"I'm afraid that I’m a figment of your imagination. That you created me.”

This ended up being NOT AT ALL what I expected... in a good way. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I personally enjoy when a book makes me go "what the fuck?!" Tremblay's writing style and characterization really carries me away. I was hooked on the cuts between past and present, screenplay and "real life," and the blurring of those lines. All-around bleak and depressing (TW for suicidality). The Thin Kid and his, let's say, unstable perspective will be rolling around in my head for a while — the urge to re-visit portions is strong. And ironically, I think from start to finish, it *would* make one hell of a movie.

I was very excited to get approved for an ARC of this book!

In simplest terms it’s a dark, bleak story about four teenagers making a movie, creating something bigger than themselves. The depressing tone is sort of in the same vein as “The Cabin at the End of the World” in that respect. But it’s a very different, interesting plot that really held my interest. I read it quickly because I had to find out more.

The chapters switch between Then and Now, when a sort of modern day version of that same movie is being remade. I have to wonder if Tremblay had some bad experiences with the Hollywood system adapting his own book, (“Cabin at the End of the World”), because this one is all about the movie making process and a lot of the descriptions of industry jerks are oddly specific. Without spoiling anything, we learn about why the original shoot has become infamous and why the narrator is essentially traumatized as a result of his participation. So why is he taking part in this big studio reboot? It’s a great premise with some strange and unsettling twists.

What did not work so well for me were the sections that were written out in script format. We’re presented with the character Cleo’s original screenplay, and she frankly needed to take some screenwriting courses. (Those long paragraphs in the script directions about who the characters really are and what they’re thinking and feeling? Yeah, you’re not supposed to do that and it’s not gonna translate on screen.) It’s probably okay if you’re shooting the movie yourself as a teenager, but a major studio would get one page in and say “We can’t shoot this.” There’s a lengthy section later on that gets very meta with the audience and I think that could’ve been pretty cathartic if it were strictly part of a book instead of a script. Maybe if I hadn’t taken screenwriting classes myself I would feel differently. I do realize this is a bit of a nitpick.

This story is a little difficult to follow sometimes, but it intrigued me for sure. You won’t get much of Tremblay’s signature open-ended storytelling, though the narrator isn’t reliable and will switch his facts around a few times. He’s not the most likable guy and I think he’s designed to be that way, based on what he’s been through. This is psychological horror and a disturbing experience with more going on beneath the surface narrative.

I’m not sure about that ending. The book deserved a more subtle, nuanced conclusion like the ones Tremblay usually writes and that’s not what happened here. It just didn’t feel right to me. But maybe he was going for that Hollywood feel that a mainstream horror movie would have, to illustrate the idea of a mishandled reboot? I’m probably overthinking it. The point is, I wasn’t a fan.

I think my favorite Tremblay book that I’ve read is still “A Head Full of Ghosts,” followed by “The Cabin at the End of the World.” I did like this one even though I had my qualms with it. Please also pay attention to the trigger warnings because it deals with some pretty heavy subject matter.

3.5 stars rounded up!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this in exchange for my honest opinion!

TW: Suicidal ideation/suicide, bullying

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC copy!

My heebies have been thoroughly jeebied.

Leave it to Tremblay to give me everything that I want out of a novel exploration of the horror genre of film.

A smoothly developing plot divided between past and present? Check.

Non-excessive references to horror franchises and realistic depictions of horror movie consumers? Check.

This book gave me a lot to think about when considering why we make horror qnd what our constant production and consumption of it does to us. The protagonist is also really compelling and there's a strong voice throughout the past and future sections.

I can see my favorite aspects of Tremblay's other novel A Head Full of Ghosts here.

Good spooky read! One wholly worth a reread too.

Paul Tremblay's work is always a bit hit or miss for me. Head Full of Ghosts is one of my favorite horror novels of all time yet I could barely make my way through Survivors Song. But when his books do hit, they hit hard and this one was a knockout.

