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A review by smalltowncreepy
Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
As a huge fan of the cursed film trope, I was excited to get an ARC of Horror Movie. While I haven't ready any Paul Tremblay books before, I've seen nothing but rave reviews of his work and I am very grateful to finally have read one of his books.
That said, this book, while well-written, wasn't the right one for me.
First, I'm just not a fan of the timeline hopping especially as there are 3 different time periods under the heading "Then" and, yes, I did get confused at least twice regarding which time period I was in. Having to go back and figure out when and where I was in the story was annoying and pushed me out of immersion which I really dislike.
Secondly, and this could just be me and not every reader so take this part of my review with all the salt, I disliked all of the characters and felt like the whole first act was a pretentious look not only at film making but at horror fans as well. It got to the point that there were so many characters like this I started wondering if this is how the author himself feels about horror fans and, if so, why write in the genre. Perhaps this was to help out with the unlikable, unreliable narrator but it just made the first section of the book a slog that took me back to college film studies when pretentious upper classmen would wax poetic about movies in a form of philosophical masturbation and look down at people who just enjoyed a good horror flick.
The main thing that irritated me was while I dig the unreliable narrator, I hate how the story back tracks and corrects itself about a big plot point. It erases all the thoughts and Ideas I had about the power of the cursed film and turned the story into a tacky thriller for me. I don't want to spoil it but readers of the book can guess the 2 variations on an incident that I am referring to.
Lastly, this isn't necessarily a dislike but a heads up to other readers - this is a very slow burn. When it does get going (about the half way point, maybe a lil after) things go quick....unfortunately, for me, they putter out by the end and the final scene felt like a let down. For a book that lets you know what is going to happen before it does, it doesn't really ramp up the tension or grab you like I needed it to.
Now that I've bitched and moaned, I will get to what I did enjoy.
Like I said before, I love the cursed media trope. Its one of my favorites and I'll pick up any book or movie or story that has that trope in it and give it a chance because I don't think there's enough of it out there. This one did something I haven't seen much of and it tells you exactly how that cursed film was created and that was the scariest part of the whole novel. (In fact, if this had been a short story just about the film creation, It would probably be a 5 star fav of mine. I'm still thinking about the creation of Horror Movie the original.)
I enjoyed the take on the danger, the horror of method acting. This is a much discussed topic not only in horror but among film buffs and movie makers in general. While Hollywood raves about method actors (specifically white male method actors if we're being real here) so often said method acting is toxic and dangerous (see Heath Ledger's and Jared Leto's method acting of Joker). This book takes that to the extreme of course but I enjoyed the look into that mindset in the main character and narrator.
Lastly, the scene that I think was the best written was when Feral FX created the silicone mold on the unnamed MC (the Thin Kid, the Weird Guy). The feeling of claustrophobia was very real and every detail was given in such a way that I was uncomfortable and very aware of my own breathing while reading. Great job.
On the whole, Horror Movie is very well written book and fans of Paul Tremblay will likely be happy with this new addition to their shelves. I will give his work another chance in the future but this one is not a favorite.
That said, this book, while well-written, wasn't the right one for me.
First, I'm just not a fan of the timeline hopping especially as there are 3 different time periods under the heading "Then" and, yes, I did get confused at least twice regarding which time period I was in. Having to go back and figure out when and where I was in the story was annoying and pushed me out of immersion which I really dislike.
Secondly, and this could just be me and not every reader so take this part of my review with all the salt, I disliked all of the characters and felt like the whole first act was a pretentious look not only at film making but at horror fans as well. It got to the point that there were so many characters like this I started wondering if this is how the author himself feels about horror fans and, if so, why write in the genre. Perhaps this was to help out with the unlikable, unreliable narrator but it just made the first section of the book a slog that took me back to college film studies when pretentious upper classmen would wax poetic about movies in a form of philosophical masturbation and look down at people who just enjoyed a good horror flick.
The main thing that irritated me was while I dig the unreliable narrator, I hate how the story back tracks and corrects itself about a big plot point. It erases all the thoughts and Ideas I had about the power of the cursed film and turned the story into a tacky thriller for me. I don't want to spoil it but readers of the book can guess the 2 variations on an incident that I am referring to.
Lastly, this isn't necessarily a dislike but a heads up to other readers - this is a very slow burn. When it does get going (about the half way point, maybe a lil after) things go quick....unfortunately, for me, they putter out by the end and the final scene felt like a let down. For a book that lets you know what is going to happen before it does, it doesn't really ramp up the tension or grab you like I needed it to.
Now that I've bitched and moaned, I will get to what I did enjoy.
Like I said before, I love the cursed media trope. Its one of my favorites and I'll pick up any book or movie or story that has that trope in it and give it a chance because I don't think there's enough of it out there. This one did something I haven't seen much of and it tells you exactly how that cursed film was created and that was the scariest part of the whole novel. (In fact, if this had been a short story just about the film creation, It would probably be a 5 star fav of mine. I'm still thinking about the creation of Horror Movie the original.)
I enjoyed the take on the danger, the horror of method acting. This is a much discussed topic not only in horror but among film buffs and movie makers in general. While Hollywood raves about method actors (specifically white male method actors if we're being real here) so often said method acting is toxic and dangerous (see Heath Ledger's and Jared Leto's method acting of Joker). This book takes that to the extreme of course but I enjoyed the look into that mindset in the main character and narrator.
Lastly, the scene that I think was the best written was when Feral FX created the silicone mold on the unnamed MC (the Thin Kid, the Weird Guy). The feeling of claustrophobia was very real and every detail was given in such a way that I was uncomfortable and very aware of my own breathing while reading. Great job.
On the whole, Horror Movie is very well written book and fans of Paul Tremblay will likely be happy with this new addition to their shelves. I will give his work another chance in the future but this one is not a favorite.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Toxic friendship