Hey, weirdos. I'm Ash.

And I'm Elaina.

And I'm Sabrina.

And this is a special edition of Morbid. Today, we are doing the Weerdo Audio Book Club.

You guys, this is brought to you by Audible.

Our friends over there are helping us bring you this special episode, and they're giving you a little something something, because if you go over to audible. Com/weirdos, you can get a free trial on Audible, and that's really exciting. So in this special bonus episode, we're going to be talking about the title My Best Friends: Exorcism. It was written by Greedy Hendrix. So let's talk about it.

Yay. I'm such a woo girl right now. We're all the woo girls right now.

We're woping it up. The energy. It is very different.

It is woo It is. It's a bit woo-woo. It is.

And spooky. This title is something I'm really excited to talk to you guys about because it's all about friendship.

And spooky friendship.

I was going to say and demons.

Our favorite. We love it. That's how we became friends. It's true.

The dark stuff. Spookies and demons and ghosties.

Luckily, none of us has been demonically possessed yet.

Not yet. That's exciting. I have been around a demon. My sister, we used to joke she was possessed, but she might have been. Maybe. Really? I also had someone, a previous relationship, wonder if I was possessed, and that's why I was leaving.

Wow.

Do you feel like you were?

Possessed with something good.

Possessed with the newfound strength.

I love it.

What a way to justify someone leaving. You're like, well, you must be possessed by a demon. If you're leaving me? Yeah. Obviously. Obviously. That's the only way. Yeah. Well, I think we should start out first by just gushing over Grady Hendrix. Absolutely. Is what I think.

I've never read a Grady Hendrix title before this, and you two have. You guys are big fans, right?

I had seen Grady Hendrix, like some of the films.

Yes. Satanic Panic. Satanic Panic.

Have you seen that one? Yes. So good.

So good. I'm a huge Grady Hendrix girl. I love his books, love his writing, love hearing him talk. His interviews are some of the funniest interviews you will ever read or hear.

I was telling Milena, I don't know why, but he reminds me of Bill Nye.

He has such good Bill Nye vibes.

It's the vibes.

You want him to be your dad. Yes. And he's smart. Yeah, I get that. You got it.

I got it.

And he's so like, he's very insightful, but he's also very unserious all the time, which is fun. I love- That's like my people like that.

We were just talking a minute ago about the dedication of this book, which was hilarious.

Because the dedication Dedication. I feel like I need to read it. I had to write this down after I listened to the title because the dedication in this book, Sabrina had brought it up, and I was like, wait a second. We had to look up what this meant. What it was. Because we were like, Wait, what? Yeah, It says, For Amanda, who knows the reasons why, and there's an asterisk next to it. Then underneath it says, But if she doesn't, I would suggest she have her attorney consult both protective orders filed against her. The criminal complaint, which outlines these reasons in great detail, and maybe also her conscience because disclosing the whereabouts of the bodies will finally bring some closure for my family.

So all of us were like, Who the fuck is Amanda and what does she know?

Who the fuck did she kill?

Seriously. It turns out Amanda is Grady Hendrix's wife. And that's all in good fun. He dedicates every book to her, every title to her, and he always makes a joke. That's love. I love that.

I loved it so much.

It's the best. I think that shows you right there what you're getting into with a Grady Hendrix book.

It really does.

Yeah.

And it's funny because with this title in particular, it's like such a different way of going about a possession story. It is. Because we're used to, and I've never thought of it this way, but I read an interview with Grady that said, he was like, Most of these stories are from the point of view of a priest. The exorcist. Yeah. Having his faith tested because he's trying to exercise this demon. And he said, It's always some young girl or some young woman tied to a bed. Possessed by a demon. And there's just this old man screaming at her. And he's like, I'm over that.

It's been done. Yeah.

So he said he wanted to do it from the point of view of the... Is it the demoniac? I think it's called? I think you're right. Is the person that is possessed. Which I love that. The demoniac. I think that's how you say it. If it's not, that's how I say it.

That's how we say it. I feel like that's the only way. It's like saying Craven. A crow raven. A demoniac. Yeah, exactly.

You don't know if it's a crow, if it's a raven. It's a craven. Yeah.

I agree. Actually, this is the combo I kept putting in my head. It's like Pen15 met Jennifer's body. Yes.

That is so funny because so many people have put two up against each other. Two things like that together to describe this book, and they all work.

Somebody said, what was it? Heather's? Oh, Heather's is a good one.

He says, Beaches meets the Exorcist. I mean, that way. And I think it's like Heather's and the Exorcist.

I think it was Heather's and the Exorcist.

All of those things work.

It also made me want to so badly go back and find my 17 magazines, quizzes that I had taken and find the answers that I would put back when I was that age.

It really- Nostalgia bomb.

Yeah. Brought back some nostalgia.

I was asking Elaina, when you were listening to it, were you answering the questions?

Oh, absolutely. I love it. I truly, I went through and I found the questions and I wanted us to answer them.

We should.

We were thinking that, too.

That's a great idea. I saw somebody say that they were answering them as Abby to see. And they were like, it's making her look unhinged.

So is Abby the problem? The whole time I was listening, I was like, it does suck because poor Abby is the one who now looks like she's crazy. Yes.

And nobody is listening to her whatsoever. One of the parts that broke my heart the most is when she actually, and there's going to be spoilers on this just so you guys know. Yeah. One of the parts that broke my heart the most was when she sits down finally with Mr. And Mrs. Lange and starts to talk to them about what's going on. And she's talking to them about some really serious stuff. Trigger warning. She's talking to them about rape. And they're like, Don't say that about our daughter. You did drugs with her. You're the problem.

Get out of our house.

We'll have you arrested if you say that to anyone else.

Right. You're on drugs. Yeah. And they tell everyone else that she's on drugs. Yeah.

They They call her school and say she's on drugs.

And she's on scholarship. So they purposely... And that's a big thing in this, too. And that's why Abby's mom, I felt, had such good... She had good advice for Abby. It was just being given in the wrong way, I think, a lot of times, or she just wasn't able to take it in when she needed to. Because one of the things is Abby's on scholarship at this private school. And Gretchen, his family, is very wealthy. All her friends' families are very wealthy. And Abby's mom at one point is like, You shouldn't be hanging out with these people. These wealthy people can pay themselves out of their problems. And if you're with them, we can't do that. We can't help you. So you'll be the scapegoat. Exactly. They'll throw it on you.

