Sometimes words fail to portray the absurdity of human experience. Poetry can help us with that, especially for LGBTQ+ creators. And adding a horror slant? You can understand why the "demo reels" are there even if you were born long after that era.

While the poetry is labeled as horror, I felt more melancholy from the verses. Some narrators wait for people who never show up at airports. Others talk of final girls that ponder their survival and curse their pasts. And I felt a kindred spirit was behind the words, who understood how horror becomes a language of catharsis.

Its lovely to come across something different every now and again - there's not many books like this (that I've come across anyway). Loved the pop culture references and the links with horror films.

Horror is my thing and I love horror novels and movies. This collection is awesome because it has such great atmosphere and descriptions of horror and horror-adjacent situations. I loved the use of words.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the free arc in exchange for an honest review.


"She’s the thoughtful girl who dwells on last summer’s mistake and the vengeful one who spits on graves; the clever one who solves puzzle boxes and summons Cenobites; the little one calling out from television static;"
- prob one of my favourite lines from the poetry. There's a lot of pretty and deep ones, but that one stood out the most. Homage to horror genre -highly recommend this collection of poetry for horror fanatics. Some reference to movies, books and characters I'm quite familiar with.

I love poetry and horror so this collection infuses my interests so well. Great read overall with a mix of themes,

Demo Reels and Arthouse Madness is a collection of poetry by Vince A. Liaguno, coming out on Feb. 25. He's "a self-identified unapologetic horror and pop culture junkie" and an award-winning editor and novelist. He has an amazingly vivid way with words, and makes some really interesting connections between seemingly disparate elements. I thought the ideas behind "Dumbwaiter", "Demo Reels", and other poems were arresting, and numerous poems contained kernels of brief, dark humor. He eloquently states a thesis in "Storytelling":

"Fuck once upon a time and happily ever after, all those
lazy literary conceits that lull into false senses of security.
Good storytellers are like doomsday preppers
who spin conspiracies of fear wrapped in quaint fable jackets,
who knew the fictions that demand attention are the ones
with the piranhas' serrated bite."

But I strongly oppose Liaguno's apparent conviction that horror stories are the only ones worth telling. His poems are often viscerally effective, but rarely uplifting; the closest they get to that mood is exemplified by a couplet in "Horrors of the Female Persuasion":
"Hear her roar and listen to her scream and watch her kill and see her survive.
She's a woman in horror: Cheer her. Fear her. Reengineer her. Revere her."

Mind you, Liaguno obviously isn't trying to be uplifting. He seems focused on exploring various facets of people and cultures and how they can be monstrous and perpetuate horrors, individually and socially, and reactions to these horrors (with a few resisters and even fewer survivors), and he's very good at his craft. I also really appreciate his "Movie Reference by Poem" appendix, helpful to readers. Some people will definitely find this book very rewarding. It's definitely good work; it's just not my cup of tea.

Sometimes gritty and visceral, but always smooth and eloquent, Liaguno presents more than 50 poems from the horror genre in Demo Reels and Arthouse Madness. Some are pop cultural and include final girls and the carnivale. Others are more subtle with themes of the other in our nature or the horror of the everyday grind. Liaguno provides a visual feast for the senses. 4.5 stars, but rounded up to 5.

The poems in this book were good. However, I found that the constant pop culture references bogged down the themes and made the poetry shallow. Most of these poems read as plot summaries for 80’s slasher films, while only a few actually moved me.

I am not well-versed in poetry, but I love the art form and its ability to create vivid imagery and emotion from very little.

This is a beautiful homage to horror films of the past and present. These poems are an adept blend of tragedy and comedy, of bleakness and hope and all that horror encompasses. Drawing from real-life horrors, the monotony of daily living, and capturing the emotion and trauma of being trapped in a body or life that you don't want any more but told through a cinematic lens.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC copy.

I don’t normally read poetry, but as a horror fan, I had to give this a shot—and I’m so glad I did. Demo Reels and Arthouse Madness hooked me from the very start. Every word feels like a love letter to horror, beautifully crafted and haunting in all the right ways. This was my first time reading Vince Liaguno, but it definitely won’t be my last. Monday Shutdown was my favorite, but honestly, all 50 poems had this dark, mesmerizing quality to them. And the horror movie and pop culture references? Perfect. If you love horror, you need to check this out.

If you're a horror fan, you need to read this collection! I'm incredibly picky about poetry, and each of the 50 poems in Demo Reels and Arthouse Madness was a delight. It's a love letter to horror in all forms, but it particularly focuses on the golden age of horror, with slasher baddies and final girls referenced throughout. I loved picking out the references in each poem (and the handy guide at the end gave me some new movies to add to my watchlist!) and the use of horror to interact with themes like grief, memory, growing up, coming out, and beyond was really powerful for me.

The poetry nerd in me was also satisfied - Liaguno employs a wide variety of poetry and techniques so that the collection never feels stale or repetitive. From prose-poems to what I suspect was well-crafted Iambic pentameter (I didn't count but the lines and rhymes followed a similar pattern), each piece was allowed to exist fully without relying on the others or too heavily on tropes or horror references. I was particularly delighted with Frankenstein's Grammar, but I think Demo Reel was my favorite overall poem.

I eagerly anticipate more poetry from Vince A. Liaguno!

I received an advance copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Demo
This is a book to have hand to turn to for one’s own horror writing inspiration through imagery (Forum & Void), to be reminded that everyone suffers in their day job (Monday Shutdown), or even for a mad kind of hope (Lost Traveler). Demo Reels and Arthouse Madness is for any lover of horror, words, and the ability of words to create vivid pictures (motion pictures, even) and will definitely have a home on my shelf.

First time reading Vince Liaguno, and really enjoyed these poems. I enjoyed what he did with these, with tying them to various movies. Will now start rewatching or first time watching a lot of these movies, and then re-read the poem associated with it. Seems a great way to re-read. #DemoReelsandArthouseMadness #NetGalley

Interesting poetry but it’s really dark. I don’t recommended reading it all in one sitting. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this chance to read this book.

A unique and thought provoking set of poetry that really captures the craziness being portrayed. It's a dark read and ideal to pace yourself with.

This is a book that I ended up enjoying more than I thought I would. With lots of references to old school movies, I was impressed I even caught some of them.

Overall, a solid book.

#NetGalley #DemoReelsandArthouseMadness

If you love horror movies and poetry, I'd recommend you give 'Demo Reels and Arthouse Madness' a try. This collection oozes with homages to final girls, slashers, monsters and more. As a horror fan, I especially enjoyed trying to spot as many references as I could, and appreciated the master list of references - I definitely missed some!

Liaguno’s collection of dark verse is steeped in horror film and pop culture references, with something to appeal to any genre fan. From odes to Jamie Lee Curtis and endless slasher films, to classic horror and sci-fi epics to beloved crime features, DEMO REELS is a wonderfully written and heart-felt tribute to the films that have become a part of the author’s life.

On a personal level, Liaguno spoke directly to me in his moving piece titled ‘Midnight at the Grindhouse’ where he states: “But cinematic memory and nostalgia are not devils easily killed with grindhouse grinding out a remarkably long shelf life that repeats in matinees and midnight showings, cults of congregants worshipping at its gritty feet.” Perfect.

A fine read that can be enjoyed in one big feast, or savored in small bites.

SO FREAKING MANY BOOKS ABOUR MOVIES. This one did not stick out at all. It was forgetable. sorry netgalley.