A Definitive Ranking of Grady Hendrix Novels

My ranking of 7 Grady Hendrix books

This list includes 6 fiction books and 1 nonfiction book. If anyone has read his short stories, I would love to hear your thoughts. For anyone who is not familiar with Grady Hendrix’s work, he is a horror writer who mostly dwells in the world of comedy horror, save for a few instances of sci-fi and fantasy. Expect to encounter suburban vampires, possessed puppets, slasher villains, haunted ikea stores and pacts with the devil. Bit of a disclaimer: as with all of my lists, this ranking is based on my personal opinion and in no way is intended to undermine the talents of the writer or upset people with differing opinions.

Without further ado, let’s get into my ranking!

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7. We Sold Our Souls

This was my most recent read of Hendrix's, and it definitely did not end my binge on a high note. I have enjoyed all of Grady Hendrix's books, most I have even loved, but We Sold Our Souls? I really did not care for it. It was desperately missing the horror set pieces (although there is ONE pretty gory section). It was also missing the COMEDY that he usually does so well. I think it suffered from something I feel a lot of comedy horrors suffer from, and that is that they spend so much energy trying not to be too funny, or too scary, that they end up being dull on both fronts. Although, comedy horror is one of my least favourite genres, so it is hard for one to impress me.

But, Hendrix usually does impress me with both his wit and his mastery of the horror genre. I have no idea why this one fell so flat. The book's mythology, while intriguing, really doesn't make sense. And that is not to say that it is too far-fetched or anything, it just was never explained in a coherent way; it felt like an afterthought. At this point, I am used to Hendrix having outlandish villains and plot points, and I welcome them, but the supernatural mythology feels like it was either quickly added in at the last minute, or was largely edited out. The characters all blended into each other, no one was very distinct or particularly interesting and the plot was lacklustre.

Every time I thought it was about to pick up, it just kept falling short and disappointing me. There is some well written gore and I enjoyed the music references, but that was about it. It felt more like an outline for a book, or maybe someone’s first book, but definitely not what I was expecting from someone so well established and who I usually am such a fan of.

6. Horrorstör

This one takes place in a haunted Ikea. Or, as it is known in the book, Orsk. The story follows a group of Orsk workers, who believe that someone is breaking in overnight and damaging property. They volunteer to work an overnight shift to finally get to the bottom of the mystery, but what they encounter is much more sinister than teenage delinquents, or a homeless person seeking shelter.

You would think, that with this being ranked 6th in a list of 7 books, that I disliked it, but that’s far from the truth. Once we get past the disaster that is We Sold Our Souls, I really do believe that every other book on this list is successful in what it does. I think this one leans a bit too far into the comedy compared to the horror for my liking, which is why it is ranked lower. But make no mistake, I am absolutely a fan of this romp. As a child, I often panicked at the thought of getting lost in Ikea. Or, of wanting to get out and thinking I would need to go allllll the way through the labyrinth to do so. Horrorstör taps into that fear very well.

5. The Final Girl Support Group

This one was hard to place. When I first picked it up, I read about 1/3 of it before giving up. For some reason, I just couldn’t get into it. About 6 months later, I tried again. I decided to skip re-reading the first 1/3, which may have been a mistake, because I spent a lot of the time trying to figure out who the characters were. But, all of the main characters are based on iconic slasher final girls, so based on their names and how they refer to their villain, you can figure out who they are easily enough. And I didn’t want to read the 1st 1/3 of the book and give up again.

What surprised me though, is that I really loved the rest of the book. There were so many references to beloved horror classics, super fun cat and mouse chases and some really gut wrenching moments. The protagonist, Lynnette, one of the survivors of a mass killing, is clearly struggling to cope in the aftermath. The other characters that make up her support group are inspired by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Scream, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Silent Night, Deadly Night, and from Lynnette’s perspective, they are living in denial. They have seemingly moved on from their respective attacks, while Lynnette spends her time preparing for her killer to come back and finish the job. Lynnette is messy. She often makes mistakes that put others in harm’s way, she pushes away those who try to help her and she unhealthily obsesses over events that happened decades before. She is traumatised, but she is admirable and strong, and an easy protagonist to root for.

This is not the most original concept of all time, and often resembles the Scream franchise and the Halloween reboot very closely, but it is filled with twists that keep you guessing. And, I imagine for other horror fans, its knowledge of horror tropes and references to our favourite franchises, will keep horror fans satisfied.

4. Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction

This was my first foray into Grady Hendrix’s nonfiction, which I was initially a bit hesitant about, but it was well worth it. Paperbacks from Hell is a deep dive into the world of horror novels from the 1970s and 1980s, examining the rise and fall in the popularity of genre literature, the trends that dominated them and the often controversial content that marred the pages. Beware, if you do read this, you’re going to want to have your Goodreads open beside you, because you will be adding books to your TBR like wildfire.

3. My Best Friend’s Exorcism 

This was not only my first Grady Hendrix book, but it was also the first book I read for pure enjoyment after starting my English degree. I loved my degree, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. But my god, there was a lot of reading. And for those first two years, when we were studying 18th century literature, it felt like a struggle. I chose to study English because of my love of reading, and quite quickly, reading became a chore. I convinced myself to find a better work-life balance and to try to read for enjoyment again, even if they were just short, simple reads. So, I have to thank My Best Friend’s Exorcism for getting me out of that slump, and for introducing me to a fantastic writer.

The premise of My Best Friend’s Exorcism is pretty self explanatory, and when I read the blurb, I was already hooked. It primarily follows two best friends, Gretchen and Abby, as they enter high school in the year 1988. When Gretchen leaves a sleepover in the middle on the night and wanders into a creepy house in the woods, she comes out changed. Her best friend must figure out if Gretchen has been possessed by an evil entity, or if high school has just turned her into a raging bitch. Hendrix’s previously mentioned love of 80s horror really shines here. Truly 80s reference gallore.

2. How to Sell a Haunted House

Now THIS is how you write comedy horror. I had so much fun with this. It was the perfect mix of hendrix's irreverent humour and supernatural horror. The villains in this story are a cohort of puppets, and as silly as they are, they are also genuinely scary. Following the death of their creator, and the eventual sale of the home they were created in, they decide to do whatever they can to run the remaining family members off the property for good.

And they do some pretty messed up stuff to make sure of it. Also, unlike a lot of eye-roll worthy horrors, there was always a believable reason for the main characters (the estranged children of the puppets creator) to keep going back to the house. I will say, it started off a little bit slower than some of his other books, but I don’t mind a slow burn. And once the story really kicks off, I was absolutely invested.

1.The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

And finally we get to my favourite. Oh, how I love this book. I ordered it from my local library immediately after reading My Best Friend’s Exorcism, waited for weeks, and it never arrived. I went to my local branch and asked them about it, and they said they would order it for me again. And again, it never showed. Frustrated, I gave up for a few months. Some may say, ‘why didn’t you just buy it?’ And to that I say, have you ever met a struggling college student?

Some months later, I was visiting my dad and he asked if I was reading anything good lately. Suddenly, I remembered The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires! I searched online, and saw that HIS local branch had it. Everyone cheered! I went down, went to the section it should have been in, and was devastated to find that they had his other books, but not this one. I went downstairs, asked the librarian if she knew where it was, and she very rudely said ‘I’d assume it’s where it’s supposed to be. Under H.’ And she turned back to her computer. I told her that I, of course, tried that already, and with a sigh, she marched us back up, confident that it must be there. And it still wasn’t. A small triumph for me. Eventually, she found it in a window display on another floor and I finally had my hands on it.

Despite this being his longest book so far, I devoured it. It may be a bit longer, but I think it really benefits from those few extra pages. The settings, characters and mythology are more fleshed out than ever before, and it makes for his most satisfying story yet. One thing I haven’t mentioned yet, is that his books have a lot of gaslighting. Every book has a strong female protagonist, and each time she discovers something wrong and tries to tell others, she is gaslit to hell and back. I like this, because I think if someone told me their house was infested with evil puppets, I would probably tell them they need serious help. But, it can be frustrating to read, and in some cases, even upsetting. This book, while still being a comedy horror, leans much more into horror and drama than usual. And I think that’s what really hooked me.

The story follows a group of dejected, suburban housewives in the 90s deep South. At the beginning of the book, they all seem pretty content with their lives. But, as the novel goes on, their insular bubbles burst, and they discover a litany of horrors; from sexually deviant vampires in the neighbourhood, to police who don’t take the disappearance of black children seriously, to abused wives who are threatened by their husbands if they speak out and ‘embarrass’ them. This one is not nearly as funny as Horrorstör, but it is poignant and terrifying. Out of all of his novels, this is the one I would recommend without hesitation. Linda H. Codega wrote a fantastic piece about the novel called The Monsters They Married Are Men: The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, which I would likewise recommend.

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Next up, I need to read some of his short stories and I am very much looking forward to his upcoming release, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls. Unfortunately, the plots of Satan Loves You and Occupy Space do not interest me much. If anyone recommends them, or I get a good deal on a kindle version or something, maybe I’ll get around to them.

Thank you for reading this far!

Lauren Castle