A little foreshout. And it's exactly what happened.

Mama knows best.

And I was like, Abby's mom. I know. Mary. I think her name is Mary. It is Mary. Yeah, I think- It's like, damn.

Yeah, I think that's one of the major themes in this is the class differences between everybody.

And you see it all became her problem.

Yeah, it did.

But shout out to Abby for being the realest friend out there.

The realest friend. That exists. And the most resilient human being because the amount of time it took for her to actually break. And then even when she breaks, she's not broken.

She's like, I'm going to go back for more. No, she's still like, Yeah, I'm going to keep doing this.

It's like she put up boundaries with Gretchen, but then she would break the boundary when it needed to be broken. I know. I was like, You're okay.

At the end, just the beautiful friendship story. Oh my God. I cried at the end. I did, too. It's emotional.

It's beautiful.

It's so beautiful.

She was holding her hands.

I think that is one of the most beautiful things about this title is that it has every element. And Grady captured, one, the nitty-gritty and the complexities of friendship, especially in high school, and going through that evolution in life on top of terrifying us with the exercising and the demonic possession stuff. Off and moments like the freaking tapeworm. We'll never forget that.

I'll never be the same.

But then pulling out your heartstrings. Yeah. Yes. Yeah.

No, definitely.

And there's no fucking love story in it, which the love story was with the friends. That love. That love. That made me happy.

I love that.

I love that. Call me disturbed. I don't know. No need more things like that.

Right.

Female friendships. It was beautiful.

Exactly.

And he's really... He did such a good job. I've seen people say that they had no idea this was written by a man.

You would never know. You would not know.

Because it was like little things. I think we were talking about it earlier. It was like, because this takes place in the '80s. So he puts a lot of things from the '80s They're like a Satanic Panic of It All. Like '80s culture. Oh, yeah. '80s culture.

Roller-skating.

Roller-skating. E. T. E. T. Yeah. And one of them is their gym teacher, whoever it is, talking to them about Bartles and James wine coolers. Oh, my God.

I love that part. That is hilarious.

They're super sweet and they taste so good and they'll sneak up on you because they have lots of alcohol in them. But they're only talking to the girls.

And then the next thing you know, you'll lose your precious- Your precious gift.

And they keep saying it just to the girls. This is your responsibility to not have yourself take advantage of it because you'll lose. And once you lose your precious gift, you won't be worth anything. Which is a dumb fucking idea altogether.

Oh, 100 %.

And the girls are hearing this, and Abby's like, I So she turns to... Remember, she turns to Gretchen and she wants to say, your precious gift. And she's like, I wanted it to be something that we said to each other, the hefty, hefty, hefty.

Make it a thing.

And I was like, that's such girl friendship. It's like you latch onto this one phrase and you'll just use it forever with each other. And it was little things like that, nuances that he got so well.

You know what it is? He captures the religion of being a teenage girl. Yeah. What their religion is. Not like, there are themes of religion throughout with like actual Jesus-based religion. But aside from that, and like, I think the more important religion and the one that was highlighted here is the religion of your friendships with your girlfriends in high school.

Like, girl code. Yes. Yeah.

That's one of the things he had said. I've seen him in interviews say that regular possession stories are, again, about a priest and a demon and faith being tested. And he was like, but it to me, in high school, your most important thing and the thing that grounds you and the thing that you look to for hope and whatever and faith are your friends and your relationships. And that's why in the end, it's not a religious exorcism that takes this demon out of her. It's their friendship and their bond and their love for each other.

It's their history. And it is one of those phrases, catchphrases, almost, that they use to help.

Exactly. It's all that silly stuff. Like, the power of Phil Collins compels you or whatever.

She's like, I love you queerly and I love you dearly.

All of that is what takes this demon out. I was like, that is such- It's amazing. It's such a unique way of looking at a story like this. I would listen to this title a hundred more times.

Same.

The other thing is the narrator of this title, it's performed by Emily Wu Zeller. I like to say that she has a voice like an anti-demon.

An anti-demon indeed. Please. Her voice was so soothing.

How beautiful and ironic, but in the best way. Yeah.

No, she did a great job.

I love when she does the boy parts because she does all the parts when you're listening to the title. When she does the boy, she's like, Oh, oh, oh, oh. It's Wallace talking.

But it's really well done.

Yeah, he does sound like that.

You're like, That is Wallace.

Fucking Wallace, you meethead.

I found myself in certain parts because I just needed to know what happened. I like to listen at 1.5 speed, but there were certain parts where I would slow it down because I needed to just capture every sentence and every word and hear all the disturbing things. Yes.

You know it's a good title when you do that. Right. You want to really take it in.

Immersion yourself into it.

It was one of those titles where you want to get to the end. You want to know what happens, But I remember being finished with it, and I was like, I don't want to be finished with it.

The title Depression. Yes.

And what's cool about... And Grady does this really well in all of his titles. He has such a way of balancing comedic elements, like levity, moments of levity with extreme horror. It's not like, he's a little spooky over here, and this is really funny. It's like, no, he's going to ruin your life in one chapter, and then the next chapter, he's going to be like, now breathe.

And it's the perfect balance of it.

He's like the radio silence of writing for me. Yes.

100 %.

That's a good way to put that. Which is high praise, everybody. That is. Because they're so good at balancing that levity in horror.

It's a talent.

And it's what they do. That is what they're known for, and they are brilliant at it. And Grady has that talent. He has that skill. He gives you that... And it's always that moment to just catch your breath. And that's why horror is fun. Because you should get that moment of like, holy shit, what did we just see? Or what did we just hear?

Because there are moments- And then you breathe. Yeah. Because there are moments where you're like, what is happening right now? And then there are moments where you're cracking up. I was laughing out loud listening to this. I looked crazy in my car.

He has this beautiful way of almost making you feel like you are one of them. You're a part of the girl group. You're there. You're one of the friends.

I was saying that to Elaina because I feel like a lot of times in a title, you can say, Oh, I really resonate with that person. I'm definitely this person. But I feel like when I was listening to this, I wasn't an Abby. I wasn't a Gretchen, I wasn't a Glee or Margaret.

You were an ash.

