by Rae Schuetz
5. June 2010 08:24
Have you ever woken up one morning to find the world as you know it has turned upside down? Suddenly, are all the lights in your house casting a deep blue sepia; Is your house now located next to a 
spooky cemetery, and more importantly, do the walls in the kitchen seem to be bleeding more than usual? Then you need "How to Survive a Horror Movie: All the Skills to Dodge the Kills." The book, while a survival guide to the world of horror movies, is also a humorous look at all of those cliché's horror movies tend to favor, such as "The 6 Character types in a Horror Movie," "What to do if there are Snakes on your Plane," and the all important "How to Convince the Skeptical Local Sheriff." Mr. Grahame-Smith takes great, and somewhat sarcastic, care to detail every possible situation and the correct response to take when faced with a creature of the undead.
When I first saw this book, I had to admit, I had my doubts. The rules of horror movies have been hammered into our heads again and again since long before "Scream" came out, so what could this book tell me that I 
don't already know? After reading the first chapter, I was pleasantly surprised. Instead of the same old rules that everyone knows, such as "The Cat is a Forbearer of your Doom," Smith takes his tips for dodging your unceremonious death at the hands at killers to a new level, such as the innovative "Switch Genres," and the 5 steps C.R.A.V.E.N. technique. He also encourages you, the young hero of this film, to use the resources around you to your advantage, such as your friendly neighborhood shop teacher. Another thing that impressed me was the great drawings done by Nathan Fox. I had expected the book to be bland as dish-water like most survival guides, but I often found myself turning to a page and busting out laughing. How often do you see a woman mace a masked killer without even looking up?
Whatever you do you should buy this book, because you never know just where and when you will walk into a horror movie.
For more from Seth Grahame-Smith, pick up "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" and "The Big Book of Porn" Today.
