I absolutely LOVED this book! What a fun concept and executed so perfectly! I have always loved the way horror makes monsters out of real life and this took it to a whole new level. I couldn’t put it down!

This was an interesting story! I did lose interest about half way through the story but I found the beginning part to be very interesting and engaging

This was great, and the perfect kind of horror book for a horror film fan. I loved the film making perspective here, and although I felt the similarities this had with DiLouie's other book, EPISODE THIRTEEN, I felt like this one was a bit more fleshed out and better crafted overall. There were these quotes from actual real horror film makers throughout the book and I loved that -- such a cool thing for a fan to see included! I also think the media-within-a-book thing was done great here, nothing got confusing or convoluted from the reading perspective which can sometimes happen with other books whose plots lean heavily toward being focused on movies or TV shows, etc.

That all said, the cover for this book is awful. Would just like to note that if I'd seen the cover first, I likely would never have requested or picked this up - which would've been my loss, obviously, but yikes! I really feel like it'd do better if it didn't look like... that. No offense meant at all!!

I was kinda hoping this would be a more serious horror but that is absolutely not what this is. It's silly and it's goofy and it reminded me of those early 2000s satire horror movies. The concept was really fun but I have a love/hate relationship with Craig DiLouie. Sometimes his writing really works for me, but unfortunately it didn't this time. I think I would've enjoyed this a lot more if the villian wasn't so cartoonishly evil. Otherwise, the body horror was really well written and I hardly ever saw it coming. The idea of a haunted/cursed video camera reminds me so much of King that I was hoping this would go down that route, but instead I got a silly slasher. I think I would've enjoyed this a lot more if I knew what I was getting into but that's definitely my fault for not knowing.

Following his passion of film making Max has found himself bored and displeased with his latest horror franchise. Looking for something new and fresh Max uncovers a cursed piece of horror history that can make or break all his directing dreams.

"What you are about to see is real, viewer discretion advised."

What a wild homage to the horror genre. There are quotes, references and many behind the scenes experiences I highly enjoyed seeing and couldn't help but to smile at when they popped up.

With a casting of mostly unlikeable bigger than life characters it had me struggling a bit to find connections making it a little challenging to stay focused in the story at first.

But as the movie, umph I mean book progressed father into the action, things did become a bit addicting and hard to look away from.

The premise of scenes from the film being made within the book about actors, film crew, makeup artists, writers and directors along with the lengths they are willing to go to, to have their creative genius come alive was very fascinating. With multiple scene set ups and descriptives making you feel as if you are watching the filming process AND the final cut unfold right before your very own eyes.

Way to break a leg and thank you to Craig DiLouie, Redhook Books and Netgalley for an advanced behind the scenes filming experience of If Wishes Could Kill. AND CUT!

Cursed Horror Movie Production

How to Make a Horror Movie and Survive by Craig DiLouie is a darkly humorous horror novel that follows Max, a famous 80s slasher film director, and Sally, an aspiring actress aiming to be the "Final Girl" in horror movies. The story kicks off when Max discovers an old camera that once captured a real-life Hollywood horror. Despite eerie warnings and the camera's haunting presence, Max becomes obsessed with using it to shoot the most terrifying horror movie ever made. Sally, on the other hand, is determined to prove her scream queen skills at Max's latest wrap party. The narrative alternates between Max and Sally's perspectives, leading to a chilling and shocking climax.

How to Make a Horror Movie and Survive by Craig DiLouie is a must-read for horror fans and cinephiles alike. The novel’s imaginative storyline, well-crafted characters, and blend of humour and horror make it a standout in the genre. However, its complex themes and pacing might not be for everyone. Overall, it is a bloody, shocking, and surprisingly humorous homage to the world of horror films.

Rating: 2.1 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 2/5
-Story: 2/5
-Writing: 5/5
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
-Horror: 1/5
-Mystery: 1.5/5
-Thriller: 1/5
Type: Ebook
Worth?: Eh

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.

It hurts to rate a DiLouie book so low. He is one of my favorite horror authors and I was so excited for this one.

I love a good cursed film story and this one could have had potential if the readers had more of a connection with the Max or the beginning had pulled us in more. At the point when things started to pick up was when I just had no interest in and even then it was just real bland. I know not every book can be a hit but this one hurt more than others. I know DiLouie can push out a really good book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook for this ARC.

I enjoyed the first half of How To Make A Horror Movie and Survive, but the second half fell flat to me. I found the plot to be interesting enough to continue reading til the end. Unfortunately some parts of the book just felt campy to me and not very scary. I love horror movies so I enjoyed all the talks of tropes and such.

I really enjoyed Episode Thirteen by Craig so although this one didn’t work for me, I would read more from him in the future!