Yeah.

Or in the group.

Yeah, exactly. Or I saw a little piece of me in all of them.

You know what I mean?

Yeah.

That's how I felt. I felt like I was just me. I was just Elaina in the group with them. Yeah. Like watching this all happen, experiencing it with them, getting stressed out when things were happening, worrying about the relationships in the group. Right. Like, work it out, you guys. I'm like, Margaret, stop being a bitch. I was like, it's fine.

Margaret was a bitch from the beginning. She really was.

I mean, She was right from the jump. I was anti-Margaret. Because of her horse party.

Yeah.

I don't want... Like, who wants to go to your horse party? I must go rollerblading.

And then she's called them rude.

Yeah, she's super rude. Yeah. Not into Margaret.

And in the end, it sounds like she was what she was.

She also just like, dipped. She did. Which makes sense.

I get it. I think after that, it's like the fact that Gretchen and Abby were able to stay friends.

And Glee even tried for a little bit.

Yeah. It sounds like Glee had some stuff going on.

Yeah. It sounds like Glee was a wreck, which I mean, who wouldn't be after that high space?

Yeah. I mean, that's traumatizing.

She tried to dive off a bell tower naked while throwing fake love letters from a priest.

From what was written across her chest?

She has For You written across her chest in black marker.

And she jumps off naked. And then the guards are trying to put a blanket over her. And Abby's like, for you is bouncing all over the place.

And this is for a young priest at their school.

At their school. And the letters weren't even written by him.

He had no idea.

Honestly, he's the real victim in this story.

Yeah, because he looked like he was doing some shady shit. He lost his job.

And he was like, I can't talk to you. Yeah.

What the hell?

You know what's also scary is that I think I experienced some level of bullying more middle school than high school. But there were people doing this shit not possessed by demons. Yeah. But in middle school, I had someone tell me that a boy had a crush on me, and he didn't. It was devastating in a fraction of what happened in this title.

But it feels like everything at that moment.

When you're younger, everything is so much more heightened.

Oh, yeah. I've told on the podcast before, I've told the story in middle school that these girls invited me to a party and sent me to an abandoned house.

Oh, my God.

Nothing will top that. And my dad I was the one dropping me off. I was so excited. And my poor dad.

I know. I know. But he's such a real one.

And he's such a real one because he was like- What did he do? He thought we'd get ice cream. Because I was like, what? And he's like, let's go get ice cream. You can talk to me if you want to, but you don't have to. But we don't have to talk. I'm sobbing. And he's just like, Let's get ice cream. And that's it. People are so mean. And they weren't even possessed by demons. Yeah.

I wish they were. My sister's two years older, and I so desperately wanted to be her friend growing up. And one day she invited me to play with her and her friends, and they said, We're going to play school, but this school ties you up. Oh my God. They tied me up to her bedpost and left me there and all went down into the basement to play. That's so mean.

That's some real big sister-ship.

That is big sister-ship.

And at that point, we joked that she was possessed by a demon because there was one time where my dad literally heard a demonic my voice come out of her mouth. Like, get out.

Well, she was thinking, actually, you just said that.

Yeah.

You were like, There was this one time that my dad heard this crazy thing.

It's a longer story, but we can get into it another day. But yeah, no. People can be mean. It's the point. Yeah.

I have a story, and it's only one little thing. But on AIM, which the meanest stuff always happened on AIM, I have two mean AIM stories. But one that sticks out in my head was this new boy in my school that was so cute was his friends were he wants to date you. He's asking you out. And my mom was on the computer and was like, oh, my God. Yes, definitely. And answered the AIM for me. And I remember I got home and she was like, Josh, beep. Asked you to be his girlfriend. And I said yes for you because I know you think he's so cute. And I was like, Mom, there's no way that's real. Like, what have you done? Oh, no. Why would she do that? It was a nightmare because she was also demonically possessed, I'm pretty sure.

That is demonically possessed parenting right there. Oh, my God.

But it just goes to show that I think everybody in middle school and high school at some point or another acts like a demon. Yeah.

Yeah.

Or is the victim of a demon.

Of a demonic type of person. Yes. Truly.

Like, wow.

That's horrifying.

Yeah, that was a bad one.

Oh, that's so sad. I know. It was horrific. And then I had to go to school the next day and be like, I knew that that was fake. I was messing with you. Yeah. Like, ha, tables turned.

Jokes on you.

I mean, jokes on you now, so whatever.

Jokes on you, yeah. I'm going to judge.

But some of the nightmare parts in the book go way beyond any of our experiences.

Truly. There's some part. I mean, I think we're all thinking we should talk about the nightmare parts, and then we'll talk about our favorite parts. Yeah.

To light the mood.

The tape worm. 100 %.

Takes the cake.

The most visual moment, like nightmare-inducing moment.

In the description?

And how it kept coming.

Oh, it just kept on coming. And then the dog.

Oh, the dog. The dog is a homie, though. The dog is a homie.

That is true. And all of that with the really... Every time Riley showed up, the creepy brother, I was so scared for everyone. He was the scary. I mean, not- Although, he did allow Abby into the house despite knowing that he shouldn't have.

That's true. That's very true.

I appreciate. I think he just didn't give a shit. And he's just sitting at the counter reading Hustler with peanut butter fingers. That's the part that bothered me the most. I know. That's so gross. He had peanut butter all over his hands. I was like, wash your hands.

No, I agree.

And he came in the room and they said he got the peanut butter on the door knob. And I was like, oh. And then she's like, we could smell the peanut butter. And I was like...

For Elaina, it was worse than the day before.

Yeah, I was like, oh, my God, I'm horrified. And then all of a sudden a tape worm starts coming out of her mouth and she's heaving it out and the dog's grabbing it. And I was like, this is the worst nightmare I've ever had.

What was it? Like 30 something feet long?

It was like 20. It was like 20.

The longest tape worm they'd ever And then she had even more.

Oh, my God.

Because she probably had all the little tape worm eggs.

Yeah, because she had... You're only supposed to drink one shake a day.

You're only supposed to drink one shake a day? One shake total.

Oh, one shake ever. I thought it was one a day. She was having multiple a day.

Because they all had tapeworms in them. Yeah.

And then there was, in a close second to that was when Gretchen vomited out all the feathers. The squirmy feathers.

