Ian Downunder VS I Woke Up a Final Girl

Ian joins the party with the crew in John Durgin’s I Woke Up a Final Girl and immediately regrets not bringing a defibrillator and a cricket bat.

TITLE: I Woke Up a Final Girl

AUTHOR: John Durgin

GENRE: Horror

PAGES: 199

FORMAT: eBook

PRICE: eBook $4.99, Paperback TBA

RELEASE DATE: 23^rd June

G’day all, it’s your old Aussie pal here, currently living in what feels like a walk-in-freezer. Winter has hit hard, and you know what that means. It means lots of steaming mugs of coffee and hot chocolate, extra comfy clothing that makes you feel like you’re wrapped in a cloud, and curling up with a good book. Hey, speaking of good books, I’ve just finished one: John Durgin’s I Woke Up a Final Girl.

Being born in the 80s, I was unfortunately a bit too young to catch on to the original wave of unstoppable horror icons like Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, and Jason Voorhees, to name a few. It wasn’t until a little later in life that I got to enjoy their glory. These unstoppable forces didn’t just bring horror into the mainstream—they captured the imagination of an entire generation. Their eerie, unkillable presence amped up the creepiness with their supernatural evilness, and if anyone dared go up against them, you could almost guarantee an inventive death was in their future.

Why bring this up? Well, that’s because that’s the type of energy that I Woke Up a Final Girl channels. It’s a glorious throwback to classic slashers, but puts its own spin on it with a final girl who refuses to quit, no matter how hopeless things get.

Now, onto the story. Sabrina, the final girl in question, and her friends Lydia, Robin, Mike, and Duncan decide to party in an old, abandoned mansion on Halloween night. Rumour has it that a killer known as Gauze Face stalked the place over fifty years ago before he was supposedly killed. Doesn’t sound creepy at all, right? On top of that, Sabrina has a heart condition that requires medication to keep it ticking. Up to now, she’s been sheltered by her parents and her now ex-boyfriend Ross, but she’s determined to finally take control of her life, starting with this trip.

Naturally, things go wrong fast. The group is separated and what should be dead proves not to be. Sabrina wakes up with a head injury after a series of events she can’t remember and finds herself alone, disoriented, and in desperate need of her pills. From here, the book cleverly alternates between her present-day struggle to find her friends and escape, and flashbacks that slowly reveal what happened as her memory returns. All the while, she has to contend with her heart issues, a squatter that may or may not be dangerous, and the growing suspicion that one of her friends might be the seemingly unstoppable murderer stalking them.

It’s a fantastic setup, and it creates a sense of tension with every move Sabrina makes in a setting that is creepy and atmospheric. The pacing is tight, the kills are gruesome, and the mystery of who the killer is, and Sabrina’s journey kept me hooked to the end. Fans of 80s/90s slashers will eat this one up.

I give it 4.8 bloody knives out of 5.

Ian Gielen is a writer of all things spooky and a horror fanatic. Ian embraces his inner geek with pride, his dedication on display in the intimidating collection of horror novels and video games that threaten to take over his living space. He is mad for all things Alien, Star Wars, and cats; his furry companions are always there to keep him company as he scribbles down his latest ideas. With the sheer number of furry and human companions in his life, it’s a wonder he isn’t a little crazier than he already is.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.