The Final Girl Support Group

Last updated
The Final Girl Support Group
TFGSGHendrix.png
First edition hardcover
Author Grady Hendrix
Audio read by Adrienne King
LanguageEnglish
GenreHorror
Mystery
Publisher Berkley
Publication date
2021
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback), ebook, audiobook
Pages352 pages
ISBN 9780593201237
First Edition Hardcover
OCLC 1202772135
813/.6
LC Class PS3608.E543 F56 2021
Preceded by The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires  
Followed by How to Sell a Haunted House  

The Final Girl Support Group is a horror-themed mystery novel by American writer Grady Hendrix, published July 13, 2021 by Berkley Books. A television series adaptation has been announced.

Contents

Bloody Disgusting voiced their interest in the novel prior to its release, naming it one of "13 Horror Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2021". [1]

Synopsis

Lynnette Tarkington is one of several women who make up the "Final Girl Support Group," a group of women who are the sole survivors of horrific massacres. Adrienne was a camp counselor who survived a killer who claimed that he was seeking revenge for a nonexistent son. Marilyn was attacked by bloodthirsty cannibals. Dani's brother Nick escaped from a mental asylum and, on Halloween, slaughtered anyone who stood between him and his sister. Julia was left a final girl after her boyfriend and one of his friends decided to turn her into a final girl, and Heather had to face a "Dream Killer." Lynnette herself had to deal with a situation dubbed the "Silent Night Slayings" by the media. Their experiences left a lasting impact on their lives that has endured into their later adulthood.

Lynnette is barely hanging on, as she spends her time outside of the group sequestered in her apartment. The others are seemingly not much better in their lives, as the infamy and subsequent movie series about their experiences have made moving on difficult. The support group is one of the only things in her life that makes Lynnette able to leave the safety of her apartment. When Adrienne is found murdered in her home, Lynnette is certain that someone is out to finish the work that their respective killers failed at: to kill all of the final girls once and for all. [2]

Development

While writing the book, Hendrix chose not to read other books centered on final girls, as he did not want to be influenced. He completed a first draft of the novel in 2014, but was unable to sell the manuscript due to Riley Sager announcing that he would be penning the novel Final Girls . Hendrix has stated that he was glad the novel did not sell, as he later rewrote the second half of the novel as "I was sticking the landing, but I was sticking a C-minus landing." In an interview, he also stated that he wrote The Final Girl Support Group as a standalone novel, with no intent for a sequel. [3]

Release

The Final Girl Support Group was released in hardback and ebook formats on July 13, 2021, through Berkley. [4] [5] An audiobook adaptation narrated by Friday the 13th actress Adrienne King was simultaneously released via W.F. Howes, an RBmedia company and Penguin Random House Audio. [6] [7]

Reception

Critical reception has been positive. [8] [9] USA Today gave the novel 3/4 stars, writing that "It’s a thin and bloody line that separates horror fun from the truly horrific, and Grady has a lot of fun walking it as he writes his final girls a triumphant conclusion rarely afforded survivors in real life." [10] The AV Club praised the novel's tension, as they felt that the "wicked pleasure of Hendrix’s book comes from just how effectively he sets up the life-or-death stakes of Lynnette’s situation—and how clearly outmatched her and the other women seem to be." [11]

Awards for The Final Girl Support Group
YearAwardCategoryResultCite
2021 Goodreads Choice Award HorrorWon [12]
Bram Stoker Award Novel Nominated [13]

Adaptation

Adaptation rights were optioned prior to the book's release date by Annapurna Pictures, with the intention to turn the novel into a television series. Per Deadline , Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain will serve as screenwriters while Grady Hendrix will executive produce with Megan Ellison, Sue Naegle, Patrick Chu, and Adam Goldworm. [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>I Know What You Did Last Summer</i> 1997 film by Jim Gillespie