Where there was like worms, almost.

That was so weird.

Yeah. The description was pale milk. And it was like with squirmy black feathers in it. And I was like, what?

Yeah. I can picture it. There's a lot of puke in this story because that bottle also pukes on the football field. Yeah. Later on.

It's a little less- And during the exorcism, there's- There's some more puke.

Yeah, and that puke is yellow. Yeah. So it's all very well-described puke.

How big did you picture the tape worm, girth-wise?

I pictured it so thick. Right.

Me too.

I pictured it barely being, like, ripping her mouth.

Because I think it said at one point it was.

Like, inhumanly. Yeah. And I know tape worms are traditionally like a white, and they're thin. Very thin. But I was picturing a very bulbous, like blood-filled tape worm. Me too.

I don't know why.

I pictured white still, but like so big.

And when the dog was trying to snap it and it couldn't... Oh, God, it was awful.

It made me think of The Troop by nick Cutter. I haven't listened to that. Which I also I really recommend as a title to listen to, but forewarned. There's a tape worm part. I just said that reminds me of it. Yeah, interesting. But it's also a great book. But something about worms, just tape worms and parasites and stuff, freak me out.

My cat once had tape worms. Oh, really? Because she had fleas and she had been eating the fleas and flees, I guess, carry tape worm eggs.

I don't even they'll eat tapeworm eggs.

And it was gross Because these little rice grains would be coming out of her butt because this tape worm would be breaking off.

Oh my God. Oh, God. That's so horrible.

And the only way to get rid of them, too, is to, get them out or get them out.

She had to take like a... I had to give her like, medicine that killed it. Yeah. And then you expel it.

Yeah.

But that was also the sad thing about this whole tape worm situation is that she had a tape worm, but her family was starving her. Yeah.

I think they were trying to starve the tape worm because I think that is a belief that it is possible. And then it'll pass through your system. But I think they didn't realize that she had 30 something tape worms in her stomach. Right. Oh my God. But there was a lot... It's actually crazy when you look back on the title because there was a lot of really foul, disgusting stuff. Like, when the exorcism actually takes place.

Oh, it's gnarly.

The roaches. Technically, it's not Gretchen. It's Andras.

I was wondering how you pronounced his name. I don't know. Is it Andres? I added a flare because it sounds like- What did you say? Andras. Andras.

I like it. But he chomps down on the roach.

Oh, oh. He's a wily one.

He is a wily one.

Andras was funny, too, at times.

I will say. Okay, wait. Well, that's the thing is demons got some sex appeal sometimes. They're in there funny. That's why they get inside. Yeah, it's true.

But also, one of the one of the horrifying parts besides all the tape worms and the physical physical body horror thing was when it was the really chilling parts where the birds are all slamming into the house.

That part scared the crap out of me.

Yeah. I haven't even told my story. Oh, Oh, my God. Yes. Well, that's it. So Andras is a... I guess he's known to have an owl head in a man's body. That's what the... Because it's a real demon and demonology. Right.

So I'm listening to the title. I'm driving home from my hair appointment listening to title.

What time of night is this?

It's like 10:30, 11:00 at night. I have- Even creepier. We need to like a tap. Well, I don't know if we'll be able to because I do swear a lot in it, but we need to put the voice note up somewhere. You guys, I crop you, shit you not. I'm driving down my road about to go home and I see a fucking owl standing in the middle of my neighborhood. I've never seen an owl in my life before other than at the zoo. And what are the odds that I'm listening to this title where they're talking about a an owl demon. It's Andress. And there's an owl.

Horrifying.

I'm never going to be over it.

It's just Andress being like, Hey.

Never going to be over it.

What's up?

Because you've asked me the question, Elaina, before. I think it's a question people ask each other of, how many owls would you have to see before you thought something was up? One. Correct.

And I always said one, too. I was like, I see one owl. I'm being like, What's going on?

I always said two because I'm like, One owl is not that crazy. One owl is that.

It is that crazy.

Especially given the fact that you're reading this title at the exact time. It's 10:30 at night. Yes. Yeah. No. It's right outside your home. That feels invasive.

Luckily, it was a little bit far. It was in front of our neighbor. So like, shout out to them. I don't know what you're going to do.

I will say that whole book club scene Yes. Was really unsettling. Oh my God. Because Gretchen presses up and starts singing at the top of the stairs. And then her dad slaps her. Doesn't she push him?

Yeah, he slaps her and then she pushes him down the stairs. And it's like, as all the birds are slamming into the house and the owls are tearing them apart, like the pelican and shit.

And Gretchen's mom is drunk.

Gretchen's mom is just drunk.

And Abby is like, I have to go work at the yogurt shop.

And then there's another lady.

There's like two ladies reciting the Lord's prayer.

I was like, this sounds like- Over-stimulation.

When I say over-stimulation station, I would be in orbit. I would be gone.

Yeah. I don't know how Abby didn't... I mean, eventually she does run out of there, but damn.

I would lose my mind. It's horrifying. It's like, that is so scary. Unsettling is the best way to describe that scene because there is so much happening.

Yeah. And that's also early on in the story where no one even believes that it's an exorcism or a demon situation. Yeah.

You're not really sure yet.

Aside from the name of the title, you wouldn't know.

But you wonder if there's a twist or something?

Well, you're wondering if it's symbolizing something else. It's like a metaphor for some transformation. When your friend is not your friend anymore. When people evolve.

Which it does do both. It is.

It is. It's perfect for that.

I think it's a metaphor in a lot of different ways. Absolutely. And also While we're talking about the actual possession itself, there's a lot of theories out there as to if Grutchen was possessed in the woods after they dropped LSD, or if she was possessed even before that at Bible camp, and then it really just started to ramp up.

Yeah. That's actually because you brought this up before we were recording and I was like, should we wait? Because I fully believed it happened in the woods. Me too. Because in my mind, it was like, they were... It could have been Abby. I thought that. Like, had Abby gotten lost, it would have been her. Yeah. But that's interesting, especially given the Andy conversation thing. Like, who was she talking to?

I need to go back listen because what I saw, I was on a couple of discussion boards just reading what other people were theorizing. And what they were saying was that she mentions talking to Andy before she gets, quote unquote, possessed in the woods. Before you're led to believe that she gets possessed in the woods. And then he says, Oh, I haven't talked to her since summer camp. Right. So it's like, 'So I think she had to have been possessed probably at summer camp.

