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Death Rituals
When Cherie Alvarez was a child, a moment of shocking violence shattered her world into a thousand bloody pieces. Plagued by nightmares and taunted by schoolyard bullies, the young girl spent years recovering from what law enforcement described as a "sickening and gruesome act of evil." Now a college student, Cherie has found solace in film, theater, and all the beloved traditions of the Halloween season. But when she and her friends participate in an immersive, "extreme" haunted attraction, Cherie must once again break the chains of victimhood and face the open wounds of her past. After enduring one man's twisted vision of horror and perversion, Cherie finds herself challenged by a cult-like force determined to destroy her. What follows is a singular night of grueling terror, calculated revenge, and backwoods slaughter. An epistolary thriller, DEATH RITUALS gathers the ephemera of a young woman's life--short stories, articles, scripts, photographs, televised reports, and more--to tell a story of chilling depravity and undaunted courage.
- GenresHorror
276 pages, Paperback
Published September 5, 2017
About the author
Josh Hancock
10 books24 followersJosh Hancock is a teacher and author. His first novel, THE GIRLS OF OCTOBER (Burning Bulb Publishing), is inspired by his love of all things horror–especially Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, William Friedkin’s The Exorcist, and John Carpenter’s Halloween. His second novel, THE DEVIL AND MY DAUGHTER, will be released in the spring of 2016, also by Burning Bulb.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 23, 2022
Back on my found footage BS. I wish Josh Hancock wrote more books like this, all I've read have been great, and I feel explore the dark side of the mind, violence, death, and the paranormal well.
March 13, 2018
The term ‘perfecting one’s craft’ comes to mind after reading Josh Hancock’s third book, Death Rituals.
A master of epistolary novels, Hancock invites the reader into the haunting world of 7-year old Cherie Alvarez who bears witness to a murder only to be reminded of the brutish gruesomeness humans are capable of every day of her life.
Cherie faces more than any young woman should: the death of her mother and unborn sibling, schoolyard bullying, an unkind media and the stigma of society deeming her “damaged goods.” Thankfully as she matures Cherie finds solace in going to college, writing and making friends with like-minded theatre students.
Her life begins to feel somewhat normal in her late teens. While in college Cherie and a friend find themselves in harm’s way when they post a review of their visit to an extreme Halloween haunt in Southern California. For someone who loves Halloween and horror, Cherie and her friends find nothing amusing about the event and makes her voice known an online blog and live panel discussion about haunted attractions.
The production’s demented owner, Bobby Pruitt – whose own life has been plagued with consternation – believes himself an astute showman and sees no wrongdoing in his deranged, sideshow-style purlieus. Unhappy with the women’s’ view on his latest masterpiece he calls forth his most trusted and nefarious followers to teach Cherie and her friend a lesson they’ll never forget.
Filled with news articles, video transcriptions, interviews and other deeply personal writings, Death Rituals is a wild and terrifying ride. One thing I loved about this book is the strength of its lead female character, Cherie. Though she endured so much she was never truly a victim: she pushed forward even in the face of fear, doubt and a lifetime in a demented public spotlight.
A master of epistolary novels, Hancock invites the reader into the haunting world of 7-year old Cherie Alvarez who bears witness to a murder only to be reminded of the brutish gruesomeness humans are capable of every day of her life.
Cherie faces more than any young woman should: the death of her mother and unborn sibling, schoolyard bullying, an unkind media and the stigma of society deeming her “damaged goods.” Thankfully as she matures Cherie finds solace in going to college, writing and making friends with like-minded theatre students.
Her life begins to feel somewhat normal in her late teens. While in college Cherie and a friend find themselves in harm’s way when they post a review of their visit to an extreme Halloween haunt in Southern California. For someone who loves Halloween and horror, Cherie and her friends find nothing amusing about the event and makes her voice known an online blog and live panel discussion about haunted attractions.
The production’s demented owner, Bobby Pruitt – whose own life has been plagued with consternation – believes himself an astute showman and sees no wrongdoing in his deranged, sideshow-style purlieus. Unhappy with the women’s’ view on his latest masterpiece he calls forth his most trusted and nefarious followers to teach Cherie and her friend a lesson they’ll never forget.
Filled with news articles, video transcriptions, interviews and other deeply personal writings, Death Rituals is a wild and terrifying ride. One thing I loved about this book is the strength of its lead female character, Cherie. Though she endured so much she was never truly a victim: she pushed forward even in the face of fear, doubt and a lifetime in a demented public spotlight.
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August 9, 2024I accidentally bought a Kindle edition for myself trying to get this for a friend of mine who is a student at the West Valley College high school program.
Firstly, Classics inflate my star ratings so I'm hesitant to give one here. I think there's some interesting stuff here, and I think that Josh Hancock has a unique literary edge that sets him apart from other authors that I've read. For me, reading this has been an interesting taste of the horror scene-- although the novel feels less like horror proper, instead more of a tribute to the genre.
