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Halo
Meet Billy Halo. He's an All-State linebacker and a well-liked straight-A student. He loves the lab and his animal experiments, but some friends say he's wound a bit tight. But Billy knows how to get what he wants. Just don't arouse the dark, ugly evil lurking inside him.
344 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1987
4 people are currently reading
380 people want to read
About the author
Chet Day
25 books4 followersChet Day is a writer and student of all things interesting or weird living in North Carolina. For over fifty years, he's spent his free time writing novels, stories, essays, humor, personal reflections, literary criticism, natural health articles, and even sports columns.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 2, 2021
Chet Day was definitely among the better writers of paperback originals during the 80s horror boom. It's too bad he only ever wrote two, at least back in the day. This portrait of a psychopathic high school football star was pretty damn disturbing, as Day is adept at bringing his characters to life on the page, making it all seem more realistic and gut-wrenching. And yet it was very hard to put down, largely due to the fully-formed characters (mostly students and teachers), who were all relatable, other than the titular villain Billy Halo, of course.
That's not to say Billy isn't well-drawn. We the reader get to see the various factors that may have contributed to his constantly growing evil nature, such as his callous and uncaring father and a mother who spends every waking moment totally wasted. Though I have to imagine that someone with Billy's issues would have been a twisted S.O.B. no matter his home life, but it certainly didn't help rein him in, despite his decidedly upper-class upbringing (his father is a renowned surgeon).
I also liked the contrast between scenes of everyday high-school life/football practice and Billy's sadistic thoughts during said scenes, thoughts that may just become a reality in due time. Just be forewarned, this novel contains one of the more brutal and horrifying beatdown scenes I've read, , as well as some animal abuse. If you can get past that, this is a highly entertaining, well-written slice of 80s horror fiction, one that will make you nostalgic one minute (especially for 80s kids like myself), and sick to your stomach the next.
That's not to say Billy isn't well-drawn. We the reader get to see the various factors that may have contributed to his constantly growing evil nature, such as his callous and uncaring father and a mother who spends every waking moment totally wasted. Though I have to imagine that someone with Billy's issues would have been a twisted S.O.B. no matter his home life, but it certainly didn't help rein him in, despite his decidedly upper-class upbringing (his father is a renowned surgeon).
I also liked the contrast between scenes of everyday high-school life/football practice and Billy's sadistic thoughts during said scenes, thoughts that may just become a reality in due time. Just be forewarned, this novel contains one of the more brutal and horrifying beatdown scenes I've read, , as well as some animal abuse. If you can get past that, this is a highly entertaining, well-written slice of 80s horror fiction, one that will make you nostalgic one minute (especially for 80s kids like myself), and sick to your stomach the next.
April 4, 2018
Me: Who's the most dangerous kids of them all?
Everybody: White kids from rich homes!
Me: Which kids are most likely to stalk their English teachers and murder their parents in their sleep?
Everybody: White kids from rich homes!
Me: Which kids are going to curb stomp the rival football team until their skulls explode?
Everybody: White kids from rich homes!
I wrote that song for this book.
Look, the kid has a skull tucked under one arm like a football. If that means this book is not for you, then you and I have nothing to say to each other.
Everybody: White kids from rich homes!
Me: Which kids are most likely to stalk their English teachers and murder their parents in their sleep?
Everybody: White kids from rich homes!
Me: Which kids are going to curb stomp the rival football team until their skulls explode?
Everybody: White kids from rich homes!
I wrote that song for this book.
Look, the kid has a skull tucked under one arm like a football. If that means this book is not for you, then you and I have nothing to say to each other.
February 27, 2022
Billy Halo is a golden boy. He's smart, attractive, rich and a champion on his high school's football field - he's also a sociopath. After earning himself a reputation as a troublemaker in school last year, his father has promised him a brand new Porsche if he can stay out of trouble, keep his grades up, and win the prestigious award his school offers every year, and Billy is up for the challenge.
Throughout the year, although it appears Billy has made a miraculous change, horrible 'accidents' just seem to keep happening all around him. Members of opposing football teams are continuously winding up in the hospital, students and faculty are receiving obscene phone calls and letters, a classmate has his tires slashed, the school is set on fire - and then there are the deaths...
"What are you, some kind of animal? Don't you feel anything? What's missing in you?"
But there are two people who are not fooled at all by Billy's turnaround. Billy's English teacher and his wife, Ira and Gina Gardner; they just feel there is something off-putting about Billy, creepy even.
"He was finding it harder and harder to be satisfied with the little stuff. He had found such great peace in the moment of death."