' That's so interesting. Yeah.

Because Because it's like a Bible summer camp.

Yeah, that's never addressed. Because Abby even says she's annoyed by the fact that Gretchen has this boy that she met at summer camp and now prioritizes.

Yeah. But then at the same time, she says she's talking to Andy. Is she calling Andres Andy? Like, to try because obviously it's not Gretchen.

Oh, that's also interesting. Yeah, because that would make sense. You know?

This also brings up a point when Abby does call the number that she thinks is Andy's. Yes. And Gretchen answers.

Gretchen's soul answers. Yeah.

So there's a part... I just got to chill with that part because that confuses me a little bit.

So that confused me, too. But I found another fucking thing on the discussion boards because I didn't even catch this, and I wonder if you did. Elaina did catch it. So Gretchen's soul essentially is trapped in the phone lines, which also makes you wonder, was it? Did she get possessed out there? Because when she is in that little shack in the woods, remember she sees that little phone? How would I describe it?

Like the phone company thing?

The phone company logo. And she hears that buzzing, electrical buzzing. And it's the same buzzing that she hears when she calls that number.

Okay, so this is interesting. So what if it did happen at Bible camp. And then she is talking to Andres on the phone, and basically, they swap places. She lets Andres into her, and her soul is now stuck in the phone line.

Yeah, I could see. I think I see That's what you're saying.

Like a Bible camp, if she... Because one of the things that they say during the exorcism, like Brother Lemon, which we will get into Brother Lemon.

I love Brother Lemon. Hero of the century.

He's a hero.

We love a Brother Lemon.

He said during the exorcism that you're going to be open and raw during this exorcism because we're going to be saying all these Bible verses and all these powerful things using our faith, and that's going to leave you open to being possessed yourself. Right. So what if at Bible camp, she became raw and open from being exposed to all that she was exposed to there. She came back. They dropped LSD. She got lost. She went to that little cottage in the woods. And there's some thing there.

It does seem like there was a trigger there.

And that was where it entered. And that's why you can communicate with that part.

And maybe it was the phone lines because of the electricity. Yeah.

But maybe it all did begin in Bible camp when she became raw and open to it.

That's the thing. When I was listening, it was just all... Most of that was just lost on me. And I just assumed that she dropped LSD. She jumped off and maybe there was some portal to that.

Especially because people had used that check for Satanic rituals.

But now I think I'm a full believer that it happened at Bible camp.

Me too. Me too. I think it all began there.

You guys have to let us know what you think in the comments. I'm curious. I want to see.

Because also- She did a poll. I read that Andy's last name is Solomon, which is referencing King Solomon. Which is hell of biblical. Which in the Bible, I guess he became, in some parts, in some thoughts, he became a powerful king through the help of demons. Demons helped him. Grady. See, this makes me love Grady even more.

Because it's so deep. It's so smart. Yeah.

He just kills it with that stuff. It's later.

You go back and you're like, Shit.

You don't know what you're doing. It's so impressive.

It is. Well, we talked about our nightmare parts, and I guess we talked about some of our favorite parts, even just through that. But let's go deeper into our favorite parts.

Okay.

I mean, the Lemon Brothers.

They win.

The Lemon Brothers.

They win. Bodybuilding for God.

And that's a real thing.

Yeah.

Bodybuilders. What is it? Is it Bodybuilders for Christ? For Christ. It's a thing.

I've seen it on Instagram.

Yeah. Bodybuilding for Christ.

I mean, you can do anything for Christ.

You absolutely can.

Pretty much. Yeah. If you really think about it.

It's a whole thing. There's a hashtag #bebeforechrist, number 4. Bbc. B-b-4-christ.

B-b-f-c. It says, Welcome to Bodybuilding for Christ, where faith and fitness unite. So they're like real- That's really pretty much what they said.

They honor God with their bodies.

They were fucking fit. I loved the moment where it's the school assembly and they ask the... What's the guy's name? Wallace. It's almost like non-memorable because F Wallace. But they ask all the guys to come up and lift the thing and then the guy does it by himself. Brother Lemon's like, took four of you guys.

And he does like the... He puts it like the cross. Yeah, he had to do it in the shape of the cross. He's like, it's stronger in a cross.

The power of Christ allows me to do anything.

And they're just like, delightful. Like, they are delightful. I love them. And he's always talking about his daddy. Yeah, he loves his dad. Yeah, he just loves the dad.

Were you guys ever second-guessing him when he showed her all the stuff that he had in his van for the exorcism and the GHB part, like how there was two baggies, and she was like, Why are there two? I was a little worried that it might be taking a turn, and maybe we were being led to believe that he was a helpful exorcist, and really he was going to turn out to be another demon.

I had a moment of wondering if he had some nefarious intent within the van. But it was only a second.

I never doubted him because of his strength. Because of the power of Christ and all. I only doubted him the exorcism was actually happening.

Yeah. Yeah. Because I think he just lost himself in it.

And later he says it. Yeah.

That he- That's why he does what he does. Yeah. I don't want to... I mean, can I spoil? I don't know. I mean, we've spoiled pretty much everything. I think so, yeah. It's such a big spoil. But when he takes the blame.

Yeah. And he says, I think he mentions how he won. He trained for two years for the most muscles in the entire universe competition or whatever it is. And he's like, And I can't remember what music I was listening that I played while I did that competition. I was training for two years. But I can remember every second of me launching salt into that girl's face. The boiling water moment. And the boiling water.

And then when he was asking for the, what was it, ammonia?

The ammonia. I was like, Oh, my God. She was like, no.

She was like, no. Now you're killing her physical body. Yeah.

That got so scary. That was a horrific part.

That is the scary thing about exorcisms, generally, because, and I think has brought up a lot of debate about how moral some of these exorcisms are because there's sometimes four muscular people holding down this tiny, frail body and breaking bones of people in the name of exercising a demon.

But how far- How far is too far.

Exactly.

It's a fine line, I would say.

Yeah, definitely. You can tell he reached that point and was like, I have to go. I have to go get my dad.

And just the way that he turns himself in. And he turned himself in. And he's like, oh, he's so sweet. And then the conversation that they ended up having years and years later. That was one of the most wholesome moments ever.

