#anyway. the portrayal of the many mentally ill (actually possessed by nightmares) people we encounterer was so ridiculously flat and cliche | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

overelegantstranger · 1 year

Text

been reading a run of horror/thriller novels lately. i've specifically been looking for ones that aren't too intense, ones that are a bit generic or not intended to be especially earthshattering. and i've been largely enjoying it, but, for anyone else who also enjoys reading horror/supernaturaly thrillers, i just wanna stake a quick red flag over J. H. Markert's The Nightmare Man. Not gonna say "don't read". however. AM going to say two things: thought it was a first novel until i saw the six other titles at the back; was astonished at the amount of gratuitous ableism throughout. Also felt it was a bit racist and sexist but not in an overt way, in a nagging uncomfy way.

#details in tags bc i hate to openly hate on things #please allow me this sotto vocce bitching #so 1: the first novel thing.#i noticed a few typos - more than normal - and there were a lot of extremely confusing sentences that i felt an editor should have caught #there were a lot of just Off phrasings #and very little concrete character descriptions and connective action descriptions #so a lot of things were like - oh that happened already?#the plot was also really oddly paced and overly complex #the worldbuilding was also dripped in a way that was like. just uneven #so on that level i was just feeling like it's Okay but just not experienced #2. the ableism #so there's a central background semi-villanous psychiatrist who builds an asylum.#that CAN be done less horribly #i lately read the children on the hill which had the same conceit but was much more sympathetic #anyway. the portrayal of the many mentally ill (actually possessed by nightmares) people we encounterer was so ridiculously flat and cliche #like. to a point that was distinctly uncomfortable over and above the inherent bullshit #because these were. people who were literally supernaturally not in control of their actions. and they were described so animalistically #with ZERO sympathy #except for one woman who was young and hot and whose ridealong nightmare demon just seduced married men rather than kill anyone #and then the ultimate villain came from a deeply toxic family environment and was like the most stereotypical #bad criminal minds episode quote unquote psychopath #and there was ZERO narrative reflection on anything - the kid was just born evil apparently #the father of that kid also had a limb difference and a cleft palate and there was like. so much made of this #but nothing done with it except the guy's wife was cheating on him with his dad #and the narrative essentially justified it bc of this guy's differences #it was just sort of like. a really bad criminal minds episode meets arkham asylum meets what i think nightmare on elm street is about #it was also just blandly racist and sexist #ran out of tags. know i am fuming.

4 notes · View notes