Billy is pretending to behave now, true, but he only has to keep it up until the end of the school year, just long enough to win his award and collect his prize from his father - the end of the year is fast approaching now, and Billy has something special planned in celebration.
Throughout the year, although it appears Billy has made a miraculous change, horrible 'accidents' just seem to keep happening all around him. Members of opposing football teams are continuously winding up in the hospital, students and faculty are receiving obscene phone calls and letters, a classmate has his tires slashed, the school is set on fire - and then there are the deaths...
"What are you, some kind of animal? Don't you feel anything? What's missing in you?"
But there are two people who are not fooled at all by Billy's turnaround. Billy's English teacher and his wife, Ira and Gina Gardner; they just feel there is something off-putting about Billy, creepy even.
"He was finding it harder and harder to be satisfied with the little stuff. He had found such great peace in the moment of death."
Billy is pretending to behave now, true, but he only has to keep it up until the end of the school year, just long enough to win his award and collect his prize from his father - the end of the year is fast approaching now, and Billy has something special planned in celebration.
January 11, 2019
Vintage horror, great cover, 80s setting. This one is a slow burn about a your BMOC who is also a psycho. I like high school horror hi-jinx. It's been my experience that people who were terrible kids in high school grow up to be terrible adults. The more successful ones have the luxury of wealth to cushion them from the karma that seems to ignore them. The others just live squalid lives and complain about their light bills between beating their families. I didn't know any psychos in my high school. I'm probably lucky. Back to the book. It's a decent read that has some pacing issues for a horror novel. But a fun time all in all.
September 11, 2021
3.5 stars
On the surface Billy is handsome, popular and the best player on the football team. But underneath Billy harbours sinister thoughts and begins to act out his cruel fantasies. During the run up to graduation his actions turn deadly.
I found this to be a good read but unfortunately falling a bit short of being a great read. There are definitely some gruesome scenes following Billy, getting glimpses into his head, and witnessing the details of his actions but I thought that the connecting threads between Billy’s exploits weren’t as compelling as they could have been. Some of the characters felt somewhat one-dimensional and the dialogue was a bit clunky at times. That said, there were still a couple of emotional moments as certain things developed in the story.
It is still an interesting look at the mind of a sociopath/psychopath (?) and still worth a read if you like the killer kid subgenre.
On the surface Billy is handsome, popular and the best player on the football team. But underneath Billy harbours sinister thoughts and begins to act out his cruel fantasies. During the run up to graduation his actions turn deadly.
I found this to be a good read but unfortunately falling a bit short of being a great read. There are definitely some gruesome scenes following Billy, getting glimpses into his head, and witnessing the details of his actions but I thought that the connecting threads between Billy’s exploits weren’t as compelling as they could have been. Some of the characters felt somewhat one-dimensional and the dialogue was a bit clunky at times. That said, there were still a couple of emotional moments as certain things developed in the story.
It is still an interesting look at the mind of a sociopath/psychopath (?) and still worth a read if you like the killer kid subgenre.
August 31, 2021
5 stars. I'll be surprised if any other Paperbacks from Hell title comes close to being as good as Chet Day's stunning novel of institutional evil.
Be on the lookout for a prequel coming soon . . .
Be on the lookout for a prequel coming soon . . .
January 11, 2021
4.5
“I ought to take this rifle and kill someone. I could climb up on the roof of a building and shoot some prick driving a car on the I-10. I’d never get caught.”-Billy Halo
‘Halo’ is a squeamishly intensified vintage read that parallels the likes of ‘Bad Seed.’ The antagonist, Billy Halo, pretty much obliterates anyone or anything that crosses his path. He’s not your typical all-state linebacker. In fact, Halo’s a psychopath who mimics a 1980s letterman version of Hannibal Lecter with medical instruments and a fondness for flesh.
Day’s writing style takes on a somber affliction with this one, and the New Orleans setting is oppressively daunting. I have been seeking this novel for quite some time (thanks Mr. Day for uploading it to kindle downloads), and I came into it sheepishly expecting another schlocky Reaganesque American read. It didn’t take long for me to doubt my own assumptions. ‘Halo’ is an American nightmare that is certainly relevant by today’s standards, particularly when it comes to bullying. Rereading the passages pertaining to privilege and classism left me in shock, and quite frankly, was an abysmal experience.
Basically, it’s a lesser known horror novel that evokes judgement and demonstrates how, as a society, we still treat each other like shit.
4.5 for the animal cruelty.