I know. I'm glad that they had that. They could reconnect.

I'm so glad they had that. And then the other wholesome thing that absolutely just ruined me. I also cried listening to this part because Abby's dad the whole way through. You can tell she loves her dad. She loves her parents, but she has a tough relationship with them. And her dad never does anything. He's very passive, even in the meeting where the mom tells off major. He gets a little snippy.

He does have a little funny in that one. What does he say? When she says like...

He has never liked you.

Yeah, she's like, you always kissed up and kicked down to him. And she's like, we never liked you. And the dad says, now that's not entirely true. I just never thought about you long enough to develop an opinion. And I was like, oh.

Which is worse. And that's when we saw the first part of his personality come through. And I was like, I think I might like this guy. And then when I knew I fucking loved this guy was at the end when obviously, so Abby and Gretchen get separated because it's this whole big court case. People think that, Have you tried to kill Gretchen? And yada, yada, yada.

That whole thing.

But you can't keep two best friends apart. So they find a way to each other. And Mr. Lange, Gretchen's dad, is super pissed off about it. And finally, Abby's dad just tells him off and is like, Dude, they're going to be friends through whatever. If they can figure out how to pay the phone bill and if they want to write letters to each other, let them.

Who are we to keep them apart?

Yeah. That part. And he's like, Can't you see it's tearing them up inside? He says, I'm seeing it tear my kid up. I can't do this.

Because there is no love like a best friend. No. Really, truly. It's true.

That was one of my absolute favorite parts. That was really, really sweet.

Oh, I loved that. It was great. And I loved during the exorcism when Brother Lemon there. I just loved the way his lines are some of the funniest things. Because he's so serious about them. But he says, I'll be doing some serious blasting of prayer. If you're not guarded with the full armor of God, you might not make it through with your soul in time.

Like, he's such a meathead He is. But also God meathead. It's this weird combination that you wouldn't necessarily put together. No.

I'm going to do some serious blasting of prayer. What?

Absolutely incredible. Did you catch the little true crime reference at the end when he's wearing Joey Buttafuco pants?

Oh, I did hear that.

Remember Joey Buttafuco's mistress was the Long Island Lolita, and she tried to assassinate his wife after a year's long affair.

I didn't know that.

Wow. Yeah, it was a little rough there. But he's wearing Joey Monefucka pants.

But he's wearing Joey Monefucka pants. With those little Easter eggs.

So good.

So, Karin and I ended up talking to Chad and Kerry Hayes, who wrote the first Conjuring film and House of Wax and stuff like that. They went to this town in India, and I'm forgetting the name. I think it starts with C, but it's literally a town where they perform exorcisms. Wow. And they went to this town. They went up to this church, and they're performing all these exorcisms. And the guide that they were with was like, either of you want to be possessed by a low-level demon because- A low-level demon.

And they're both like, No, I'm good.

But because they're just exercising demons, there is this question of now what happens to the demon. Where do we put them? Because it It's like a tape worm, which is also an interesting thing in the story.

Oh, an interesting good point.

Where it needs, in order to survive, it needs a host.

It needs to feed off someone.

So where does Andres go?

I mean, part two. We need a second book.

We do. I know. He said he doesn't do sequels. He's not a sequel guy. He said he loves sequels. You never know. But he said he doesn't do them.

Don't call it a sequel.

Don't call it a comeback. But the Southern Book Club's Guide to Slayingampires, another title by Grady Hendrix, takes place in the same neighborhood. But he said, this book is about the kids. That one's about the adults.

Well, and so I was asking Elaina. I did not. And it's the same universe. I was asking because I wonder if the Book Club is the book club that Abby's mom, or sorry, Gretchen's mom was getting drunk.

So he like, that is wild.

And it's a great title.

That's the next title I'm listening to.

You know what's interesting is I didn't realize that that took place in Charleston. I almost feel like the town of Charleston plays such a large role in this title. In a way, it didn't in that one because it was more about the community in the book club. Whereas this was, I think, economics did play Yes, absolutely. A lot more of a role in this title. So how Charleston... I love the way that Grady describes Charleston as all these massive, beautiful homes that are on the outside. And so old and historic. So maintained. But the second you go inside, they're like, decrepid and people are losing so much money trying to keep them alive. Which is a metaphor for all these families.

Absolutely. So true. Yeah, it plays a huge role in it.

Yeah.

And there's even like, they talk about a girl that there's a rumor she got- Molly. Sacrificed by Satanists. Yes.

In that shack, right?

Yeah, in that shack or near that shack, in those woods, definitely. And her name is Molly Ravenel. And if you watch Southern Charm on Bravo- So many Southern Charm shot out lately. I was going to say we're hitting Southern Charm all the time. And it's like the Ravenel Bridge and the Ravenels are a huge name.

And the huge name, yeah. And in Charleston.

And in politics for a minute.

They're like a political family there. There's a Ravenel Bridge in Charleston, all that.

Can we And as soon as I heard it- And talk about the body? Can we talk about the body? One, the baby. But then also they were saying Molly's body was buried. They plant it, but you never go into it, where Gretchen's like, We need to dig her up. And give her a Christian burial.

Yeah.

I am curious that if they actually went to that spot, would her body be there?

I know. Is it a rumor? Is it real?

And was that Gretchen saying that or was that- Andress. Andress trying to get Abby to go somewhere where she shouldn't have been?

I think that was Gretchen still because I think she was still in the throes of not allowing Andress to fully take over.

But even when she's in that period, she does say things to Abby like, he tells me things about everyone else, even you.

So he could have told her that.

He could have told her that.

That's true. Yeah. And still be trying to lead her out there.

I feel like it was a way to lead her someplace she shouldn't have been because he specifically really wanted to destroy Abby because I think he saw her, obviously, and rightfully so, as the biggest threat.

He knew that she could be the one to expel him.

No one loves to be a best friend. That baby in the bag is like...

Okay, wait. That can go back to one of the scariest parts. Was dark as hell. The first of all- Disturbing.

No, Max.

Oh, God. Oh, God.

Max.

Doesthedogdye. Com. Yes.

Gooddogmax. Is one of the most brutal things about this.

No one prepared me for that. I was not ready.

I'll never be ready. Even Gretchen says, that's the one thing she get over. Yeah.

