My Best Friend's Exorcism Review: Horror With Heart

Is My Best Friend's Exorcism worth reading? Here's an honest review of Grady Hendrix's 80s-set horror novel about friendship and possession.

8/12/20263 min read

My Best Friend's Exorcism Review: Horror With Heart

Horror and genuine emotional depth don't always coexist easily in the same book, but My Best Friend's Exorcism manages both. Here's my honest take on whether Grady Hendrix's genre-blending novel earns its spot on our best horror books list.

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Quick Answer

Yes, and I think what makes this book special is that the horror never overshadows what it's actually about: a friendship being tested to its absolute limit. The demonic possession plot is genuinely unsettling, but the emotional core is what stuck with me longest.

What It's About

Set in 1980s South Carolina, Abby and Gretchen have been inseparable best friends for years — until a bad drug trip during a sleepover seems to change Gretchen into someone increasingly unrecognizable. As Gretchen's behavior grows more disturbing and dangerous, Abby has to decide how far she's willing to go to save her best friend, even as everyone around her insists nothing is actually wrong.

My Honest Take

I think this book succeeds by treating the possession horror as a vehicle for something more emotionally grounded: the terror of watching someone you love change into someone you don't recognize, and nobody else believing you. That framing gives the scares real stakes beyond typical horror spectacle.

The 1980s setting is rendered with genuine specificity and affection, not just nostalgia for its own sake. Hendrix clearly has real feeling for the era's details — the music, the mall culture, the specific texture of teenage friendship in that decade — which grounds the horror in something that feels lived-in rather than a costume.

Abby and Gretchen's friendship is the book's actual heart. I found myself more invested in their relationship than in the possession plot mechanics themselves, which I think is exactly the effect Hendrix is going for — the horror serves the friendship story, not the other way around.

The humor is well-balanced against genuine dread. Hendrix has a gift for injecting levity without undercutting the horror's real stakes, which keeps the book from becoming either too grim or too jokey.

The back half gets genuinely intense. Without spoiling specifics, the climax pushes into visceral, difficult territory that pays off the mounting dread of the earlier chapters, though it's a real tonal shift from the book's warmer opening stretches.

What to Know Before You Start

This is as much about friendship as it is horror. If you want pure scares without emotional grounding, know this book prioritizes the relationship alongside the possession plot.

The 80s setting is specific and detailed. Readers who enjoy nostalgic period settings will get more out of this than those who don't care about the era.

The ending gets genuinely intense. The climax is more visceral than the book's earlier, warmer chapters suggest.

Who Should Read This

  • Readers who want horror with genuine emotional stakes, not just scares

  • Fans of 1980s nostalgia woven into genre fiction

  • Anyone who enjoys horror balanced with real humor

Who Might Want to Skip It

  • Readers wanting pure horror without significant emotional/relationship focus

  • Anyone who doesn't care for period-specific 80s setting details

Amazon link: My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this more horror or more coming-of-age fiction? Genuinely both — the possession horror plot is real and unsettling, but the friendship story is equally central to the book's impact.

Do I need to be familiar with 1980s culture to enjoy it? No, but readers with some nostalgia or familiarity with the era will likely appreciate the specific details more.

Is there a movie adaptation? Yes, an adaptation exists — reading the book first is worth it for the fuller emotional context the format allows.

Final Thoughts

My Best Friend's Exorcism succeeds by never losing sight of its emotional core — the horror is genuinely effective, but it's Abby and Gretchen's friendship that makes the book memorable. For readers who want scares with real heart behind them, this is one of the genre's most well-rounded entries.