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Seth Grahame-Smith
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How to Survive a Horror Movie: All the Skills to Dodge the Kills Paperback – May 31, 2007

by Seth Grahame-Smith (Author), Wes Craven (Foreword)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 422 ratings
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Every month or so, a new horror movie hits #1 at the box office no wonder there are dozens of new fright films slated for release in 2007. But if you find yourself trapped in one of these movies, there's no need to be afraid. How to Survive a Horror Movie teaches readers how to cope with every kind of horror movie obstacle, from ax-wielding psychopaths to haunted Japanese VHS tapes. Chapters include:
How to Survive a Night of Babysitting
How to Convince the Skeptical Local Sheriff
How to Perform an Exorcism
How to Tell If You've Been Dead Since the Beginning of the Movie
How to Vanquish a Murderous Doll

Full of illustrated instructions on avoiding ghosts, serial killers, haunted cars, murderous pets, telekinetic prom queens, and countless other hazards, How to Survive a Horror Movie is essential reading for movie buffs of all ages!

Previous page
  1. Print length
    176 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Quirk Books
  4. Publication date
    May 31, 2007
  5. Dimensions
    5.13 x 0.53 x 7.13 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1594741794
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1594741791
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Grahame-Smith’s little volume is just like a horror movie: entertaining and…a fun afternoon’s diversion.”—The Hartford Courant

“If you have snakes on your plane, did something last summer or suspect you’ve been dead since the beginning of the movie, then this is the book for you.”—McClatchy-Tribune

“How to Survive a Horror Movie is essential reading for horror movie buffs of all ages.”—Think Geek

About the Author

Seth Grahame-Smith is the author of The Big Book of Porn (Quirk, 2005) and The Spider-Man Handbook (Quirk, 2006). He lives in Los Angeles, California.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Quirk Books; 0 edition (May 31, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1594741794
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1594741791
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.1 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.13 x 0.53 x 7.13 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 422 ratings

About the author

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Seth Grahame-Smith

Seth Grahame-Smith

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Seth grew up in Connecticut reading Stephen King from a way-too-early age and forcing his friends to be in homemade horror movies. He’s written three New York Times Bestselling novels (and another one that kind’ve flopped but got good reviews). He occasionally writes or produces movies. The ones you like the most are probably THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE and IT. He's currently working on a GREEN LANTERN series for HBO Max. Please stop asking him when it comes out. He’s a partner in Katzsmith Productions, a film and television company based in Los Angeles. He has a lovely wife, two fine sons, and two comically dumb dogs. Visit him at: sethgs.com

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
422 global ratings
funny, witty comedy book about the tropes and cliches of horror movies
5 Stars
funny, witty comedy book about the tropes and cliches of horror movies
the book is not like a regular guide book like the zombie survival book, this book does not list ways to survive horror movies, What it does do is make a lot of jokes and a lot of funny lists of how to "survive" the cliches and tropes of horror movies. the book describes and points out funny things about the horror genre.it is very funny and creative. but it is not a real guide book. it is more like a comedy book. the illustrations are pretty awesome and very detailed.
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Top reviews from the United States

danielle
5.0 out of 5 stars Drop Dead Funny
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2014
Verified Purchase
As a fellow Horror movie junkie I could not wait to get this book. I was not disappointed. The way Seth Grahame-Smith transforms a movie genre into a physical space ( The Terrorverse) is just non stop hilarious. The writing style is epic with great pictures to illustrate what's being said and has been done in movies in the past. Some of it is incredibly gory but hey this is a book about horror movies not kittens ( though there is a section about evil cats ; ) )I also learned about a few horror movies and sub genre's I hadn't heard of before. Hooray for new things right?

Grahame-Smith divides the book into section and makes his way through virtually every genre and sub genre of the horror movie scene. Describing in detail how not to become just another dismembered body in your favorite movie. What is truly unique is how the author seems to pull you into the movies so you really feel like your suddenly a part of the movies we all loved watching growing up, but then you remember the survival statistics for the characters of this movie and suddenly you are desperate to gobble up all the info to stay alive.

Seriously though if you love all things scary and don't just wait for Halloween to roll around once a year to break out the mayhem and frights this book is for you. I laughed my butt off non stop and was sad when I had finished the book. I will definitely be looking into a few other books this author has written.
4 people found this helpful
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Frances Hampton
4.0 out of 5 stars Campy Fun
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2022
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Fun reading with the bonus of a list of horror movies to make your fall deadly entertaining. If you enjoy horror movies you will enjoy this. Make it a party. Read with friends and shout out the movie referenced. Don't underestimate the value of the movie list. Use it to prepare appropriately for Halloween. Turn the fall into an onscreen bloodbath.
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Michael Gmirkin
5.0 out of 5 stars Horror Movie Survival With a Dose of Humor and a Grain of Salt...
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2009
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Caution, thus book may make you laugh out loud... Or wince slightly. Maybe both?

On the whole I found this book to be quite entertaining and rather funny in many parts. Basically it's a run-down of all the horror movie clichés and how to avoid them. Moreover, it gives you practical tips on how to survive if you find yourself embroiled in a typical horror movie...