But also the one thing that's kept them friends for as long as they were able to be is that Abby is the only one who knows that that wasn't Gretchen. Everyone else thinks she's just a bitch's dog.

She killed her dog. She killed her dog. Good boy, Max.

Good boy, Max. She was so in my heart.

He was so dumb with the maxi pads all stuck to him.

I know. I loved that dog. It reminded me of Blanche.

I was just going to say, he had such Blanche vibes.

And he's just like, breaking into the neighbor's trap. Yeah, he's just living.

He's just living his life. Oh, it broke so hard.

For one out for him.

Yeah, truly.

Truly. I was. Yeah, I think that was like the biggest.

Yeah. I think that was the biggest. That destroyed me. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Whose baby was it, though? Sorry, going back to that because I feel like I cut myself off towards there.

It was from that, When they go see that body farm place. The medical lab.

Oh, okay. Remember the bucket full of them? So it was basically like a specimen, like a donated medical specimen that somebody stole from Gretchen.

Because there was a moment, I think because it was so shocking that I was like, Who's baby is that? I was like, Are we not going to talk about what happened?

She killed a baby. Like, what the hell?

Yeah, it was at the... It must have been a donated specimen at the cadaver lab, and then they stole it. So she was always going to be known as a baby stealer. A cadaver specimen.

A baby stealer. Yeah. And that was like another thing that kept them tethered. Gretchen was the only one who knew that she didn't really actually do that.

She didn't actually.

Yeah. I did love during the exorcism. There's so many great moments during the exorcism. It's such a crescendo. Yes. So the whole When it says, Andres blew an exhausted raspberry.

I was like, I lost it.

I was like, Andress, you're pretty funny.

I was like, That's pretty good. That was an I love quote loud moment.

He's just like,. And then he said, when she's like, I know who you are. You're Andress. You're the purveyor of hell or whatever you are. And he says, So you've heard of me? So fucking what?

I was like, I love Andress. Big deal. I was like, Shit.

If you weren't really mean, this And a demon possessing her best friend. If you weren't a demon possessing my best friend, we can hang out in.

You got to be pretty funny.

I would love to sit down and interview a demon.

Yeah, that would be interesting. That would be really cool.

I don't think that's possible.

No.

But a girl can dream. A girl can dream.

Someday.

We'll do it.

We'll get there.

We'll get there. We'll get there.

We'll figure it out. Where there's a will, where there's a way. Yeah.

Did you guys know that this has also been made into a movie? Yes.

I really... We should do like a movie night.

Oh my God, we should. I just picked it for my screen pick.

So we should watch it. Oh, now we have to watch it. Yeah, we have. 100 %.

We have. We have. We do it for our spooky Halloween night. I love it. Okay. Perfect. Okay. Perfect. I'll host it if you guys want me to. But if it wasn't a movie, I have cast the entire thing. And so has Elaina. Yes. The entire thing meaning the four main girls. Yes. The entire thing.

That's it.

The whole plot. So for Abby, I did May Whitman.

That's great. That is a great one.

I feel like I just pretty much pictured somebody like May the whole way through. You were saying, I don't picture famous people as the characters, but when you go back, you're like, yeah, she would fit.

I could see that.

For Gretchen, I did Anya Taylor-Joy. Love her. Because I feel like she is so unique-looking that's specifically possessed. She would scare the shit out of you.

Horrifying. Oh, yeah.

And then Margaret, I did Kieran and Shipka, who plays Sabrina.

I love that one.

Because I just feel like Margaret definitely had pretty girl privilege. And I feel like Kieran is so pretty. You could see that. I could see that. And then for Glee, I had a hard time... I don't know about you guys. I had a hard time picturing Glee throughout.

I think the name was hard for me. I kept picturing the show every time. Me too. I was like, Wait, who's Glee? And then I had to get back.

So I had a hard time. But every time she was brought up, I did picture somebody with brown hair and like a, I don't know. I just pictured like a Lily Collins, I think.

Okay.

A very pretty Glee.

Yeah, pretty Glee. So that's my cast. I feel like they're all pretty girls.

Just a group of pretty girls.

Pretty Southern Carolina Girls. Yes.

See, mine, I thought of Abby. I thought Maya Hawk.

I can't really see that.

Maya Hawk does have that vibe. Yeah. Especially her character in Stranger Things. I could see being Abby.

That's exactly what I was thinking of. Yeah. And Gretchen, I thought I couldn't decide. And Mikey gave me one of these, and I was like, I can't decide between this now. Because I was thinking Zendaya.

Which didn't Grady Hendrix say?

And Grady Hendrix actually said he would cast Zendaya as Gretchen. And then Mikey brought up Sadie Sink from Stranger Things, Max. And I thought she would be great, too. I could see either of those.

I could also see Sadie Sink as Glee.

Yeah. Actually, that might be... That's a decent one, too.

Maybe that's how it works out.

Maybe that is how it works. So we still get her in the movie. Because then I had to go back because for Margaret and Glee, I was struggling. It was tough. And for Margaret, I was like, Let me go back in time. And I'm going to say Thora Birch from Now and Then days. Yes.

Right. Okay. I mean, this is your dream cast. This is my dream cast.

I can go back in time.

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. It all work. A time machine exists in this scenario. Exactly.

Because then Glee, Christina Ricci. I think it would be pretty good.

Because couldn't you picture her jumping off the bell tower? I could picture her as a dramatic actress. Oh, very. Very much so. Yeah. I think you did a really good job. Thank you.

I think you did a really good job.

I think you both did a really good job. Thank you. Especially because I didn't do it.

You both did.

Perfect.

We'll just smash them together.

I do feel like a Wallace would be one of the rap boys that are in right now. Oh my God.

Who would he be? He would be fucking... What's his name? I'll choke you by no killer, baby.

Oh, that Jack.

Harlow. Jack Harlow. Would be Wallace. Yeah. Wow.

Yeah. I feel like the whole euphoria cast could be cast in this.

I feel like Angus would make a great Wallace, even though he's so beautiful. Actually, no. Actually, Wallace was too nice to be Angus.

I was going to say, I think he's too kind. He's too kind. He's not...

Okay, who's Brother Lemon?

Who's Brother Lemon? Okay.

Oh, we got to think of a meathead, a lovable meathead.

