Chalk this one up on the list of “books that demanded a screen adaptation but that we’re still surprised made its way to the screen,” because that’s exactly how we feel about Damon Thomas’s My Best Friend’s Exorcism. If you’re a horror nerd and you haven’t read Grady Hendrix’s novel, we recommend you run to your closest book store after work (or, you know, order it online while you’re still at your desk, but it’s more fun the other way) and pick up a copy: Hendrix has a really fun pop-genre sensibility, and we can vouch that pretty much all of his work is certified beach-read material for the kind of people who wear black trenchcoats to the beach and sweat pure white foundation while they’re on the sand. Its trailer, which Amazon dropped on Thursday, seems to indicate that Hendrix’s tone has survived the screen transition, and we can’t wait to check this one out next month.
Take a look:
Here’s a synopsis:
“Surviving the teenage years isn’t easy, especially when you’re possessed by a demon. It’s 1988, and best friends Abby (Elsie Fisher) and Gretchen (Amiah Miller) are navigating boys, pop culture, and a paranormal force clinging to Gretchen like a pair of neon legwarmers. With assistance from overly confident mall exorcist Christian Lemon (Christopher Lowell), Abby is determined to compel the demon back to the pits of hell— if it doesn’t kill Gretchen first. At turns horrifying and hilarious, ‘My Best Friend’s Exorcism’ pays homage to 1980s pop culture with a totally timeless tale of terror and true friendship. Based on Grady Hendrix’s best-selling novel.”
My Best Friend’s Exorcism will rise from the depths of theological hell and move to its own brand-new circle of digital hell when it hits Prime Video on September 30. That’s sort of like moving to the house directly across the street from you, but, hey, at least you can watch The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power there instead of getting flayed by D-lister Demons for an eternity.