[HDNA #02] - My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

[Neon Maniac]

Do you think this has anything to do with the owls mentioned in the beginning (the same graph that mentions 'the terrible thing that happened to Glee'). I'm thinking maybe.

Very well could be. I think that paragraph has a lot of foreshadowing to it. Like it also mentions the stench in Margaret's room. Could all of this somehow be connected to a dark secret involving Margaret's family?

See, that was VERY real to me. We had similar assemblies in high school. I'll definitely give you I don't remember anything about rape juice or girls' treasures, but the over-the-top YOU WILL DID IF YOU DRINK OR DO DRUGS was definitely there.

We had anti-peer pressure assemblies and Nancy Reagan "Say No to Drugs" assemblies with DARE cops. Health class also showed us movies of people who had OD'd on hard drugs and died. So maybe that's an east coast/west coast thing.

If you start the next conversation, put the chapter discussions up top. I'm not that far yet, but to be honest, I don't even know that I want to finish now since Tom went and spoiled everything.

I'm not going to start it next. I want to make sure everyone is together before I start mentioning things and secrets others have yet to discover. I don't like to spoil everything for people.

[Neon Maniac]

And fuck you guys because Andy is talked about (which is what I am referring to the phone calls with him) in Chapter 7. So eat my balls.

She'd talked about talking to Andy, ON THE PHONE HER PARENTS PROVIDED HER WITH. Some time in the final chapter we're discussing she asked Abby to buy her another phone since her parents took that back. Abby delivers the phone to her IN A FUTURE CHAPTER THAT WE HAVEN'T DISCUSSED YET.

OMG.

I also thought this was over the top. We never had the drug thing or the fucking thing. Public school in the NYC area is what it is. Drugs are expected. Fucking is definitely expected. The only thing I can say similar that we had, was in my grammar school we had to watch one of those PSA films called Blood on the Tracks because my school was very close to train tracks where during lunch the cool thing to do was to climb down from the playground they were next to and hang out on the tracks.

It's too bad they didn't show a film about spoiler alerts and ruining book club.

[Neon Maniac]

I don't think she will buy her the phone. Abby is a terrible friend.

Bazinga.

[Neon Maniac]

Using only the information garnered in the chapters we've discussed and my imagination, so I'm not using any spoilers, I'm thinking that:

1. Margaret's family is somehow involved, which is why she's being so stubborn. She may not know exactly what happened in the past, but she knows something did and that her family was part of it. Now she's afraid that whatever "it" is, Gretchen is now a part of it, or woken it up, and that's why Margaret's seeking to distance herself.

2. Glee is the innocent in the book. She has no secrets, she's just a friend and trying to live her life. Because of that, something really bad is going to happen to her, I mean it says in that paragraph, but I'm saying it's specifically because she's the innocent. Something bad always happens to the innocent and it's tragic because the innocent doesn't deserve it. That's how I know Glee is the only one who doesn't have a piece of this action.

3. The neighbor, Dr. Whatever, will have been a part of the original incident with Molly and the blockhouse on Margaret's property somehow. He will tell the Abby and Gretchen about it at some point.

4. Major, the guy from school, will also know what happened in the past.

[shiki-jitsu]

I think 2,3 and 4 are probably dead on. Not sure about 1, but it feels like it would be accurate too.

[Neon Maniac]

I think 1, mainly because she closed the book on Gretchen really quickly. Like the Monday after the incident. I think the spat between Gretchen and the boyfriend would've annoyed Margaret, but I don't think she would've effectively ended the friendship over it. And she keeps telling Abby to have Gretchen come apologize, instead of her going to Gretchen to talk about it. I think it's kind of a test; Gretchen comes and they talk, and Margaret knows Gretchen is unaffected by 'it'. Or something along those lines. I'd say, without knowing any details, at the very least Margaret knows rumors. And it went from being a blockhouse out in the woods, to the woods being part of Margaret's family property.

At some point, probably after something bad happens to Glee, Margaret's going to spill the beans. I think between her and Dr. Neighbor, that's where we're going to get the past story from.

[Alien Redrum]

Using only the information garnered in the chapters we've discussed and my imagination, so I'm not using any spoilers, I'm thinking that:

1. Margaret's family is somehow involved, which is why she's being so stubborn. She may not know exactly what happened in the past, but she knows something did and that her family was part of it. Now she's afraid that whatever "it" is, Gretchen is now a part of it, or woken it up, and that's why Margaret's seeking to distance herself.

2. Glee is the innocent in the book. She has no secrets, she's just a friend and trying to live her life. Because of that, something really bad is going to happen to her, I mean it says in that paragraph, but I'm saying it's specifically because she's the innocent. Something bad always happens to the innocent and it's tragic because the innocent doesn't deserve it. That's how I know Glee is the only one who doesn't have a piece of this action.

3. The neighbor, Dr. Whatever, will have been a part of the original incident with Molly and the blockhouse on Margaret's property somehow. He will tell the Abby and Gretchen about it at some point.

4. Major, the guy from school, will also know what happened in the past.

I'm going to post about the next three chapters, but before so I wanted to address these.

Before I finished the latest chapter, I would have been on the fence with your 1., but having finished it, I lean towards agreement. I'll get into why later, but it would not surprise me if they are.

Definitely agree on #2. There is no reason for anything bad to happen to her because all she wants to do is her own thing. Hendrix is having you like her just enough so when something bad happens, it will hurt more. With Gretchen, you feel bad, but this is a progression so you get it. With Abby, she's involved, so you expect bad things. Margaret? She's not very likable. But Glee? Fuck, Glee is just hanging out and worried about college. "The innocent" is a perfect term here.

I'm still on the fence with the neighbor, but either way it goes won't surprise me. He might end up being comedy when the movie comes out; the angry neighbor always shaking his fist at the girls and their dog.

I can see the Major being involved. This kind of feels small town, so he would have been there awhile.

[Alien Redrum]

Spoilers for Chapters 10-12:
Broken Wings
Paranoimia
King of Pain

Okay, shit is picking up steam for sure.

First, the bird attacks! When Ilana hit the top steps during the book club (WHERE IS OUR WINE! ), I was SURE we'd see an Exorcist moment, but instead we got something out of the blue: Birds.

When they first started crashing into the windows (was it like 100 at the end?), I thought that was cool, but when the owls came and started attacking and feasting on them, that was some second level shit. I'm liking The Owl incident. (And, side note, I'm going to have to Google owls and demon position. I'm curious about the relationship if there is any.)

Something else telling is the smack dad laid on Ilana. Who the fuck does that at a party? He's a dick. I'm glad she pushed him. Fuck her parents.

Jumping forward to "King of Pain" for a minute, after the discussion Abby had with Ilana's parents, and the (maybe) realization she has that they are somehow involved, pushes me to agree with Ron's #1 theory. Too add, are either of you familiar with The Bell Witch legend? It's pretty fascinating if you aren't. Here's a website devoted to it. Anywho, a really long story short on that, this demon fucked with this family for years, in particular the father and the daughter. It has been suggested that the demon hated the father the most because he was molesting his daughter, and I wonder if that's kind of what's going on here. If at the end of the day, maybe this possession (if that's what's happening) is a cause of Ilana's dad diddling her.

PLUS her parents seemingly not doing anything except putting odor eaters up when it's stinky in there? I'd be forcing Ilana to get a damn shower.

Speaking of Ilana, she is unreliable as fuck. I don't trust her at all. I mean, yeah, the stuff she said to Margaret's bae is accurate I'm sure, but this whole Molly thing? I don't know what to believe. On one hand, if it's true, I wonder if Molly's disappearance will tie into Ron's theory of Ilana's parents, the Major and the doctor all being involved somehow (and of course it ties into that mysterious location behind Margaret's house). But on the other hand, Ilana told the story of Molly in the same breath as the McMartin Preschool case, and we all know that was a crock of shit. I'm wondering if the demon is using Molly's urban legend to somehow damage Abby, be it getting her alone in the woods or something else. No matter what though, a huge amount of credit to Hendrix for how he set this up. I don't trust any of it, but I'm curious as hell if it IS real.

Side note, why the hell does Ilana have two twin beds in her room? It's been brought twice as throwaway lines, but it feels like this is important. I could be reading too much into it, but it's really bothering me.

[Alien Redrum]

PS, have I mentioned how much I love these? I mean, they're great when people aren't spoiling anything.

[shiki-jitsu]

PS, have I mentioned how much I love these? I mean, they're great when people aren't spoiling anything.

[shiki-jitsu]

Spoilers for Chapters 10-12:
Broken Wings
Paranoimia
King of Pain

First, the bird attacks! When Ilana hit the top steps during the book club (WHERE IS OUR WINE! ), I was SURE we'd see an Exorcist moment, but instead we got something out of the blue: Birds.

When they first started crashing into the windows (was it like 100 at the end?), I thought that was cool, but when the owls came and started attacking and feasting on them, that was some second level shit. I'm liking The Owl incident. (And, side note, I'm going to have to Google owls and demon position. I'm curious about the relationship if there is any.)

Right? Fucking great scene. This is what I alluded to with the vomiting and feathers. So many birds. There has to be something to this. I did some googling about exorcism and birds and nothing really came up other than this book

Bird attacks do come with some possession stories. Most recently I can think of the show The Exorcist (ZOMG!) John Cho's house was attacked in a very similar way with hundreds of birds attacking it and dying and crashing through windows. Can't remember the significance if any.