Horror Movie has so much going for it. Tremblay's skillful, almost effortless weaving of multiple perspectives, lost media influences, pitch perfect 90s settings, and of course, ample horror. For me there were really no misses here, the pacing was immaculate, it drew you in ever so gradually, feeding you just enough information to keep you interested and off balance and the whole thing built and intensified like the worst kind of nightmare into a sickening crescendo.

From start to finish Horror Movie is a solid five stars and it proves that Tremblay is still evolving and growing as a writer. I will be thinking about and recommending this one for a long time to come.

WTF did I just read, you guys? I was expecting a “haunted movie set” sort of horror and … huh. There are definitely no ghosts to be found here.

But did I enjoy it? I mean, “enjoy” is a strong word since it's not at all an easy book to read. It was engrossing, for sure, but also very unsettling. It did take me a bit to get into the story, I think mainly due to the format, but I was completely hooked by the 25% mark. There was never any chance of this novel ending happily, and yet I couldn't stop reading it.

The format is an unusual one. It switches back and forth between the past (the original filming of the movie) to the present day (the filming of the reboot), but also includes sections of the screenplay in every chapter. Oh, and the narration is actually an audiobook that the surviving cast member has written about the events. It's a lot to sort out initially, but it really works once you've gotten into the swing of things.

That screenplay, though? Yeah, never in a million, billion years would I watch a film based off of it. I'm pretty sure that scenes from the book are already going to stick in my head for years, and I'd probably need therapy after watching a film version. Fans of slasher-type horror won't bat an eye – it's really rather tame compared to a lot of stuff out there – but I haven't enjoyed gory films since my aunt took me to see A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master in the theater when I was nine. I had to come home and go straight to bed and had nightmares about it for years. But, I digress.

And the ending? I mean, you kind of see it coming, I think. There's not really any other way it could end, especially once you learn about the protagonist's “tattoos.” But was I ready for it? Hell no.

As an aside, I read this book while also listening to an audiobook of guided meditations. Well, not at the exact same time, obviously, but I rotated back and forth between the two. The juxtaposition between “relax and focus on your breathing” to “things are really creepy and everyone's going to die!” was quite disconcerting. Come to think of it, perhaps that's why I sucked so much at the meditating.

So, yeah. Overall rating: 4.15 stars, rounded down. If you like artsy horror films and/or creature features, this book will be right up your alley.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

There are bits and pieces here that feel a lot like Tremblay's earlier work, Head Full of Ghosts, but it gets further into the kind of abstract, vague styling his newer books had. I enjoyed it, but was craving more context near the end, more resolution.

I love horror movies IN THEORY but in practice I'm usually too chicken to watch them, so a book about a horror movie is totally my jam, and I gulped this one down. The framing device works well, intercutting between the past doomed shooting of the original 90's movie and the worryingly weird narrator walking us through the process of the contemporary remake, and the double climax is satisfyingly blood-drenched and icky in a wonderfully creepy holy-shit-did-that-just-happen way. I could wish it were longer, but it might have lost itself in the weeds if it were. On the slight side, but enjoyable and worth reading if you like horror.

This was one book that I went into blind. I saw the title and cover and was automatically sold. Then I spotted the author and sold my soul for an early copy. Holy shit! You all are in for a wild ride through hell!

I finished this book last week and I still get chills thinking about it. The way this was written had my full attention and I found myself thinking about this book and "The Thin Kid" in the most bizarre times during the day. It honestly consumed my life. Then I finished this and I was in shock. That ending was like nothing I had ever read before. It ripped my soul apart and I had to reread the last couple of chapters. All I can really say is, Fuck!! You all better prepare yourself for the horror masterpiece that is about to fall into your laps.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I’m really sorry but I didn’t enjoy this at all. Well-written? Absolutely. But the plot was kiiind of a pretentious slog. I’ve read and loved three other books of Tremblay’s so hopefully will continue to enjoy his future work. I just did not care for the narrator, the screenplay portions, the type of creature horror it turned into. Not for me. While I’d give this a 4 for writing, I give it a 2 for plot. We will meet in the middle with three stars.