Video Night: A Novel of Alien Horror

By: Adam Cesare

Narrated by: Matt Godfrey

Who better to repel a body-snatching alien invasion than a group of teenage horror nerds?

Billy and Tom are best friends, but each knows that at the end of the school year they'll be moving in different directions. But why not go out with a bang and throw one last video night? They can invite some girls over, order a pizza, then maybe try and fight the alien infection that's taken hold over their suburban town.

It's The Breakfast Club meets The Night of the Creeps in this slime-drenched '80s horror romp.

"Hit that first chapter. It’ll hook you, and the next time you look up, you’ll have swallowed the book. It’ll be nesting inside you like a seed, like an egg, like an invasion." -Stephen Graham Jones, author of Mongrels

"The momentum keeps building. The stakes keep escalating. The monsters just keep getting worse and worse, the catastrophic mayhem more juicy and hopeless. Best of all, the writing moves like a greased torpedo, compulsively readable as it rockets through your brain." - Fangoria

"If you put together the gore, action, monsters, and sense of excitement that made '80s horror movies so great, you'll only have about half of what makes Video Night a must-read tome for horror fans." - Horrortalk

©2017 Adam Cesare (P)2018 Adam Cesare

80's horror movie in an audio book, so rad!

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily
left this review.

I absolutely LOVED this one! I loved the 80's setting for the story and it really reminded me of all those old horror movies I grew up with and still love. The story was well written and had great narration. Well worth a credit if you are a fan of horror movies/books, or just nostalgic for the 80's like I am.

I will definitely try another book by this Author

This book was very good, the author did an awesome job with the characters and dialogue and references, etc, Plus the main story line was pretty sweet.

Like a classic movie

this felt like listening to a classic horror movie being played out in the 80s the tone is exactly what the author was going for.
However the pacing felt off and abrupt pauses are constant.
Meaningless moments are put everywhere and it becomes a chore to listen at times.
Overall pretty good for a classic B movie feel

Video Night - Review by Neal Smead

Ok so as usual...

[I have been given a free copy of this audio book in return for an unbiased review finished in a set time. I am in no way affiliated with the author/narrator/publisher]

Now, that is out of the way..

This one really sounds like a treat right off the bat. A group of "kids" (I'm just going to use that from now on) repels an alien invasion a la Night of the Creeps. there is also a heavy dose of Monster Squad mixed in (2 favorite occult movies of mine). This book is literally...Aliens invade small town USA, teens save the day. Oldie but goodie story.

I think some of the movie theater vibe is automatically coming off of Matt Godfrey. I greatly enjoyed his work for Blackwater, and was looking forward to hearing how his performance would stand up in comparison. Right away I am already starting to see the choice in using his style for the narration. After 60 seconds of world setting I found myself getting very comfortable, ready to dig into the book and veg into the couch.

For my money however, this book really shines in Adam Cesare's amazing job giving voice to the self deprecation and angst of a teenager's brain. The best example of this is the internal dialogue of Rachel, explaining her relationship with Darci (sp) and how she really feels as the "best friend". Very subtle character building here. It would seem, he (Cesare) certainly has a firm grasp of parts of the human psychi.

There really was no "build up" in this story as you'll find in most; contrary to the nature of most horror books. His usage of common phrasing and smaller multisyllabic words makes the read go by very smoothly. There are the occasional SAT words in there, but anyone can really LISTEN to and ENJOY this book.

I only needed 2 hours here to know I am going to really enjoy the rest of this book. The characters are created and then brought to life with seemingly endless ease between the author and narrator. I had to laugh to myself at some of Matt Godfrey's nonchalantness. The monster chapters are great, when he's reading the descriptions of bloody carnage in this bubbly teenage girl voice... you are going to laugh. I am really impressed with the vocal range applied in the hours of this book.

I'm giving this a 5/5


All in all, I am really happy with this novel and would recommend it to anyone looking for a .... slightly .... hokey (in a great way!) Horror novel with great narration, you should check this out. Lots and lots of replayability.

A fun 80's horror story.