I Know What You Did Last Summer is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Jim Gillespie and written by Kevin Williamson. It stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Freddie Prinze Jr., with supporting roles played by Johnny Galecki, Bridgette Wilson, Anne Heche, and Muse Watson. The first installment in a franchise, it is loosely based on the 1973 novel of the same name by Lois Duncan. The film centers on four teenage friends, who are stalked by a hook-wielding killer one year after covering up a car accident in which they supposedly killed a man. It also draws inspiration from the urban legend known as "The Hook", as well as the slasher films Prom Night (1980) and The House on Sorority Row (1982).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scream queen</span> Actress known for her work in horror films

A scream queen is an actress who is prominent and influential in horror films, either through a notable appearance or recurring roles. A scream king is the male equivalent. Notable female examples include Barbara Steele, Sandra Peabody, Linda Blair, Felissa Rose, Olivia Hussey, Marilyn Burns, Neve Campbell, Daria Nicolodi, Dee Wallace, Jamie Lee Curtis, Mia Goth, Samara Weaving, Heather Langenkamp, Shawnee Smith, Emma Roberts, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Linnea Quigley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Final girl</span> Trope in slasher horror films

The final girl is a trope in horror films. It refers to the last girl(s) or woman alive to confront the killer, ostensibly the one left to tell the story. The final girl has been observed in many films, including Psycho, Voices of Desire, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Halloween, Alien, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Scream. The term was coined by Carol J. Clover in her article "Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film" (1987). Clover suggested that in these films, the viewer began by sharing the perspective of the killer, but experienced a shift in identification to the final girl partway through the film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrienne King</span> American actress

Adrienne King is an American actress and artist. She made her film debut in the television film Inherit the Wind (1965)—followed by uncredited roles in Between the Lines (1977), Saturday Night Fever (1977), and Hair (1979).

Friday the 13th is an American horror franchise that comprises twelve slasher films, a television series, novels, comic books, video games, and tie‑in merchandise. The franchise mainly focuses on the fictional character Jason Voorhees, who was thought to have drowned as a boy at Camp Crystal Lake due to the negligence of the camp staff. Decades later, the lake is rumored to be "cursed" and is the setting for a series of mass murders. Jason is featured in all of the films, as either the killer or the motivation for the killings. The original film was written by Victor Miller, produced and directed by Sean S. Cunningham, and released by Paramount Pictures. The films have grossed over $468 million at the box-office.

Roger L. Jackson is an American voice actor. He is known for voicing Ghostface in the Scream franchise (1996–present). He is also known for voicing the character of Mojo Jojo and Butch on The Powerpuff Girls.

<i>Hack/Slash</i> Comic book series

Hack/Slash is a comic book series, launched from several one shots of the same name, published by Image Comics. The series was created by writer and sometime penciller Tim Seeley. The series follows horror victim Cassie Hack as she strikes back at the monsters who prey upon teenagers. These monsters are known as "slashers", and are a mix of original villains and crossover appearances, such as the appearance of Re-Animator in Volume 1.

<i>Mortuary</i> (2005 film) 2005 American film

Mortuary is a 2005 American zombie horror film directed by Tobe Hooper. It stars Dan Byrd, Alexandra Adi and Denise Crosby. Mortuary was Tobe Hooper's last US-produced film before his death in 2017.

<i>The Texas Chainsaw Massacre</i> (franchise) American horror franchise

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is an American horror franchise created by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper. It consists of nine films, comics, a novel, and two video game adaptations. The franchise focuses on the cannibalistic spree killer Leatherface and his family, who terrorize unsuspecting visitors to their territories in the desolate Texas countryside, typically killing and subsequently cooking them.

Alice (<i>Friday the 13th</i>) Main character in the Friday the 13th series

Alice Hardy is a fictional character in the Friday the 13th franchise. Alice first appears in Friday the 13th (1980) as an artist working as a camp counselor. She is portrayed by Adrienne King—who reprises the role in the sequel Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) and the fan film Jason Rising (2021). Alice's creator, Victor Miller, scripted her as a flawed character, envisioning her in an affair. Once production began on the original film, budgetary constraints limited the deeper exposition intended for Alice's character.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grady Hendrix</span> American author and journalist

Grady Hendrix is an American author, journalist, public speaker, and screenwriter known for his best-selling 2014 novel Horrorstör. Hendrix lives in Manhattan and was one of the founders of the New York Asian Film Festival.

