Video Night

Horror movie journalist Cesare (Tribesmen) has crafted the literary equivalent of the ’80s schlock horror flicks his protagonists love so much. In 1988, Billy Rile and Tom Mathers are best friends about to be torn apart by high school graduation and differing expectations; Billy plans to go to college, which his parents will pay for, while Tom’s best-case future is working in his uncle’s liquor store. The only thing holding them together is their shared love of cheap horror films. When their Long Island hometown is targeted for takeover by mysterious xenomorphlike creatures, they and Rachel Krieger, the sister of one of the first victims, use their knowledge of clichéd horror tropes to fight back. While Cesare nods to deeper ideas about body horror and class conflict, the plot careens along from set piece to set piece without paying much attention to its underpinnings. (Jan.)