Favourite book of the year! A meta fictional love story about the horror genre in both literary fiction and film with a special emphasis on the slasher genre.

I love the cover of this book, it was what immediately drew me in. I had a hard time getting into it, and also had a hard time with the characters. They were not easy to enjoy. Ultimately, this was not for me. I appreciate the chance to read it in exchange for my honest opinion!

Craig DiLouie is a master at media based horror. If you were a fan of Episode Thirteen, you will probably love this one. The writing is pretty strong and the characters are really fleshed out. I think the one framing device that readers may be divided on is the "how to" format. The title of "how to make a horror movie" is really shown during the movie. The author's knowledge of movie making and horror movies is extensive and it's on display in this book. I honestly could have lived with a little less but it wasn't bad.

Nothing makes me happier than a well-written horror novel and Craig DiLouie could easily have retitled his latest novel, "How to Write a Horror Novel and Succeed" because that is exactly what he did.

Set in the 1980s golden age of Hollywood's Horror movies, the story follows Max, a director whose franchise horror films have left him rather dismayed as his audience now laughs at his films more than screams with genuine terror. When he stumbles across a camera that kills whomever it films, Max sees paydirt instead of evil and a new film that will bring true horror to the screen.

Although the cursed object genre itself is a well-known trope along with a cast of characters that fit the Bad Girl/Final Girl stereotypes perfectly, DiLouie is able to balance the fine line between satire and horror. As a reader, there aren't too many twists and surprises, but one is captivated nonetheless with a "can't look away" attitude that absolutely captures what it is also like to watch a horror film play out on screen. There is just enough blend of comic relief and dark humor to give the reader breathing room in between deaths and yes, even jump scares.

Fans of Grady Hendrix and Craig DiLouie's earlier works will not be disappointed and fans of old school 80s horror like Halloween and Friday the 13th will be delighted.

Thank you to NetGalley, Redhook Books, and Craig DiLouie for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

When filmmaker Max finds a camera that filmed actual deaths on set, he hatches a plan to make the ultimate horror film.

How to Make a Horror Movie and Survive starts strong with an interesting premise and good characters, but eventually gets bogged down by the business and technical details of filmmaking. I guess the title is extremely accurate!

It's not quite 3 stars, but definitely not 2 stars, so I'm rounding up.

I really wanted to love this but with so many other books with similar themes, it just didn’t work as well. This is my second from DiLouie and maybe this author is not for me.

I was waiting to get into the pool and started telling everyone about the plot of this book. How crazy is it to have a haunted camera that will kill people while you are making the videos? They thought it sounded like a great plot for a book, and DiLouie went all out with it.
Max is a horror director who is not satisfied. He wants to make movies the way he wants, and he gets angry when people laugh. He's completely unlikeable, and it's not surprising that when he ends up in charge of this special camera that things go very badly for the people around him.
There is so much humor in this book, but it is also dark, cynical, and gory. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys horror. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I think I enjoyed this?? As a lover of horror movies, I loved this orginal plot. It was unpredictable at times, but just predictable enough for it to fall into the horror-comedy scene. This boook combines classice slasher horror with the outlandishness of Scary Movie.

The story follows a director and his quest to make the BEST horror movie. What do you ask makes the best horror movie? Well to him it's using a possessed camera that has caputured A LOT of real death and using it to create a movie so real you can't help but enjoy iy. Problem is, it is real. And it's really killing the stars of the film it captures.

An interesting concept with dynamic characters and a lot of fun for conisuers of horror films of any kind. I would read more by this author.

How to Make a Horror Movie and Survive is an interesting premise but falls flat. It's uninteresting, the story dragged out and too much detail was spent in unnecessary areas like the technical aspects of movie-making. It did not come together for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC.

This book didn't work out for me the way I had hoped. I was hoping for a haunted, horror filled movie. Something a bit more meta. Instead, it was a story of the production of movies with a main character that had douche bag elements. Perhaps it was the intention of the author to make the main character come across as if he was a know-it-al, self absorbed guy. If so it worked. However I didn't find the main character to be likeable or event interesting to read about.

I was hoping to love this book. I’m a horror fan. I love horror movies and books, so I thought I would enjoy a story about the making of a horror movie and a cursed movie camera. I did enjoy parts of the story, but the pacing was too slow, in my opinion. I thought the beginning was really interesting and the ending was good, but I got a little bored with the middle part of the book.

I look forward to reading the author’s other book because I think I might enjoy that one more.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an eARC of this book via NetGalley for review.

This one was pretty interesting. Some final destination with a camera but also, some insight into movie making. The kills were unique and the female main character was likable to me. I recommend this one.