I’ll be honest, I stumbled upon Adam Cesare with Clown in a Cornfield, but with my love for that book made me go back and dive into his other works. Once reading the description of Video Night, it became a must-read. Video Night is a thrilling slime-drenched 1980s horror that is one hell of an adventure.
It’s 1988 and two best friends―one departing for college, one destined for bad boy townie life―decide to have a final video night before their friendship changes forever. Billy and Tom’s plan is perfect. They’ve got pizza and beer, and Tom even managed to convince his girlfriend, Darcy, to bring a friend, Billy’s neighbor and crush, Rachel. But what they don’t know is that there’s an invasion underway.
Across the street, Rachel’s sister, Rhonda, was one of the first to turn. A slithering, chitinous evil has overtaken her body and mind, and she’ll do anything to spread the alien infection. Blood, sex, rock and roll, invaders from outer space, and tender perspectives on teen male friendship: Video Night is one cult classic that has it all!
Originally released in 2013, this Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets The Breakfast Club horror story is gripping from the start and before you know it you’ll be completely engrossed. It’s a nice feeling to know that Clown in a Cornfield wasn’t just a fluke, Cesare has been crafting stellar horror stories for many years now and Video Night is more proof of that.
Cesare not only tells a fantastic horror story, but it’s the setting of said story that really hits home. He captures the essence of 1980s horror movies with a ton of gore and vividly described monsters. It’s the blend of 1980s setting and these horrific monsters that makes this book so special. Cesare’s ability to blend unease along with nostalgia is wonderful and allows for us 1980s kids to immerse ourselves in a period horror that is right up our alley.
The setting aside, Video Night features some relatable characters and a terrifying creatures that become even more horrifying as the story becomes more catastrophic. Billy and Tom’s friendship, which lays at the heart of this story, provided the emotion core that we need in a book full of chaos. Cesare knows how to build characters we can follow along with and cheer for their success, even in moments of terror.
Video Night is getting the re-release it deserves. Featuring a brand new cover, Adam Cesare takes us back to the 1980s for a gore-filled monster mayhem story that has you unable to trust anyone. Video Night will get its nasty claws into you and won’t let go.
The new version of Video Night, now with a new forward by Stephen Graham Jones, hits bookstores everywhere on September 29, 2026 from Union Square & Co. The audiobook, narrated by Matt Godfrey, is available via Libro.fm!