A lovable meathead.

Oh, like a Zac Efron. Especially like him from Ironclaw.

Zac Efron now, I think it would be. Yes. It would definitely be a Brother Lemon. I could see that.

Yeah, I think he would.

Actually, I think Zac Efron might be that.

It's Zac Efron. I'm good at this. You did it.

He did it, to be honest. He did it.

Exactly.

He did the work for me.

All right. So to end, let's answer the questions from the quiz. Yeah. Because there's little... The quizzes that appear throughout the title.

Throughout, they have the quizzes. From the teen magazine that they're reading.

Do you remember doing these? Of course.

My whole life was doing these.

Yes. Okay. Should I read the first one? Yes. Are you driving away your best friend? You both swore to study for the big English test together. Suddenly, she cancels. Do you, A, assume she got a better offer and spend the afternoon feeling rejected? B, blow it off, sometimes these things happen. C, call her and demand she tell you the real reason why, or D, give her the silent treatment. If she won't study with you, you won't talk to her.

Honestly, probably a mixture of the first and the last one. I would feel like super rejected and then- Give the silent treatment.

Give the silent treatment. I would call in demand to know the real reason.

I knew that you were going to say that.

I would blow it off sometimes, these things happen.

All right.

So we all are coming there. I do think answering them now is one thing, but sometimes... I'll answer the next one, but Putting myself in my high school.

My teenage self. Yeah.

I think my answer would still ring true for my teenage self, even for that first one.

I think my teenage self would be so heartbroken. Like, feel rejected.

Yeah. That would have been my teenage self, too.

Yeah. All right. So let's answer them as our teenage selves from this point forward.

We should answer them as both.

Yeah. There you go. Okay. All right. Second question. Your best friend says she's stressed out and needs a break, so she's canceling your plans to double date this Friday. A, what a relief. You didn't want to go either. B, this friendship is over. C, cancel your date and go to her house instead. She must need to talk. D, your poor date. Now, what else are you going to talk about on Friday night?

I think high school, C. I'd be like, Oh, my God, what's going on? She needs to talk to me. And now A, because I never want to go anywhere.

Same. That's A would be me now because I'd be like, sweet.

Also, you're wearing a homebody sweatshirt.

I'm wearing a homebody sweatshirt. And I was going to say between C and D for a teenage me. Yeah. Because I was likely a lot more selfish then. So I probably would have been like, oh, no. That's fair. I'm going to stop going out.

See you.

Going solo.

Bye.

I feel like A and C would ring true for me back then and now. Yeah, I agree.

Me too. Yeah.

I probably was usually the one canceling because I was always grounded for a month for nothing. Okay. Your bestie shows up at school on Monday, sporting a brand new do that she didn't tell you about. It's radical, it's expensive, and makes her look like a poodle. You, A, tell her it looks great. That's what friends are for. B, pretend nothing's happened. After all, if you can't say something nice. C, burst out laughing. At least it's not you. Or D, be brutally honest. Someone's got to say it.

I think probably I'd have less control in high school and burst out laughing. So C. And then now I would do A and just feel like if I don't have anything nice to say, I don't say anything.

I do think it depends also on their reaction. If she thinks it looks great, then I would be like, Yeah, it does. Or actually, even if she said it looks horrible, I'd be like, It doesn't look that bad.

It will grow out. So you just reassure.

I tend to be brutally honest.

Correct.

But I don't ever want to hurt someone's feelings ever. And I don't like yucking someone's yum.

I don't think you're brutally honest. I think you're tactfully honest.

Thank you. I hope so. Because I don't like yucking someone's yum. And everyone needs a friend like that.

If it makes someone happy.

I'll tell you for real if you the real shit. I will happily do that. And you've always been that way. But I don't like to bum someone out.

If I don't want an answer about something, I won't ask Elaina. But if I need an honest, true, true answer, I'm like, what's up? Tell me.

Sometimes you won't ask it because you know the answer you're going to get. And you don't want that. She doesn't want to hear it.

And I'm like, Don't tell me that. I know what I'm doing.

Okay, last one. Your best friend doesn't have time for you anymore. Do you, A, keep calling until she tells you why you deserve an explanation? B, respect her wishes. You don't want to be needy. C, tell everyone you rejected her first. Who does she think she is? D, refuse to accept it. This friendship is over when you say it's over.

All right, so high school C. I'd be like, I didn't want to be her friend. And then now...

Mom answering the A, I, R, U, N.

See? It rang true. And then now... I feel like B, respect her wishes now, but not because I wouldn't want to be needy, just because I'd be like, All right, if you don't want to be my friend, then I don't want to be your friend. Right. You know?

Elaina? I would probably... I'm like a... I would probably be A. You need an answer. I need an answer, too. I'm a... Give me... Tell me. Like, grow up. Tell me what's going on so that we can snip if we need to snip.

That's me now. And that's me now. Especially if I did something wrong. I deserve to know because as a human being, I want to grow. If I did something to hurt you, please tell me. Yeah. And then... But in high school, middle school, I was such a pushover and emotional that I always felt like I would have respected her wishes and not wanted to be needy and then just cry in the bathroom. I hate that.

See? Gross.

Yeah, look at all of us. Gross.

Check that out. Okay, this was so much fun. This was awesome.

I loved this. I love this. Thanks for having me. Oh my God.

Thank you for coming on. Oh my God, anytime. That was amazing. Thank you to you. Yeah, seriously. And thank you to Audible for sponsoring this show. Don't forget that you can go over to audible. Com/weirdos for your free trial. And if I were you, I would use that free trial to purchase this title and devour it all in one sitting. Sabrina, tell them where they can find you.

You want my address? Click wisely. You can find me. You can find Two Girls, One Ghost wherever you listen to podcasts. And on YouTube, we are starting to speak to the spirits. So if we do get possessed, I will be calling you, too. Boom.

Heck, yeah. We'll be there. We will absolutely be there.

For the exorcism?

Yeah.

Yeah, we'll exercise you. Great. I'll bring Brother Lemon.

Oh my God. Let's go. Let's go. Well, with that being said, guys, we hope you keep listening. We hope you enjoyed this, and we hope you keep it weird. But not so weird that your best friend gets possessed, and not so weird that if she does get possessed, you can't save her. Bye.

Bye.