This was my first time reading Paul Tremblay, and I really enjoyed it. The writing was impressive, and I appreciated how it felt like a tribute to classic horror films. I listened to the audiobook, which made for a great experience—it genuinely creeped me out at times. That said, I don’t think it’ll stick with me long-term, which is why I’m hesitant to rate it higher. Still, I’m definitely interested in checking out more of his work.

I normally enjoy horror. This book, however, didn't work for me. I suppose that I didn't understand the motivations of the characters in the story who were making the original movie, and I couldn't get past that.

This book was a book about a movie about a movie. Essentially, in this book, a horror movie was made by a group of college students that was never finished due to a gruesome incident. Years later, the movie was remade and a conclusion was attempted, with the assistance of the actor who played the "monster" of the original movie. The perspective of the book is that of the actor of the monster character in the original movie. In his voice, we hear the story of the original film, what happened to derail it, what happened to the original actors, what happened to make the movie a cult favorite, and how he was contacted to consult on this new project, the remake.

This is a book about how he becomes twisted into actually becoming the monster in the film, the monster that he plays and finally realizes. I suppose, for me, I don't suppose I understand why the students created him in the first place. What was their motivation in doing so? Without understanding that, the book fell a bit flat for me.

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay is a mind-bending, meta take on fear, fame, and the unsettling power of storytelling. Tremblay blurs the line between fiction and reality to create a creeping sense of dread. It's less about jump scares and more about the horror that seeps into your thoughts—quiet, strange, and deeply psychological.

This one isn’t your typical slasher tale. It’s about the stories we tell, the things we choose to forget, and what happens when we dig them up again. Smart, eerie, and deeply original. Perfect for fans of experimental horror and anyone who loves feeling just a little bit haunted when they close the book.

Horror movie does a great job building atmosphere and suspense. I wasn't as impressed with the ending as I don't prefer leaving things ambiguous. Overall I would still recommend this title.

I enjoyed this book and the way it skipped back and forth between the then and the now. I enjoyed not being able to decide if I trusted our narrator, but thought the ended with a little bit rushed. In keeping with the rest of the story, I wish I could have left still wondering if he was/wasn't absolutely off his rocker.

This book reminds me of Stephen's King writing style and I will say this book is a very slow paced and may not be for everyone

Unfortunately, this just didn’t work for me. A group of college aged kids attempt to make a very low budget film that is generically titled Horror Story. It never got released and has a bit of a cult like following due to the circumstances surrounding it. Present day we meet one of the only actors left from the original film. He is in discussions with a Hollywood producer to reboot the movie. The book alternates between past and present, and most of the past focuses on the actual inner workings and making of the movie. This is told mainly through snippets of a screenplay. Ultimately, this didn’t work for me as I felt I was reading exactly that, a screenplay. There certainly were some creepy elements to it, but I never felt the dread that I should have. Not to mention this is an extremely slow book that nothing really happens until the very last few pages and by that point I honestly just wanted the book to be over. I think if it had more of a cursed movie type feel I may have been more intrigued, or maybe if it wasn’t written in the form of a screenplay for most of it it might’ve worked better for myself.

Thanks to NetGalleyand the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Horror Movie's narrator is just as unreliable as any penned by the likes of Poe, Gene Wolfe, or Chuck Palahniuk. His story is filled with disclaimers assuaging us that he is telling it as he remembers (memory itself being notoriously unreliable), although we can also suspect that he probably remembers things a lot more clearly than he lets on. Sometimes, he'll lead us to believe that events happened one way, only to present a completely different explanation later on. If there's anything we can be sure of, this guy is the consummate showman, eliciting our sympathies on the way in and inciting revulsion on the way out -- all, we imagine, with a knowing smirk on his face.

The effect is actually quite disconcerting. I set Horror Movie aside after finishing it and just sat in silence for several minutes, trying to evaluate a story that I had just read but entirely unsure as to which story I had just read. It drew me into thoughts of "the artist as manipulator", which encompassed not only the narrator of the novel, but also Tremblay's role as writer. Indeed, there is a moment in the accompanying screenplay that steps out of form and lasts for several pages in which the screenwriter explains, in excruciating detail, the effects on the viewer of an overlong, five-minute shot of a darkened doorway. It's a moment when the screenwriter knows she's breaking the rules and reveling in it, and one can easily imagine Tremblay experiencing the same as his narrator weaves one misdirection after another.

