Josh Malernan’s writing can make anything terrifying…and it can feel like having a chat with a buddy over a beer. This stream of consciousness book shows that he is master at letting the reader into his head and therefore is expert at getting into our heads, as well.

Watching Evil Dead. Wow. Really, wow. Seriously, wow. This book is a force of love and exploration and positivity. It’s d*** radiant, it is.


This book:

It’s one of the most brilliant, fun vessels of encouragement and excitement I’ve ever encountered.

It’s a love letter to art. And, it’s a love letter to artists, chock full of ideas and questions and thoughts and what ifs.

It’s the fires we stoke and keep burning.

It’s full of electricity.

It’s the glorious, art-bursting community we all reside in.

It’s a conversation.




And thus, for the ride out, continuing the conversation, a wee letter…



Dear Josh Malerman,

Thank you.

Life has ways of tamping out fires, but a fire can be relit. That’s this book. Your book. The book you are giving to the world, for all of us to commune with. It’s the change in wind that licks those embers into flame.

Thank you, thank you.

I’m reeling. @joshmalerman has made something truly special with this one. WATCHING EVIL DEAD: UNEARTHING THE RADIANT ARTIST WITHIN is his first nonfiction book, about writing, about being an artist, living the artistic life, and living life in general, all wrapped around and pulled through and framed by the night he watched THE EVIL DEAD with the love of his life @neuron_paint. It’s a meditation on creativity and artistic freedom, and it’s full of epiphanies and revelations. Like, so many. Malerman tosses them around like they’re candy. He’s got insights for days. I kept getting hit with intense waves of emotion, intense waves of realization. It’s not a book about how to create compelling characters or structure stories - it’s working at a deeper, more fundamental level, how to write past mental resistance, how to write freely, how to live freely…. how to be a radiant artist. I’m a writer. I read a ton of books on craft … let me tell you, I haven’t been this activated by a book about writing since ON WRITING (@stephenking’s masterpiece on the art life, which was the first book that got me to finish a story, then a novel). This book will energize you, make you feel things, maybe rewire your brain a little. It lit up my brain and my soul. It broadened my horizons, gave me that sweet hit of eudaemonia (read the book for more on that). It’s a book about one epic night, but Malerman’s genius is to make that night mean everything. Thank you to @netgalley for this ARC, it might have just changed my life. Go preorder this amazing book that comes out in September so it can change yours too.

4 ✨

It’s wild how something as simple as watching a movie can end up being a defining moment in someone’s life. Malerman takes that one night—watching Evil Dead with his fiancée and friends—and uses it as a lens to look at his entire creative journey, from being a musician to writing rough drafts before he was ever published.

What makes this book really stand out is how it turns personal moments into universal lessons. It’s not just about Malerman—it’s about anyone who’s ever hesitated to take a creative leap, anyone who’s ever let fear hold them back from just doing the thing.

It’s got that intimate, conversational feel that makes it seem like Malerman isn’t just sharing his story—he’s inviting you into it.

This was one of the most inspiring books I have read in a long, long time. A mix of memoir and guide to the craft of writing, this book recounts events over a single night when Malerman (who at the time had just sold Bird Box), along with his now fiancée, her cousin, and his girlfriend, watch The Evil Dead. Through this recounting of events, Malerman looks back on previous experiences that led him to where he is in this moment, recalling his career as a musician, his writing, and meeting his girlfriend. I was never once bored and dreaded the final page coming up. I didn't want it to end. This felt so personal, which it is, but written in a way that makes the reader feel like they are there—a fifth wheel, watching The Evil Dead with Malerman and company, silently observing, soaking it all in.

I don't think I have ever highlighted a book as much as this one. To share everything that resonated with me would be to basically copy/paste the book in its entirety in this review, so I will share one of my many favorite quotes:

"How close we alla re to writing a classic. If you're short on skill? Maybe the narrator should be too. If you tend to overwrite? Lean into that. Or force yourself into the opposite. Or don't. All of which is to say: we're one decision away from a masterpiece. At all times. Rather than grieve your self-doubt, maybe the next book should expose your self-doubt—intentionally. And maybe the older we get, the easier it is to admit, no, underscore your shortcomings. Or maybe it's harder? The writer, as we already know, is ageless."

I have been working on my own book for over a year. I have taken breaks due to everything: self-doubt, having our firstborn, work, ADHD. Even laziness. But this has lit a fire in me to continue. I enjoyed Malerman's take on inspiration and writer's block. We don't have to wait. Waiting delays the art. To wait for the perfect situation, either physically, mentally, or emotionally, is a disservice to yourself.

I would recommend this book to just about anyone, regardless of craft. Malerman is known for his horror writing, and while that is an obvious current in this stream, the book itself has little to do with horror.

Thank you to the publisher for the e-ARC. This publishes September 16, 2025.

This is my third Josh Malerman novel, and without a doubt, it’s the most compelling one I’ve read so far.
WATCHING EVIL DEAD reads as both a tribute to the creative spirit and, most poignantly, a heartfelt homage to Allison.

The book offers thoughtful reflections on the creative process, highlighting that not all creators begin with unwavering confidence. What stood out most to me, however, was the profound admiration and love Josh expresses for Allison—an emotional undercurrent that permeates every page.