The book comes with a foreword by Wes Craven, a healthy dose of humor, is well-illustrated and generally pretty slick. Some sections are definitely funnier than others, so it's a little uneven in that regard. But, I figure you need to have a few less-funny moments in order to truly appreciate the gut-busting riffs when you run across them.

If you like horror, and a little comedy, I'd definitely recommend giving this book a try. Good coffee-table or bathroom reading, if nothing else.

Not to be confused with the similarly titled  Horror Movie Survival Guide .
2 people found this helpful
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Bob Lewis
3.0 out of 5 stars A humorous collection of tropes
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2022
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One doesn't expect a particularly serious work when one picks up a book about surviving a horror movie. That's not to say one can't use horror as a framework to teach real survival skills (even FEMA has used the idea of a zombie apocalypse as a tongue-in-cheek way to teach people about actual emergency preparedness skills). This, however, is not such a book. This is entirely a work of comedy.

As comedy, it's a bit hit or miss. On the one hand, I love all the references to the tropes of my favorite genre. The book is certainly not without its charm. And for a quick read, it'll keep you entertained.

However, the constant advice to break the fourth wall (e.g, tips for how to confuse the filmmakers writing the horror movie in which you're trapped) rapidly began to wear on my nerves. Advise people to study a dog's behavior to determine if an object is evil? Sure, within the context of a horror movie, that makes sense, and is a funny reference to a well-established trope. On the other hand "hide in the deleted scenes" just seems like a step too far.

If you read it expecting just a quick book worth a couple of chuckles, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
3 people found this helpful
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Crusader
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Horror Trope Fun!
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2022
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Cool Book!

This book would be hard to do a backstory as there really isn't one, so I am just giving out thoughts on it.

The whole book is about what kind of scenarios you would go through if you were stuck in a horror movie and what you would have to do to survive. If you are a horror lover and you love to watch horror movies - this book is for you. Every situation that happens in horror movies good or bad is in this book. I found myself laughing a lot as there is just so many things that were funny with the survival skills needed to get through the horror movie tropes. Giving this book five "Screaming Survivor Horror Skills" stars!

Highly Recommend!
2 people found this helpful
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HorrorGal217
5.0 out of 5 stars How to Survive a Horror Movie
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2010
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This is a must-have for die hard Horror Movie fans. There were come obvious things in it of course, for example it warned against going to any summer camp as a councler ((you'd be dead before the night was thru)) or be the macho guy saying he'll kill the undead serial killer who has some kind of homing device embedded in his brain that draws him to the person, and of course is immpossible to kill. The movie that made half of it was Friday the 13th and the movie that made the other half was Halloween. The story has a lot of humor in it ((the best is fighting the devil)) and gives a discription of the diffrent types of killers. Also in the very back it talks about all of the movies used for the rules and which ones were duds that you shouldn't see. All in all, I would give it an infinite amount of stars if I could. Again, I would get this book for that horror fan on your list christmas list.
One person found this helpful
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M. M. Walcott
4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good for horror
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2022
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Additional: Don’t put your hand in alien slime. World War Z, Shawn of the Dead. Must see horror/zombie films, Good Luck!
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Crystal Pegasus
5.0 out of 5 stars Horror can be fun
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2021
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This is a quirky, tongue in cheek, exceptionally well written how to guide. Everything you want to know about surviving being sucked into a horror movie. Probably one of the few legitimate uses for the word penis in a horror guide.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Kim Didsbury
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast delivery
Reviewed in Canada on November 3, 2023
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Fun book
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Adriano Ziffer
4.0 out of 5 stars A must for horror buffs
Reviewed in Germany on September 17, 2023
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This manual, in its updated edition, takes a look a most horror/thriller clichés, lampshading and deconstructing them. It's an easy read with plenty of silly illustrations but it's fun and very close to the truth.
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Helterceltic
5.0 out of 5 stars hilarious!
Reviewed in Canada on June 7, 2022
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This was such a funny book! I’ve seen so many of the movies mentioned in this book,that I could see the scenarios in my mind’s eye, which made it even more funny as I read through each part.
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Lilith
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Useful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 7, 2012
Verified Purchase
Having pondered for many a year whether I am living in a horror movie, I decided to take a stab in the dark (pardon the pun, it was fully intentional), and purchase this book to confirm once and for all whether this was indeed the case, and if so how best to survive.....

I found the information on how to deal with demonic cars and Zombies particularly helpful, as I frequently find myself battling these terrors during the rush hour, and with the help of this tome now know the best way to defend myself against a supernatural intruder in my home is not in skimpy underwear armed with just random fruit.

If you have ever wondered why none of the stereotypical ways characters in a horror movie employ to defend themselves never work, then this is definately the book for you...
One person found this helpful
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V. G. Harwood
5.0 out of 5 stars I laughed a lot...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2013
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This is a really easy read and very, very funny. If, like me, you are a fan of the genre, you are really going to appreciate this witty breakdown of it. Fun and educational - now I know how to survive anything the Terrorverse might throw at me in the future
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