<i>Terrifier</i> 2016 film by Damien Leone

Terrifier is a 2016 American independent slasher film written and directed by Damien Leone. The film stars Jenna Kanell, Samantha Scaffidi, David Howard Thornton, and Catherine Corcoran. The plot centers on partygoer Tara Heyes (Kanell) and her sister Victoria (Scaffidi), who become targets of the enigmatic serial killer known only as Art the Clown (Thornton) on Halloween night.

<i>Paperbacks from Hell</i>

Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of ‘70s and ‘80s Horror Fiction is a 2017 non-fiction book by American writer Grady Hendrix. It was first published by Quirk Books on September 19, 2017 in print and ebook. An audiobook release by Blackstone Audio followed on January 9, 2018.

<i>Satanic Panic</i> (film) 2019 comedy horror film

Satanic Panic is a 2019 American comedy horror film directed by Chelsea Stardust, based on a screenplay written by novelist Grady Hendrix and adapted from a story created by Hendrix and Ted Geoghegan. It is a Fangoria production.

Final girl is a trope in horror films.

<i>Clown in a Cornfield</i> 2020 novel by Adam Cesare

Clown in a Cornfield is a 2020 horror novel by American author Adam Cesare and marks his first novel in the young adult genre.

<i>My Heart is a Chainsaw</i> 2021 horror novel by Stephen Graham Jones

My Heart is a Chainsaw is a 2021 horror novel by Stephen Graham Jones and the first book in The Indian Lake Trilogy. The book is the winner of the 2021 Bram Stoker Award for Novel. It received critical praise for its references to, and deconstruction of, the slasher film genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Heyes</span> Main character in the Terrifier series

Victoria Heyes is a fictional character in the Terrifier franchise. She first appears in Terrifier (2016) as a young woman who battles the enigmatic serial killer Art the Clown on Halloween night; the encounter leaves her severely disfigured, causing her descent into madness. In this film, she was portrayed by Samantha Scaffidi—who reprises the role in the sequels Terrifier 2 (2022) and Terrifier 3 (2024).

References

  1. Navarro, Meagan (2021-02-02). "13 Horror Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2021". Bloody Disgusting!. Archived from the original on 2021-05-06. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  2. "The Final Girl Support Group". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  3. Ehrlich, Brenna (2021-07-13). "'The Final Girl Support Group' Brings Slasher Films Into the Real World". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2021-07-29. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  4. Hendrix, Grady (2021). The final girl support group. New York. ISBN   978-0-593-20123-7. OCLC   1202772135.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. Hendrix, Grady (2021). The final girl support group. Penguin. ISBN   978-0-593-20125-1. OCLC   1235902127.
  6. "My Best Friend's Exorcism Author Grady Hendrix's New Novel Hits in July". Dread Central. 2021-02-26. Archived from the original on 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  7. Squires, John (2021-07-08). "'The Final Girl Support Group' Audiobook Will Be Narrated by 'Friday the 13th' Star Adrienne King!". Bloody Disgusting!. Archived from the original on 2021-07-29. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  8. Haup, Jonathan; Perryman, Holland (11 July 2021). "Review: Inspiring sisterhood of survivors face deadly common foe in Hendrix's new novel". Post and Courier. Archived from the original on 2021-07-29. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  9. "Book Marks reviews of The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix". Book Marks. Archived from the original on 2023-03-14. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  10. VanDenburgh, Barbara. "'The Final Girl Support Group' a savvy summer slasher from horror hound Grady Hendrix". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  11. "Grady Hendrix's The Final Girl Support Group is a page-turning slasher". The A.V. Club. 12 July 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-07-29. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  12. "Announcing the Winners of the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards!". Goodreads. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  13. "Winners & Nominees". The Bram Stoker Awards. Archived from the original on 2022-06-19. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  14. D'Alessandro, Anthony (2020-11-16). "'The Final Girl Support Group': Annapurna Adapting NY Times Bestselling Author Grady Hendrix's Upcoming Novel As Series". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2021-08-05. Retrieved 2021-05-07.