As someone who has never seen Evil Dead, this book sparked a genuine curiosity in me to watch it, in hopes of experiencing a fraction of the wonder and inspiration that Josh and his companions found in that moment.

A truly moving and memorable work. I highly recommend pre-ordering i

I’ve only read one novel by Malerman (INCIDENTS AROUND THE HOUSE), and as a horror fiction fan for close to 50 years, it was one of the few horror novels that managed to scare me. I became an instant fan, and when I heard he had a non fiction book coming dedicated to Sam Raimi’s EVIL DEAD, I was all in.

When Malerman discovered his girlfriend had never seen EVIL DEAD, he went on a mission to share it with her. This book is an account of the night they watched the film with another couple, as Josh gives us a history of his life on the road as a musician who had always found time to write. After finally selling his debut novel BIRD BOX, Malerman faced the fears all artists face, and his chronicles of it here are at times funny, often deeply heartfelt, and ultimately, ridiculously inspiring. This also doubles as one man’s love letter to his fiancé, who (thankfully) ended up being an EVIL DEAD fan, too.

WATCHING EVIL DEAD is a quick, fun time. During the book, the author asks, a few times, “What were people thinking watching this when first released?” I’ll tell you: we were *enthralled.* I’m betting most readers of this book will be, too.

What do you deserve? A question linking together the events, musings, anecdotes, drunkenness, and philosophical debates throughout this book. I've seen some people who mistakenly thought this was a book with advice on how to write. While there are bits scattered throughout, when it comes to the writing side, we are asked questions, brought into a world opposites that may not be opposites after all. This was more of a frenetic, weed-soaked discourse on being present, not comparing yourself to others or even to yourself. Can you really have imposter syndrome? Is writer's block real? (I happen to agree with the author on this.)

And then we have a group of four watching Evil Dead, while getting into discussions on life, success, relationships, and the constant changing of ourselves, the inability to remain in stasis. All while blood and gore is on the television, not necessarily in the background, but somehow blending in and taking part in the twisting conversations, like a fifth person.

I've learned that some of the best discussions and breakthroughs can happen while smoking dope next to the garbage cans as bats hurtle above your head. I've learned that you can be taught new things by someone who is watching a movie for the first time. That you average three drinks per movie and the third movie leads to Jackson Pollock paintings on the screen and moments of Zen that may or may not be remembered. I've learned that Josh Malerman has the ability to flow seamlessly from one thought to the next, making tenuous connections that end of making sense. I've learned that sometimes the answers to your biggest questions, the ones haunting you both in silence and in deafening crowds may have already been answered. Sometimes it just takes love, classic films, and the ability to realize that maybe you've been overthinking your concerns.

This is one of the most intimate perks into the soul of a creative. Josh took us back in time to a pivotal time in his life and deconstructed the why of it all. It was moving and inspirational and personal. I especially connected with it, having had a movie night of my own with Josh. There was far less blood, but far more… other stuff.

I’m going to start off by saying what I told myself when I heard about this book. “What? There’s no way that could work could it?” That being said I didn’t really know what to expect diving into this one. With being a huge Malerman fan for a while now I felt the need to try on Watching Evil Dead and did it weirdly fit in the best possible way. There was such of a rush of artistic expression and creativity with a huge love chaser. Definitely an artist feel good book for sure. Such love and creativity. Definitely recommend this book to any artistic hopeless romantics or anyone who’s looking for some creative inspiration.

I had the chance to read Josh Malerman’s WATCHING EVIL DEAD early and absolutely love it. You must pre-order it, but here are (so many) thoughts on how much I love this book:

WATCHING EVIL DEAD is brilliant but also: magic, honest, kind (I never thought a book could be kind but, here we are), funny, charming, bright, captivating, inspiring, extremely smart, and intelligent, but also approachable, vulnerable, and relatable. A love letter to being a creative (the music, the writing, the directing, the art) and to Allison. WATCHING EVIL DEAD is the book that we (reader, writer, everyone) all need and guidance and inspiration from one of the best. It sounds so obvious to say, but WATCHING EVIL DEAD is so Josh, and by that, I mean…it’s real, it sounds like him, it reads like him. It feels like a conversation instead of a lecture, it feels like hanging out, talking about life, and that’s perfect. But, WATCHING EVIL DEAD is also so much a needed reminder to take risks and take the steps to make the thing whatever it may be, and if you fail, then that’s ok. There’s so much I learned and took away from WATCHING EVIL DEAD, it feels invaluable. Not only from a creative standpoint, but also to be a better person/friend/wife/daughter.

This is a book I will go back to over and over when I need inspiration or just to get a shot of love for creativity and the relationships that feed into that creativity.

Using the night he first watched The Evil Dead with his future wife Allison, Malerman creates a masterclass in creativity, no matter what medium you work in, from writing to roofing.

It is funny, moving, inspiring, and a beautiful love letter to the person that inspires him the most. Everyone should read this book and I honestly feel like a better person just from having read it. This will definitely go on the shelf next to On Writing and all the other books that make me want to create art and just love life in general.