He (Tremblay, the narrator, take your pick) demonstrates time and again that the artist, once he has his audience in his clutches, can get away with anything. Which is a truly frightening idea, considering how Horror Movie ends.

That is, of course, if the narrator was telling us the truth, or simply selling us on his next performance.

But as far as Tremblay is concerned, I'm sold on whatever else he's going to pull out of his sleeve.

This book definitely has the weirdness I'd say most people are looking for when they're seasoned Paul Tremblay readers and for that it should be a hit, but for me the pacing was so slow it dragged itself down so maybe keep that in mind going in to it.

I like to thank the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me a chance at reading this.

I think there is a select group of people who like Paul Tremblay's work. For me, sometimes a book will register / go over well with me. This one did not.

His writing is a lot like Stephen King - where he will give you so much information that is non-sensical or oddly captured to lead into the point / topic that is being discussed. This is about a horror movie that was made in 1993, and the current day narrator is talking about his time making it while Hollywood is interested in taking this indie / cursed project and making something big-budgeted out of it all.

I made it 15% into it and couldn't take it any further.

While this is an interesting approach to telling this story, I found the overall execution to be clunky and not particularly compelling, unfortunately.

Haunting exploration of the power of storytelling, memory, and fear itself. The novel feels like a lost cut of cursed cinema - unsettling, unpredictable, and deeply immersive. Great!

What a unique book. This slasher type horror is what us horror fans LOVE!
There was a specific scene in the “movie” that will haunt me for a long time, it felt like I was watching it in a pitch dark room and I simple could not look away. I LOVED the whole movie script part of it especially being able to see the difference between the making of the original and the reboot. It was descriptive, it was dark, it was gory and it was perfection. A must read for when you feel like escalating your heart rate.📚

I had very high hopes of this book. The premise sounds like something that would be a 5 star book for me, sadly that was not the case.

It took me months to finish this book, I eventually got the audiobook to help me finish but something just didn’t work for me.

I was pretty appalled at the end of this book. I definitely was taken back and didn't see that coming so the author did a good job in terms of plot twist. However the back and forth between timelines really built this suspense that never really felt like it went anywhere. There wasn't a big payoff, instead it was just disturbing.

This book feels as cursed as the movie it is describing—in the best possible way. Tremblay once again weaves the inherent sadness of human nature in with some truly frightening scenes. We are truly the monsters we love to run from.

Bless Paul Tremblay for always zagging when people want him to zig. Horror Movie is as meta as a novel can get, part oral history about a famous unfinished cult film, part screenplay of said film, and part memoir, Horror Movie is never what you expect it be, and that makes it all the more fun. To say more would be to spoil, but readers who prefer their horror and narratives to be straightforward may not vibe with this one. However, fans of Tremblay and those looking for a more experimental ride should saddle up!

Horror Movie follows a family caught in terrifying, unexplainable events, blending psychological drama with supernatural thrills. Tremblay's sharp writing and detailed atmosphere make the suspense almost real. The characters are so well-developed that you can't help but feel their fear and uncertainty. This book stands out in the horror genre, leaving you contemplatingthe nature of fear long after you've finished reading. If you're a fan of gripping, spine-tingling tales, this one won't disappoint.

For horror movie fans, lovers of a duel timeline, folks who can’t get enough of behind the scenes drama, this book is for you. Spooky scary keeps you on the edge of your seat. Who do you trust what’s going on and how are we gonna make it out alive? What a fun read!

I was very excited to read this book! I mean a couple of filmmakers want to make a horror movie and then someone dies. The film never gets released because of it but then little clips release on YouTube and bam a cult like following is made. Conspiracies that more crew have died.


That premise made me itch so hard to read this but I in the end what I thought would be a thriller fell short for me. Not scary and I struggled to finish it.