Jillian B's Reviews > I Was a Teenage Slasher

When we first meet Tolly Driver, we learn he’s destined to become a murderous slasher and kill six people before the year is out. What we don’t know is how or why. Mild-mannered Tolly is a scrawny teenager with a goofy sense of humour…not exactly a criminal mastermind. But one house party is about to forever change the trajectory of his life.

This reverential ode to slasher movies was honestly so fun. It’s gruesome and gory, but Tolly’s self-aware perspective on his transformation lends it a comedic tone that keeps it from being too gloomy. There was also one twist that caught me by total surprise, but I could clearly see how well the author foreshadowed it when I looked back. I like that this is a revenge story but not one that glorifies its killer. We’re not supposed to idolize or really even feel sorry for Tolly. Rather, we’re watching him thrust into a role he was unprepared for, and the story is all the better for it.

Reading this felt like watching a Scream movie. It’s deliciously dark and absolutely frothy at the same time…and I mean that as the highest of compliments!