“I ought to take this rifle and kill someone. I could climb up on the roof of a building and shoot some prick driving a car on the I-10. I’d never get caught.”-Billy Halo
‘Halo’ is a squeamishly intensified vintage read that parallels the likes of ‘Bad Seed.’ The antagonist, Billy Halo, pretty much obliterates anyone or anything that crosses his path. He’s not your typical all-state linebacker. In fact, Halo’s a psychopath who mimics a 1980s letterman version of Hannibal Lecter with medical instruments and a fondness for flesh.
Day’s writing style takes on a somber affliction with this one, and the New Orleans setting is oppressively daunting. I have been seeking this novel for quite some time (thanks Mr. Day for uploading it to kindle downloads), and I came into it sheepishly expecting another schlocky Reaganesque American read. It didn’t take long for me to doubt my own assumptions. ‘Halo’ is an American nightmare that is certainly relevant by today’s standards, particularly when it comes to bullying. Rereading the passages pertaining to privilege and classism left me in shock, and quite frankly, was an abysmal experience.
Basically, it’s a lesser known horror novel that evokes judgement and demonstrates how, as a society, we still treat each other like shit.
4.5 for the animal cruelty.
April 12, 2022
I learned about the novel Halo by Chet Day because I read a little known book called Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix. I love horror novels from the 70s and 80s and the cover for this one is eye-catching. A handsome football player holding a skull instead of football in a lettermans jacket with flames for hair, seriously, how cool is that? Just don’t look up the kindle edition cover.
Well the story doesn’t really live up to the cover for me. It’s a very slow read and at times I felt like scenes were useless and had no point to the story. At about the 50% mark of this book I kept looking at my progress to see how much I had left because I just felt like it needed to end. The story is about an 18 year old boy named Billy Halo and for the first half of the book I didn’t really grasp what the plot was supposed to be. You eventually learn that our young Billy is a bit of a sociopath (though the term is not used in the novel) and has violent tendencies. Billy wants to earn the Christopher Award in his school because of a deal with his father to get a brand new car at the end of the year. We follow Billy through the school year and all of the things he does to get to this goal. Some of these actions are very dark and most of the scenes for me just seemed to kind of miss the mark. I should have felt horrified by what he has done and I’m just more horrified at some of the bad writing and the multitude of trigger warnings you find in this story.
Oh and trigger warnings, let me tell you about those; Homophobia, racisim, animal abuse, incest. I understand that this book was written in a time were certain slurs for gay idividuals was more commonly used than now but it’s different when it is a one off and not over and over in multiple scenes, so as a modern person I really didn’t care for that at all.
Well the story doesn’t really live up to the cover for me. It’s a very slow read and at times I felt like scenes were useless and had no point to the story. At about the 50% mark of this book I kept looking at my progress to see how much I had left because I just felt like it needed to end. The story is about an 18 year old boy named Billy Halo and for the first half of the book I didn’t really grasp what the plot was supposed to be. You eventually learn that our young Billy is a bit of a sociopath (though the term is not used in the novel) and has violent tendencies. Billy wants to earn the Christopher Award in his school because of a deal with his father to get a brand new car at the end of the year. We follow Billy through the school year and all of the things he does to get to this goal. Some of these actions are very dark and most of the scenes for me just seemed to kind of miss the mark. I should have felt horrified by what he has done and I’m just more horrified at some of the bad writing and the multitude of trigger warnings you find in this story.
Oh and trigger warnings, let me tell you about those; Homophobia, racisim, animal abuse, incest. I understand that this book was written in a time were certain slurs for gay idividuals was more commonly used than now but it’s different when it is a one off and not over and over in multiple scenes, so as a modern person I really didn’t care for that at all.
November 10, 2023
Tough to judge on so many levels, but you just have to evaluate it for what it is. A 1980s era Paperbacks From Hell horror novel. Very poorly written. Revolves around an unhinged student who plays football. The opening of the book went on for much too long about football games and the unhinged protagonist seemed to do very little that was evil. In the middle there’s a vaguely described event that made me wonder, did what I think just happen actually happen? And then at the end you get a disconnected yes to that question. Always a fun read and never boring, but it never crossed over into the sublime.
October 1, 2021
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
I rounded this up because I really loved the local Louisiana references found within the pages of this book. As someone from New Orleans, it was fun to spot those references while reading.
Overall, this read contains some disturbing scenes but it left me wanting much more. To see my video review of this book, check out my YT review here: https://youtu.be/EQgIOUbm0_A?t=831
I rounded this up because I really loved the local Louisiana references found within the pages of this book. As someone from New Orleans, it was fun to spot those references while reading.
Overall, this read contains some disturbing scenes but it left me wanting much more. To see my video review of this book, check out my YT review here: https://youtu.be/EQgIOUbm0_A?t=831
August 7, 2021
3.5 stars rounded up
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews