Thank you for the opportunity to preview Horror Movie. Paul Tremblay is truly a master of the horror genre. This novel is no exception.
The novel centers on 4 young people who are going to make a movie. And of course it is a horror movie.
The narrator is one of these characters and his POV drives the book while giving the reader a perspective on each of the characters.
The book goes back and forth so you have to pay attention as there are many moving parts. This movie was written by Valentina, Cleo wrote the screenplay and Karsen does the “extra” things needed to be done. They call upon a guy they know as “weird guy”!to play the role of the “thin kid”. The monster. These are our characters. But we learn soon enough that this movie was never made. But fokelore has consumed the internet. Because this film that was never made is a horror story as well.
Our narrator. The weird guy or thin kid tells us the past and now and the present. There is a desire to get this movie made in the present time. And our narrator will be part of this “reboot”.
So what’s wrong with that. Well read on as each page reveals the past and the future.
This is very different. Dark and gloomy. But what Tremblay does not disappoint and this is not the run of the mill scary book. It’s truly one of his best.
4.5 stars.

There is a desperate loneliness to this novel that gets deep under the skin. It appears languid and still, but that is only hiding the way it burrows down deep and festers, simmering with the terrifying violence of an unsprung trap.

If you have read other work by Tremblay, this is, narratively, more similar to "A Headful of Ghosts" than "The Cabin at the End of the World." The narration is all from the perspective of the last surviving actor of the film, a decidedly unreliable narrator. It goes back and forth in time from the actual making of the film to the present, with a few stops in between. Simultaneously, most chapters end with some pages from the actual screenplay of the film, though Tremblay has done himself the favor of having the screenplay’s author acknowledge how unconventional it is, which is to say that in place of stage directions there is a decent amount of narration and fourth-wall breaking meta-questioning of the characters, which lets Tremblay let these sections be more evocative and compelling. I enjoyed the constantly shifting narration, it left me feeling a little unmoored and always expectant. I didn’t love the inclusion of the screenplay at first, but it grew on me, becoming an interesting device to convey the emotional reality of the characters.

The secondary characters, at least those featured in the segments focused on the past, are interesting, but kind of open-books. They don’t feel phoned in or like simple stereotypes, but they do feel kind of hollow, in a haunted kind of way. They feel like avatars for people you know, for your peripheral experiences brought to the forefront. The main protagonist is the one telling this story, it is his experience of this story that we get to share, and yet we maybe understand him the least of all. What he does represent is an unfulfilled restlessness, an out-of-place-ness, a loneliness that doesn’t know how it can be fulfilled. Stories often live and die by characters, for me, I want characters to feel real and lived in and genuine… Here, though, I can’t say the characters scratch that itch, but they aren’t trying to, Tremblay is doing something else here that is beyond naturalism, something lost in the wispy purgatory between memory and imagination, and it worked for me, for this story.

The writing was crisp and believable, and the pacing spot-on. To constantly jump back and forth in time is to decide what parts of the narrative to omit, which are as important as what is shown. Every chapter felt like it was deepening my sense of dread while gripping me tighter, urging me to keep reading, the devil on your shoulder quietly admitting you want to see in the dark corners for yourself. I will say the story wasn’t wildly surprising, insofar as once the parameters were set up in the early chapters it wasn’t hard to predict where it would go. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t original, though, and when the ending can be forecasted from the beginning and yet you still find yourself invested and on edge that is a sign of great writing.

There is a pandemic of disaffection and loneliness right now, and a desperate clinging to nostalgia that feels in many ways part and parcel of that loneliness, of the constant feeling of being unfulfilled, unsatisfied, and cast out. Whether Tremblay is intending to comment on that or not, those felt like the dark forests this story found itself traveling, in my experience of it. It was dark and mesmerizing, and a journey that will stick with you long after you think you have put it away.

I want to thank the author, the publisher William Morrow, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

ARC releasing 6/11. In 1993, teens created a horror movie that was never released but has a cult following and the sole remaining member of the cast and crew want to reboot the project. The format took a bit to get used to because it's part then, part now, part screenplay, part the narrator is actually doing an audiobook that you're reading. However, once you're in, you're ~in~. This was spooky and weird. Once you got to the ending, you knew there was only one way out, but you're still shocked.

In 1993, a group of teenagers set out to make a horror movie, but only select scenes were ever released. Years pass, and the scenes garner interest from filmmakers who want to create a reboot. Problem is, most of the cast is already dead. The only survivor? The “monster” in the film.

I finished this book yesterday, but I took a little while to try to figure out my feelings for this book. Paul Tremblay certainly has a way with creating characters with interesting psyches. This book was no different. The main character, known as Thin Kid, throughout a majority of the book, was the most interesting of them all.

It’s hard for me to put my finger on how I feel about this one. It seems to explore the idea of the human monster, and the darkness that can lurk in the human psyche. The way that mob mentality can infect people to act in ways they wouldn’t normally act. Throughout the book, the characters gradually begin to act worse and worse until things reach a hellish climax.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

Was terribly excited for this one - I've enjoyed Tremblay's work, particularly his short stories, and "haunted and cursed films" is one of my favorite sub-genres of horror. I was somewhat assuming that "Horror Movie" would play out like Gemma Files's "Experimental Film", but with more of a focus on the cast/crew. I was wrong, and initially that excited me. The story goes back and forth between the early 1990s and modern day, with inserts of the screenplay of the fated film. It's a slow-burn of a story, and one that absolutely relies on the strength of the characters to keep the reader hooked.

Which is, for me, where it fell apart.

Our POV character is just SUCH a pretentious jerk. Written to be awkward, angry, and always looking for a power play, he's supposed to be unlikeable and boy, does Tremblay succeed. There's a lot to like about "Horror Movie" - Tremblay knows how to write an atmosphere, and he doles out little secrets so well to keep you hooked. Unfortunately, the book ultimately fell flat to me because the characters themselves were so nasty. You just couldn't really feel for them - and so when horrific things began to occur, I mostly shrugged. Yes, it's all written very scarily, but if you don't mind when someone dies, it lacks an impact.

So yeah, this one was not for me. I'd recommend others give it a go - it's certainly well-done. But I could not find an emotional path inside of it.

Tremblay does a great job of moving multiple narratives and timelines in a way that's unsettling and satisfying. You're never really sure where it's going and maybe you never really do have all the pieces of the puzzle, but it creates a debate much like the film that is the center of the book.

Another great book from Trembley. This one concerns a horror movie that never got released, but that has, thanks to social media, nonetheless gained a major cult following. Thirty years later, a reboot is in the works. Told in dual timelines from the perspective of the remaining cast member (of only four), the story of this lost film is tragic, heart breaking and deeply disturbing.

Highly recommended.

I did not care for this book at ALL. Super weird and didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. Disappointing because some of Paul Tremblay’s books I REALLY like! Oh well - give it a try, because it may be the book for you even if it’s not for me.

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for this digital ARC of 'Horror Movie' by Paul Tremblay.

I've been a fan of Paul Tremblay's since reading 'A Head Full of Ghosts' nearly a decade ago and 'The Cabin at the End of the World' remains one of my favorite books of all time. I was disappointed in 'Survivor Song' - didn't really click for me - but he got back on track with 'The Pallbearer's Club' so I was interested to read 'Horror Movie.'

I would say he's right back on song (no pun intended).

That unsettling feeling which was there throughout 'A Head Full of Ghosts' and which reached nuclear levels in 'The Cabin at the End of the World' returns with a vengeance here. It's ostensibly a 'haunted movie' take where we're introduced to a cast of characters who populate the real world and the screenplay of a film that was conceived and produced by a group of friends/associates but - with a couple of clips, still photos, and the screenplay excepted - never saw the light of day. The novel's structured in such a way that you soon (at least I did) lose a true sense of whether you're witnessing the screenplay or the real-life characters. It's very effective (though some people might think it distracting).

Several decades after the original film was made and never shown, the actor who played 'The Thin Kid' in the film is being courted left, right, and center by producers who want to jump on the myth to reboot/remake the original from the screenplay that was posted online by the original director.

The pacing of the story is superb. Little by little throughout the book we find out what happened during the filming of the original and what's happened since to the protagonists. Tremblay draws it out in a delicious way and in doing so ratchets up the tension and the unsettling atmosphere. All along we're getting clues that all is not what it might seem - in the present day, with the original shoot, and in the intervening years. The 'Thin Kid' actor's development from start to finish is really subtle until it's not.

While much of the horror is psychological, some readers might have to metaphorically turn away for some of the more graphic scenes of the book, none of which are particularly gratuitous, they need to be there.

There's a theme throughout the book of digs at the whole Hollywood machine which makes me wonder if it reflects the author's experience with the making of the film of his 'Cabin' book - it's an interesting thread and one that plays out a certain way in the end. I wonder if that's an allegory for what Tremblay would like to do with the 'Hollywood types' and their ways!

Highly recommended.

2.5 stars ✨
Horror Movie is Directed by Valentina and penned by Cleo, the story ambitiously intertwines the lives of three school teens—Valentina, Cleo, Karson, and a marginalized “Thin Kid.” Set against the eerie backdrop of an abandoned school in the woods, the plot hinges on the thin kid's transformation via a green mask, an act that symbolizes his descent into a realm of horror. Years later, “Thin Kid” actor is the solve surviving cast member from the Horror Movie and is asked to act in the Reboot.
Horror Movie aimed to combine innovative storytelling with timeless horror conventions, yet fails short to meet its high ambitions.

Horror Movie
By Paul Tremblay
75 to 80 % in, I thought “This bitch.”
This bitch right here be changing up the game. What game exactly, right. I’m not scared. Everyone saw this coming as it was directed in the script. Damn. You really went there. It was scripted but damn. You. Went. There. ARC was provided by William Morrow Books via NetGalley. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Hours after finishing this book, I’m still slightly confused. Horror Movie is written in screenplay style writing while also jumping timelines. Because of this, I had a really hard time following along in the beginning. I have never read anything like this style of writing before.

The book is definitely a slow burn, it took me almost half way through to actually get into the book and want to keep reading. Which was hard because I really was intrigued by the plot but I just kept waiting and waiting for something dramatic to happen and it never seemed to come. I think there was too much setting up the environment to get an emotional connection to the characters so by the time the climax of the book comes you’re just not invested in the characters.

I’d rate this 3.5 stars because although it was a slow burn and I had a hard time connecting to the characters, it was a great plot idea and although it took me a while to get into it, it kept me intrigued until the end.

Thank you NetGalley and the William Morrow Team for providing me with the ARC in return for my review!

From the author of A Head full of ghosts and a cabin at the end of the world comes the book Horror Movie. And this book was good. But not as good as A head full of ghosts. But just as good Cabin at the end of the world. I liked this book a lot.

This novel dtips with atmospheric dread and bleeds tension on every page. And, in Paul Tremblay's unique fashion, leaves it up to the reader to decide if these things are real or not. I love that about his books.

A never released low budget film called Horror Movie is at the center of the story. Told through the first person perspective of the only remaining cast member, there's a reboot in the works and the producers want him involved.

Some would say the original film was cursed. But really, this isn't a cursed film novel. Not entirely anyway.

The narrative plays out as the script of the movie, in the present day leading up to the reboot, and as the original was being shot. This multi-perspective viewpoint let's us see how the horrifying events played out.

I won't mention specifics but the filming of the movie has certain effects on people associated with it. Sometimes we're not sure if these things have happened or if this is a case of an unreliable narrator.

This is one of those books that you can't put down. No matter your take on the events at the end, you'll be pulled onto the set with these characters and feel every bit of the tension and dread as they do.

This is a must read, in my opinion, and one of the best horror books of the year. Definitely recommend!

I've been craving a book that's a bit dark and twisted for a few weeks now, and after diving into 'Horror Movie' by Paul Tremblay, all I can say is, be careful what you wish for. The novel spins a tale around a disturbing, supposedly cursed horror film from the '90s. Fast forward to the present day, and we follow the only surviving cast member as he grapples with the demons of the past and the remake of this eerie film.

Tremblay has clearly mastered the art of the unreliable narrator, keeping the reader constantly questioning the veracity of what's presented. We're perpetually at a disadvantage, navigating through twisted versions of the truth, with flashbacks intertwining the chaotic original shoot and the contemporary reboot. It’s a narrative dance that keeps you on your toes, unsure of where reality ends and fiction begins.

While The Pallbearers Club was divisive because it didn't fit neatly into any one genre, 'Horror Movie' has no such problem. However, to that end, it is lacking a touch of the depth of some of Tremblay's other works, among them, a real sense of character development. That said, this one will stick with me for a while (That ending...), even if it doesn't inspire as much of an emotional connection as something like The Pallbearers Club.

In 1993, four twenty-somethings set out to make their own, somewhat avant-garde, horror movie, writing, directing and starring in it themselves. But the film was never completed and eventually earned a reputation as a cursed film. Years later, three clips and the original script found their way online, sparking a huge internet interest in the film. Now, 30 years after it was shot, Hollywood has approached the only surviving main cast member, the one who played the movie's boogeyman "The Thin Kid" about rebooting the film. When he agrees, he relates the truth of what happened all those years ago.
This was an absolute unique take on the whole cursed film trope, so much so that it was very original animal. Told in alternating methods of the actor who was The Thin Kid narrating and the script describing the film and the world within it. It's secrets are only doled out a bit at a time, keeping you in suspense as to people's motivations and the story behind the film and its aftermath slowly show themselves. The dark psychological horror element of the book at times made for one of the most uncomfortable horror novels I've ever read. This was yet another reinvention of classic horror conventions by a modern master. 4.5/5*

This is my third read by P.T. and with every book I become more of a fan. I can't get enough. The writing and plots just pull me in in the best ways.

If you're into artsy horror films or creature features, this book might be for you. However, it wasn't what I expected. I was hoping for a haunted movie set kind of horror, but it was different. There were no ghosts.

Did I enjoy it? Well, it was engrossing but left me unsettled. The story took time to get into due to its format, but I was hooked almost by the halfway mark. I knew there wouldn't be a happy ending, yet I couldn't stop reading.

The format is unusual, switching between the past and present, with sections of the screenplay in each chapter. And I think that might've been a huge hindrance for my enjoyment with book since I am not a fan of that kind of formats.

Now, let's talk about the screenplay. The scenes described in the book are haunting, which was great. Fans of slasher horror might find it tame, but I haven't enjoyed gory films since I was a child.

The ending wasn't a surprise given what we learn about the protagonist's "tattoos." But I wasn't prepared for it. And the contrast between meditation and the horrifying events in the book was unsettling. It made me realize why I struggled with it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for semding the arc!

I couldn’t get into this book. I was soooooo beyond bored. I thought the plot would’ve been really cool. But this was a DNF for me.

I know this first line isn't going to be the most quotable line in a review but here it is anyway:
This is a total mindf*ck of a novel! And it is now my favorite Paul Tremblay book.

I finished reading this about 3 weeks ago and I still don't know what to say about it, other than that I absolutely LOVED it.

I am not going to talk about the plot, because the synopsis and many other reviews have already done that. Here, I'm going to focus on how it made me feel.

Confused. Elated. Shocked. Horrified. Nearly everything in this book is unreliable. In fact, my mind is still trying to work its way through this labyrinth of unreliability. The core group of people here, young actors and playwrights, (all devoted to making this film that ultimately is never released), were spellbinding. What happens to them as the film is being made, and then later in life, felt so exceptionally REAL to this reader. Perhaps that was the scariest thing about it?

Is this the journey of a young actor who is somehow changed by the very film he helped to create? Is the journey of the playwright who felt such a strong need to get the film made? Is this the tale of how a group of people can somehow feed off of each other, in the end creating something that is greater than the sum of its parts? The answers to all of these questions is YES.

So yeah, a mindf*ck for sure. It might end up being my favorite novel of the year. It's still early in 2024 , and if you know how much I read, you know that's really saying something.

If you are a fan of unreliability in your horror novels, look no further my horror-loving reading friends, because this is the epitome of unreliability!

My highest recommendation!

*ARC from publisher.*