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Spectral Rewind: The Class of 81

by Terry Lloyd Vinson

     

Terry Lloyd Vinson's treatment of a mystery/horror theme in Spectral Rewind: The Class of 81 is quite unique. It is a first person narrative about the making of a documentary about a tragedy that happened at a 25-year reunion at a small high school in Alabama. On one hand, Vinson reveals the inner workings of a director, his cinematographer, and his script consultant/assistant/wife as they tackle this investigative film. The accuracy of the portrayal of this low-budget endeavor is spot-on, though the director, in whose voice the novel is told, slips into rather ego-centric realms that are more typical of contemporary pop culture novels. This documentary devise has been used in films such as Mothman and The Blair Witch Project, and to equally good effect in satires such as Waiting for Guffman and A Mighty Wind. But this is the first treatment I have encountered of the documentary style in print.

Vinson uses this device quite well. In the early pages of the book, the reader isn't told exactly what happened the year before at this ill-fated 25-year reunion, except that there were victims and that it was a tragedy. What happened on that night is slowly revealed through the filming that is done with local residents and research, especially through a box of videotapes of the event. As the reader comes nearer and nearer to uncovering this mystery, secrets and horror are revealed, and even the filmmakers discover much about themselves.

Spectral Rewind: The Class of 81 is a chilling read and will make you wonder just how well you really knew those people who sat next to you in Chemistry or American History.

The Book

Swimming Kangaroo
November 1, 2008
Trade paperback
1934041688 / 978-1934041680
Mystery
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Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Janie Franz
Reviewed 2009
NOTE: Reviewer Janie Franz is the author of Freelance Writing: It’s a Business, Stupid!and co-author of The Ultimate Wedding Reception Book and The Ultimate Wedding Ceremony Book.
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