Horror author Paul Tremblay has become known for his eerie books with vague, non-committal endings, to varying results. Sometimes it can leave the reader disappointed that he never really explains what just happened, while at others it proves that the scariest things are what we don’t know. His latest novel, Horror Movie, falls firmly into the latter camp, offering up enough answers to satisfy readers while still leaving them unsure of the story’s veracity.
In the Summer of 1993, our unnamed narrator is recruited by a group of friends for a role in their unusual, low-budget horror movie (also titled simply, Horror Movie). His character is referred to in the screenplay as only The Thin Kid, and in it he is taken by Valentina, Cleo, and Karson (the director, writer, and makeup artist, all effectively playing themselves) to an abandoned school where they have him put on a creepy mask and then confine himself to a small storage room. For whatever reason, he stays in the room over the next several days as the trio brings him food and water and then subjects him to progressively crueler forms of humiliation and emotional torture leading up to a chilling finale. But the making of the movie itself does not go off without a hitch, leading to more than one tragic accident that will lead to the whole thing being scrapped just before it can be completed.
In the years leading up the present day, everyone involved with the making of Horror Movie has passed away for a variety of reasons with the exception of The Thin Kid, who had lived in relative isolation long after the movie ended in disaster. Before she passed away, Valentina released 3 finished scenes from the film online, as well as several stills and the complete script, leading to the project attaining a cult following among horror and film afficionados. This in turn allowed The Thin Kid to begin appearing at conventions and then to Hollywood calling and asking him to be involved in a reboot. With the promise of a big payday, he obviously says yes, and the theory that Horror Movie is a “cursed film” will be put to the ultimate test.
Told in alternating timelines mixed with the script, the story doles out information gradually, keeping its audience on their toes throughout. A creepy and dread-filled atmosphere permeates nearly every page, helping the suspense to build as we move towards the tragedies we know are coming. Tremblay doles out pop culture references to help us understand the characters to great effect, though he also keeps them at enough of a distance that no one, including the narrator, ever feels fully trustworthy. The movie in the book is designed to make the audience feel complicit in the horror that transpires, and Tremblay doesn’t shy away from pointing the finger at us as well in the broader sense. Delivering intelligent ideas along with chills, Horror Movie will stick with you and will likely make for a great movie of its own. ★★★★
★★★★★ = Excellent | ★★★★ = Very Good | ★★★ = Good | ★★ = Fair | ★ = Poor
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