Here we have an alien invasion horror story reminding me of the old Invasion of the Body Snatchers movie. If you remember that old movie then you have the gist of what this book is about, sort of. Our protagonists Billy and Tom are childhood friends’ growing up in a suburban town in the 80’s, making their way through high school. Traditional Friday nights are video night; a VHS horror movie, pizza and girls…maybe. Tom has no problem with the opposite sex, but Billy is a confirmed shy geek. This peaceful town is suddenly disrupted by an alien invasion of the parasite-type. Ingested alien seeds hatch in the human body, the infected body then creating more seeds to be sown; rinse and repeat. It’s up to our surviving pair plus friends to figure out what’s going on and try to stop the menace. The characters are well-developed and likable, the story fast-paced and pretty well done. It’s definitely a fun 80’s horror story worth experiencing. I have to give this three and one-half stars rounded up. This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

Fantastic!

This book was way more than I was expecting, it was fun, scary, gruesome and well written. This is my new fAvorite Indy author, and I went ahead and picked up 4 of his other books today. Well worth a credit and your time! Terrific body horror!

Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets Alien

Man, I do love books like these. I call 'em B-movie books becuase they embrace the feel of those older movies that were made for teenagers on a Saturday night. I think the best movie example of a tribute o that kind of film wsa Night of the Creeps. It played on every single troupe it could, admitted the kind of story it was, and never apologized.

Video Night does the same. This is Invasion of the Body Snatchers blended up with Alien. I could almost say that I even see a touch of the Thing in there, but it is more the other films. Cesare does an amazing job here. He lays out the premise quickly and easily. He sets up the characters and their setting, and then he goes about destroyng the lives of the people in Sleepytown, USA.

The story is really fun and fast paced, and I inwardly cheered whenever an alien burst out of someone's face. In some ways, this really felt like the way Sandler did an 80's movie with The Wedding Singer or Cusack did in Gross Pointe Blank. Just seeing the eighties again, and the mention of VHS brought a tear to my cold heart. The only way this could have been better is if he could have figured out a way to have an actual 80's soundtrack playalong in the back of the narrator.

Godfrey does AWESOME (sorry, had to do that 80's reference) here as the narrator, BTW. He plays the characters as if he were in the book, and he knows how to play a scene. His pacing is spot on, and he knows when to joke and when to mope.

I really recommend this book. I also hope that there is another one to follow, as this is a fun, nostalgic romp that ended far too quickly! Even though I did receive a promo code for this review it in no way influenced my considerations of the material, and in fact, inspired me to be more honest. In fact, getting a code generally makes me harsher as a reviewer as I am more often concerned what someone like Me will decide based on my review.

If this review helped, please press the YES below. Thank you immensely!!!

Night of the Alien Invasion

Have to start out saying how much I enjoyed the setting for this story. I loved the setting of the video night with the girls, the discussion of horror movies - all of my favorites might I add, the talk of the mom and pop video store and employees, and the whole 80's high school feel. Very nostalgic for me, so right off the bat I was in love with this story and completely hooked.
I feel like this alien story is a pseudo Invasion of the Body Snatchers mixed with V, the original miniseries, mixed with a bit of some teenage Stephen King novel, and maybe a little bit of The Thing. Either way it is a great mix which makes for a wonderful story. With popular TV shows bringing back the nostalgic look and sound of the 80’s I think this book fits in perfectly. I was raised on all the movies that the boys discuss and this story definitely felt like it fit within that niche. Makes me want to rewatch all those movies.
If you are a child of the 80's, loved the small horror movie section in video stores, or like the popular Netflix show then you should definitely get this book. It is well worth a listen and this author should be added to your list.
Matt Godfrey has the perfect voice for this type of story. Having listened to a few of his other books he seems to have found the right books that complement his tone and cadence. His subtle voice change for characters is perfect so that it doesn’t distract from the overall tone and you can easily become memorized.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Video Night

Overall, the story was okay. The interplay between the characters felt forced. It was interesting how the aliens took control of their hosts. Narrator did a good job. I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom for my unbiased review.

Love Vans mmm mmm 1984

Great story classic chiller theater mix with Night of the Comet great characters and the Sheriff was classic Long Islander 1980s BAD ASS ENJOYED through out thanks for a great story