Something else telling is the smack dad laid on Ilana. Who the fuck does that at a party? He's a dick. I'm glad she pushed him. Fuck her parents.

Jumping forward to "King of Pain" for a minute, after the discussion Abby had with Ilana's parents, and the (maybe) realization she has that they are somehow involved, pushes me to agree with Ron's #1 theory. Too add, are either of you familiar with The Bell Witch legend? It's pretty fascinating if you aren't. Here's a website devoted to it. Anywho, a really long story short on that, this demon fucked with this family for years, in particular the father and the daughter. It has been suggested that the demon hated the father the most because he was molesting his daughter, and I wonder if that's kind of what's going on here. If at the end of the day, maybe this possession (if that's what's happening) is a cause of Ilana's dad diddling her.

I had the same thought.

PLUS her parents seemingly not doing anything except putting odor eaters up when it's stinky in there? I'd be forcing Ilana to get a damn shower.

Did not get this either. Seems far excessive just to show the lengths that they would try to ignore this in their religious blindness. There is definitely more to this.

Speaking of Ilana, she is unreliable as fuck. I don't trust her at all. I mean, yeah, the stuff she said to Margaret's bae is accurate I'm sure, but this whole Molly thing? I don't know what to believe. On one hand, if it's true, I wonder if Molly's disappearance will tie into Ron's theory of Ilana's parents, the Major and the doctor all being involved somehow (and of course it ties into that mysterious location behind Margaret's house). But on the other hand, Ilana told the story of Molly in the same breath as the McMartin Preschool case, and we all know that was a crock of shit.

We all know its a crock of shit now, but then many people believed it so within the context of the book I don't think she is intentionally lying bringing up the McMartin case. But yeah. What is real with her? What is the demon? Is there any of her left even now?

Side note, why the hell does Ilana have two twin beds in her room? It's been brought twice as throwaway lines, but it feels like this is important. I could be reading too much into it, but it's really bothering me.

Fuck, I didn't even pick up on this. THAT is intriguing.

[Alien Redrum]

We all know its a crock of shit now, but then many people believed it so within the context of the book I don't think she is intentionally lying bringing up the McMartin case. But yeah. What is real with her? What is the demon? Is there any of her left even now?

Okay, that is a GREAT point, because EVERYONE believed it back then. Yet, here's a thought, would the demon know it's horseshit?

I guess it doesn't matter as long as Abby believes, but...yeah, this is very well written. Again, I may be reading too much into it, but I'm hooked regardless.

[Neon Maniac]

Very interesting notes. Again, just too much to quote.

Beds: Yeah, I didn't catch that either. It could be due to Abby. She's stayed at the house with Gretchen a lot, and I could see her parents buying another bed so that the girls weren't tempted to sleep in the same one. Maybe not though. We'll have to find out. Does the other bed have another phone plugged in behind the headboard? Hmmm..

Birds: Yeah, that was interesting, especially the owls. It sort of made me think that it should've been a scene out of the movie The Craft. Like in the morning on the beach how all of the sea creatures were beaching themselves. Not the same vibe, but it kind of struck a certain chord with me. I don't know about owls and possession, but I do know that in a lot of alien abduction cases people will remember seeing an owl. The theory being that the 'owl' is actually an alien and it's done some kind of mind trick on you. While I don't think that's the case here, again I was reminded of it. Also, Gretchen's dad says owls have been picking up cats lately. I know hawks here will do that, but I don't know if a regular owl could.

Gretchen's 'rents: I don't think she's being molested. I'm thinking if she was, Abby would know about it since Abby spends so much time there and almost lives there. Hard to say though. The thing here is, while a big deal has been made about how over the years Abby has spent most of her time with the Gretchen family, going on vacations, etc., she seems to have a very formal relationship with them. Like she still calls them Mr. and Mrs. And they also seem to hold Abby at arm's length a bit. I could see their reaction to her coming when she tried to talk about the night at Margaret's. I kind of think it's less trying to hide something, and more about trying to stay in denial. Like whatever is happening to Gretchen threatens their appearance of normalcy and status in society, so they are attempting to blame it on drugs (and Abby) to push the blame off of them.

A lot happened in these chapters. I was surprised when Gretchen pushed her dad down the stairs.

The Bell Witch is a good analogy. I'm wondering if there's some 'being' living on Margaret's land that maybe her family had to make a deal with back in the colonial days and now they sacrifice someone to it every few years to keep it happy and insure their wealth and status. Something like that. Hmm...

[Neon Maniac]

And yeah, interesting point about, would the demon know it's true or just believe it because Gretchen did? In the case of the boyfriend I'm pretty sure that his mind was read. But if Gretchen believed in the Molly story, thought it was real, I think that's all the demon would have to go on. It's not omniscient. So you could get it to believe anything based on getting Gretchen to believe it.

[Neon Maniac]