... I dunno. I have ambiguous feelings about it. But like many great stories, all too often they do have endings that leaving you feeling like something was just not quite right about that (Keene's THE RISING comes to mind). So I can either forgive it as a cheesy way to set up a second story in the series or I can tip my hat to it for its brilliance in evoking strong emotional reaction and duplicity. Let's just call it a win.
dark
mysterious
My love of horror was born at the drive-in movies my parents would take me to when I was little. Since then my love has turned away from films and focused on books instead, so this short novel was a perfect pick for my Year of Lansdale challenge.
The Drive-In takes place at a somewhat of a super drive-in with 6 huge screens and thousands of people. Something comes down and covers the place and all hell breaks loose.
This story is just plain fun, that's all there is to it! There's not much thinking needed, just a willingness to witness the pain, the blood shed and the insanity that is Joe Lansdale's imagination.
Highly recommended to fans of B horror films and books!
The Drive-In takes place at a somewhat of a super drive-in with 6 huge screens and thousands of people. Something comes down and covers the place and all hell breaks loose.
This story is just plain fun, that's all there is to it! There's not much thinking needed, just a willingness to witness the pain, the blood shed and the insanity that is Joe Lansdale's imagination.
Highly recommended to fans of B horror films and books!
A sick twisted darkly humorous look at human nature in the face of disaster. This is a nasty piece of work that only works because of Lansdale’s brilliantly descriptive, punchy, no holds barred, laugh out loud, in your face style of writing. I loved it! Long live The Popcorn King!