Vinegar Syndrome kicks off their new Vinegar Syndrome Publishing with the official novelization of the beloved camp-killfest, Madman. I can confirm that Serafini is a fan of the film, and does an admirable job fleshing-out the characters to what is a pretty simple-minded ax-attack slasher.
Serafini begins with a short prologue, Lore of the Campfire, with backstory about the Algonquin natives who once lived in the area, and their belief in the Widjigo, an entity that punished men who were no longer pure of heart.
The story then flashes to the beginning of the summer of 1981, as the North Sea Cottages prepares for a new season. Max depends on Betsy for more and more each summer, and he expects her to take on even more responsibilities, working with a new recruit, T.P.
We get the inner workings of the camp, what they do, and why they still have campers a week before Thanksgiving. We meet one camper in particular, Richie, and find out why he might be the least gifted of the gifted kids attending North Sea that summer.
Then the movie novelization proper begins. Serafini spares no detail in the spurting arteries or meaty limbs as they are slashed and hacked. We also get into the head of Madman Marz. He remembers the night he killed his family. The same murderous force consumes him anew, propelling him to hunt the campers and counselors of the North Sea Cottages mercilessly.
Serafini stays true to the source material, adapting Joe Giannone's script, keeping it fun for both longtime fans and newbies, and ends it with a great last shock. He nails the era with musical references, and the middle section includes full color production stills and pages from the original script. This is the ultimate novelization for fans.
Limited to 500 copies, the Madman novelization is an excellent read- everything you would want in a retro novelization. It is a fancy affair, fancier than I like, to be honest. For me, movie novelizations should be paperbacks, with a crease down the spine and dogeared pages. This deluxe hardcover comes in a beautifully designed slipcase and retails for $49.99.
I begrudge no one for doing a classy tie-in release for a little down-and-dirty early 80s slasher. With that said, at that fifty dollar price point, the book is not without production flaws.
I can forgive mistakes, and Serafini's prose is so sharp and enjoyable, I'm not looking for mistakes. But one entire chapter is repeated. A simple mistake to make, but also a simple mistake to correct before sending the book to the publisher. It's a bump in the road and while momentarily distracting, it's easy enough to get back on track.
A little more annoying, however, was finding two random crinkled pages within the book. Is it possible that happens during the printing process? One page (page 49) I can let it slip, but that second page (page 111) is the one that really crawled all over me.
Also, for a limited edition book priced at fifty bucks, I don't think it is expecting too much for it to be signed and numbered, even if just a bookplate.
Am I complaining? No. I freely spent the money, and I enjoyed the book immensely. No regrets. But if you're going to take what is basically a $15 paperback novelization and bling it up, I expect the highest level of quality control. I don't believe that's expecting too much.
My final thought: Matt Serafini did a masterful job expanding on a B-movie slasher and breathing new life into it, especially for forty-year fans of the flick. I don't know what the plans are for when it sells out, but if you're already a fan of the film, I think you're really going to enjoy the novelization. Madman says, "Arrgh!!!"*
(* "Check it out!!!")
The entire library of ICFH books are available from our friends at Makeflix!
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