Synopsis:
The line between horror and art is a blur. Both are meant to invoke strong reaction of the senses, stir emotions, disturb the soul, and leave you marked for life. That is exactly what happened to the crowd the night of the NY State Bodybuilding Championship. The crowd didn’t run away or scream when the masterpiece took the stage. They gasped in a silent blissful terror.
Detective Murphy was present at the event to see Frankie take the stage with Emily standing to the side, hands dripping bloody red. The sight of it moved him to tears; it was a work of extreme love and devotion. But his responsibilities interfered in fully appreciating the magnitude of the event. He’d found the serial killer he’d been chasing, and he wasn’t sure what he was going to about it.
Don’t miss this second story in the Tale of GymBro Horror series.
Review:
In this short, sharp, and campy addition to the GymBro horror series, muscles are flexed, nerves are shaken and the adrenaline is as potent as pre-workout blend. In this extreme horror novella, the pursuit of physical perfection is combined with a psychopath serial killer- and it’s as fun as it sounds. An original and gory steroid-fueled whirlwind in which bulging biceps meet blood-curdling screams, Shredz will be available on March 1st.
Following an incident that he’d really rather not talk about thank you very much, ex-Detective Murphy lives a pretty miserable life. Surviving on only 30% of his previous income, maintaining his addiction to steroids and paying rent on his less than stellar apartment leaves little room for luxury. So, when an opportunity to make some spare cash comes along, he’s all too happy to oblige. Following the inexplicable disappearances of multiple fitness influencers, Murphy is sent by his old partner Stone to scope out the prime suspect, body-builder Frankie. He quickly determines Frankie cannot be the murderer the police are after, technically meaning he’s served his purpose, and should return to his lacklustre apartment to wallow. But hold onto your protein shakes… Murphy, now entangled in these violent crimes, finds he can’t quite keep his detective instincts at bay, even if it means risking it all to uncover the truth.
I should highlight that “Shredz,” is linked to the other novella in the series “Squirm,” only through the gnarly writing, and the theme of getting absolutely shredded- it can be read as a standalone. Now, in “Squirm,” (which I also had the pleasure of reading early) Bernard focuses on a kind of toxic gym culture which drives many over the edge in their pursuit of perfection. In “Shredz,” this is also a focus, but one that is largely dwarfed by themes of addiction, redemption, strengths, weaknesses and social media. That being said, this is not a story that takes itself too seriously. The writing is good, the mystery keeps the pages turning, but the real appeal is that it’s just a good time. Will it shape your entire outlook on the universe? Change the way you think forever? No. Is it an easy and pleasurable read? You bet your biceps it is. It’s darkly-comedic, camp, over the top splatter at its very finest, and if you go into it looking for this, it’s impossible not to have a great time.
There’s a kind of Frankensteiny element to this one, and in a way reminded me of the lab scenes in Steve Stred’s “Mastodon,” or the protagonist in “The Modern Prometheus,” by Jayson Robert Ducharme in terms of the body horror at play. This is a rather unique premise however, and hard to accurately comp, I will be very much taking the easy route out through “Shredded: A Sports and Fitness Body Horror Anthology,” which as you can imagine, has similarities.
Evidently, Hugo is a literary heavyweight within the extreme horror community, and I look forward to reading whatever he comes up with next. “Shredz,” stands testament to his ability to write in a way that is both chuckle and chill inducing. It’s surprisingly twisty, never shies away from intense and moves faster than 20mph on a treadmill. It leaves the mind and muscles feeling pumped, mark your calendars for March 1st!
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