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The Barretts, broke and desperate, Marjories Catholic father believing in a possession, her mother dealing with the situation by dragging her to psychiatrists, agree to their family being filmed for a reality television show, The Possession, which culminates in an exorcism. Its allthere, I believe, but difficult to gather and keep together. 2) Marjorie suggests a looming tragedy in a family dinner scene when Merry asks Marjorie if she can borrow her sisters hat. Perhaps because the alternative is more horrifying. A Head Full of Ghosts - Wikipedia I don't know. When 8-year-old Merry's older sister exhibits signs of an indeterminate and terrifying affliction, the Barrett family slowly tears itself apart. Merry tells her story to Rachel, who wants to write a book about the whole thing, about the possession and the eventual exorcism and what went wrong. As Blatty himself has said, the Exorcist is really about Father Karrass crisis of faith. On top of that, it's told by an eyewitness whose reliability is just as problematic. But Tremblay has written the story in such a way that I have deep empathy for Merry (and Marjorie). And why do archetypes still hold so much power over our psyches, even in this cynical, tech-savvy era? The story is narratedprimarily byMarjories younger sister Merry, both in the present and from her past perspective when she was onlyeight years old. This particularly comes to Merry's attention after her sister begins telling her strange and macabre stories instead of innocent ones based on characters from Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go. Well, she, Can we even be sure about Merry herself? Merry realizes that Marjorie is correct. The storytelling is all about how it is told and from which point of view, which makes it interesting. As Blatty himself has said, Tremblay has no interest in sending a religious message or reinforcing religious dogmas. Marjorie repliesin a low and growly altered voice You cant wear my hat because youre going to die someday . We get the impression that, like many religious people, hes looking for evidence to lend support to his antecedent convictions. The story itself is a great horror story about a so-called possession, a documentary film crew who wants to record it on film and surreal events, but it also refers to many other horror stories, books and films. how little Tremblay tried to convince the reader that Marjorie was truly possessed by a demon instead of possibly being truly sick. For example, take Brissettes blog analysis. No pants, no underwear. The devil functions much like Godto make the alien familiar, the irrational sensible, and so on. Perhaps the most confronting thing aboutA Head Full of Ghostsis how it interrogates the fine line between what we think of as possession and what is an outward display of severe mental illness. It's no surprise, then, that the works of both authors are cited in A Head Full of Ghosts, the latest novel by Boston-based writer Paul Tremblay. These references might take a little to get used to, given weve been conditioned by horror novels to pretend the characters have never read one, but they form a vital part of a conversation about the genre itself. Is this because she was possessed? But to be honest, I prefer the original Blatty novel. The main focus is horror, but you can also find fantasy and science fiction on BHG. In essence, A Head Full of Ghosts is a book about a book about a TV show about a real-life event whose facts have never been fully established, with running meta-commentary by a blog that bears its own secret agenda. these idiots are clueless. a head full of ghosts ending explained It's when the father is in the bathroom by himself, at the mirror. Perhaps because the alternative is more horrifying. Review: 'A Head Full Of Ghosts,' By Paul Tremblay : NPR 3) In another scene, Merry wakes up to find that someone has drawn vines and leaves all over her large cardboard playhouse. Her online blog is dedicated to analyzing "The Possession". As Friedkin never tires of telling audiences,The Exorcist is about the mystery of faith. Although Friedkin is not a Catholic, Blatty is. While everyone believes that Marjorie is possessed, 8 year old Merry is the only one who doubts her sister for other more sinister reasons. Fear is an essential part of the human story, and good horror lets us know it. Paul Tremblay's new novel is, on the surface, a story about a book about a reality show about a real-life event, but reviewer Jason Heller says it becomes an "unsettling conversation about the truth." Design a site like this with WordPress.com, BHGs Advent Calendar Horror Faves Dec 15: Favorite Comfort Horror Movie:Poltergeist (1982)!, BHGs Advent Calendar Horror Faves Dec 14: Favorite Character Horror Series: Kristen Bouchard from Evil!, BHGs Advent Calendar Horror Faves Dec 13: Favorite Character from a Horror Movie: Harumi from One Cut of the Dead (2017), BHGs Advent Calendar Horror Faves Dec 12: Favorite Horror Movie Surprise: Get Duked! A Head Full of Ghosts received an overwhelmingly positive reception upon publication for how it portrayed the nature of good and evil. But it does more. I cant be sure how much of the fear came from Tremblays book and how much came from the dentists drill. Merry, and not her father, had ultimately killed the family, albeit under false pretenses and manipulation. Your guide to horror with movie, tv and book reviews and more. Lovecraft to Stephen King, horror writers have found frightening inspiration in small-town New England. Anyway, I'm not sure how to feel after having read this. She has unpredictable mood swings, night terrors, and violent outbursts. [5] M.O.D.O.H. You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with