Book Review: Slaughter High Novelization

Slaughter High Novelization Book Review by Matt Boiselle

First of all I’d like to offer up a freshly baked hearty bowl of thanks to the group over at Terrorcore Publishing for allowing me to review one of their latest releases, the novelization of “Slaughter High” – the 1986 slasher directed by Mark Ezra, Peter Litten and George Dugdale.

The movie (first off) tells the tale of disgraced and bullied (and ultimately disfigured) nerd Marty Rantzen, who exacts revenge upon his tormentors years later under the guise of a jester’s mask – the movie has gained a cult following of sorts and I remember renting the daylights out of it back when my mother would drop $5 in my hand and tell me to “pick out a nice movie for the family to watch tonight”…come to think of it I lost my movie-picking privileges fairly soon after that. In any event, here we are in the blessed year 2026, and writer Caleb J. Pecue has taken to the pages to bring back the beloved slasher to the book world, and as of a March 3rd release date, the books are flying off the shelf faster than an arterial spray of the crimson – how’s that for a sales pitch?

Featuring an all-new forward from Mark Ezra, the book stays true to the 1986 presentation, but just has that extra BOOM when it comes to being eyeballed in print – I revisited the film just a few short days ago before diving into the book, and I’ve got to tell you – the duo combined is a treat for horror fans that love to flip the pages of their favorite films. You can either snag the paperback version ($16.99), or the much more detailed hardcover ($28.99) with a gore-geous dust-cover which reveals what looks like the Doddsville County High yearbook – the beauty is in the details and this one simply deserves a top spot on your bookshelf, without a doubt. You can even have the choice of whichever copy you buy to be autographed by Caleb J, Pecue – so what are you waiting for? The link to the site will be down below, so head on over and read what might be one of the best horror cautionary tales to be documented in a long time (please be nice to the nerds, could ya?)

Slaughter High: The Official Novelization by Caleb J. Pecue