There are a few things that I really liked. For instance, the designs of the extreme haunts were compelling. As I read on, I delved into the subject on my own time and found myself shocked. Hancock's portrayal provides a thorough picture, conveying victim accounts with an irksome grace. I also like that Hancock works in the epistolary form. Dracula is one of my all-time favorite novels, so I was looking forward to seeing how Hancock capitalizes on the medium’s growth since 1897. That said, I think weaknesses in the execution of the epistolary format limit what the novel aims to achieve.
For many long stretches, the documents lack meaningful conflict. Especially Cherie’s college years awkwardly hang. Granted, Hancock did implement conflict within the documents: comment sections get belligerent, a unique horror screenplay is self-evidently interesting, and Hancock is deliberate with his literary elements– reviews of Stephen King’s Carrie play an important thematic role. Yet, the story is not broadly driven with conflict, favoring isolated events that catalyze sudden escalations, making for an odd pace.
I don’t want to dwell on small things, but there were several elements that could have easily been written out with more thorough edits/revisions. I read this novel a few months ago so I can’t give too many. Most were weird choices around Cherie Alvarez and Bobby Pruitt. The first that comes to mind was the celebration of Cherie’s literary achievements as a woman, which execute awkwardly considering the epistolary format. That is, the reader experiences her work under the impression that Josh Hancock wrote it. Consequently, the unintended effect is irony.
Overall, I thought the novel was alright. It had its strengths and weaknesses, and I would be interested in reading Hancock’s future work.
Firstly, Classics inflate my star ratings so I'm hesitant to give one here. I think there's some interesting stuff here, and I think that Josh Hancock has a unique literary edge that sets him apart from other authors that I've read. For me, reading this has been an interesting taste of the horror scene-- although the novel feels less like horror proper, instead more of a tribute to the genre.
There are a few things that I really liked. For instance, the designs of the extreme haunts were compelling. As I read on, I delved into the subject on my own time and found myself shocked. Hancock's portrayal provides a thorough picture, conveying victim accounts with an irksome grace. I also like that Hancock works in the epistolary form. Dracula is one of my all-time favorite novels, so I was looking forward to seeing how Hancock capitalizes on the medium’s growth since 1897. That said, I think weaknesses in the execution of the epistolary format limit what the novel aims to achieve.
For many long stretches, the documents lack meaningful conflict. Especially Cherie’s college years awkwardly hang. Granted, Hancock did implement conflict within the documents: comment sections get belligerent, a unique horror screenplay is self-evidently interesting, and Hancock is deliberate with his literary elements– reviews of Stephen King’s Carrie play an important thematic role. Yet, the story is not broadly driven with conflict, favoring isolated events that catalyze sudden escalations, making for an odd pace.
I don’t want to dwell on small things, but there were several elements that could have easily been written out with more thorough edits/revisions. I read this novel a few months ago so I can’t give too many. Most were weird choices around Cherie Alvarez and Bobby Pruitt. The first that comes to mind was the celebration of Cherie’s literary achievements as a woman, which execute awkwardly considering the epistolary format. That is, the reader experiences her work under the impression that Josh Hancock wrote it. Consequently, the unintended effect is irony.
Overall, I thought the novel was alright. It had its strengths and weaknesses, and I would be interested in reading Hancock’s future work.
April 19, 2021
I devoured another of Hancock's books, The Girls of October and immediately ordered Death Rituals upon finishing that one. Was my second foray into Hancock's writing as good as my first? Absolutely.
Like October, Rituals's story is creatively told through documents such as news interviews, television transcripts, essays, etc. giving the reader the feeling of being a detective, sorting through evidence to get to the truth of the story. But while October drew its influence from the movie Halloween, Rituals uses The Last House on the Left for inspiration, telling the story of three friends who are victims of a home invasion and how they fight back against their attackers. Rituals also explores the interesting controversy of "extreme" haunted houses and how extreme is too extreme - a topic widely debated almost every Halloween.
This is ultimately another fascinating read by Hancock and I will definitely be picking up his third book as well as anything he should write in the future. He's an excellent author, and I love his creative style of story telling as well as his clear appreciation for the horror genre.
Like October, Rituals's story is creatively told through documents such as news interviews, television transcripts, essays, etc. giving the reader the feeling of being a detective, sorting through evidence to get to the truth of the story. But while October drew its influence from the movie Halloween, Rituals uses The Last House on the Left for inspiration, telling the story of three friends who are victims of a home invasion and how they fight back against their attackers. Rituals also explores the interesting controversy of "extreme" haunted houses and how extreme is too extreme - a topic widely debated almost every Halloween.
This is ultimately another fascinating read by Hancock and I will definitely be picking up his third book as well as anything he should write in the future. He's an excellent author, and I love his creative style of story telling as well as his clear appreciation for the horror genre.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews