Thank you to both #NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me an advance copy of Paul Tremblay’s latest thriller, Horror Movie, in exchange for an honest review.

#HorrorMovie is a first-person narrative that is told through the perspective of the sole surviving cast member from the original film and namesake. Despite having never been released to the general public, a digital leak of the screenplay and a few scenes uploaded to YouTube sparks a renewed interest in the mysterious amateur film project thirty years later.

As expected, the chapters alternate between the past and the present, leading up to the current reboot. The format is a curious amalgam of traditional fiction, excerpts from the script, and snippets from the main character’s audiobook. Which begs the question, who is the Thin Kid? Moreover, why did he survive? Furthermore, is he entirely human?

While not my favorite of the author’s chilling works, Paul Tremblay is undeniably adept at the craft of writing. From developing characters to employing metaphorical imagery, and structuring passages in a manner that elicits both atmosphere and mood, his technical prowess shines. Where I sometimes struggle with his novels is the plot itself.

Horror Movie fell a bit short of expectations. I was anticipating more horror (which the author cheekily alludes to on a meta level throughout the audiobook passages—apologies to Mr. Tremblay, commercialism and “corporations-are-people-too capitalism” got me!), and less expounding on the human condition. Some passages also seemed unnecessary or misplaced, which may explain why the plot veered off course for the latter half of the novel.

Similar to how the characters describe contemporary horror movies, the novel borders on the strange and esoteric rather than straight horror. Think Hal Hartley and David Lynch, not Wes Craven or John Carpenter. Several times throughout the novel I was reminded of the movie, It Follows, while still hoping for content from the classics, such as House on Haunted Hill or Scream, to emerge. Perhaps, a title change would alter expectations…

For fans of the author and/or psychological horror, this one was written for you. For all other readers, Horror Movie embodies solid storytelling, with a hint of snarky humor injected for not only entertainment value, but also social commentary.

In 1993, a group of young twenty-somethings put together a disturbing, unhinged little indie film that ended in tragedy rather than release. Several decades after filming, 3 incomplete scenes and a handful of movie stills are released onto all the horror discussion boards and film sites, leaving the world hungry for more. The incomplete film, Horror Movie, gained a cult following and the only actor remaining is treated with a sense of reverence in the horror community. Our narrator, the actor responsible for the eerie role of The Thin Kid, is invited to partake in a reboot of the film, with plans to remain as true to the unsettling original as possible. This novel, told through alternating timelines and screenplays, throws the reader into a story that will make one a little uncomfortable, but yet unable to look away.

For me, this novel had me hooked. Once I got into the story, I had to continue. The screenplay was the selling point for me. I had to know what the plan was for this bizarre and twisted film. The film that this story centers around is not a typical type of horror, but a captivating ride of true discomfort. Elements of this story were expected, but I found myself truly surprised by the grotesque way this story unfolded. Overall, this story had me captivated and enthralled from beginning to end, and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys being scared, but doesn't want all the horrendously gory and violent massacres that so often flood the genre. It was a perfect read for me.

TAGLINE: In June 1993, a group of young guerilla filmmakers spent four weeks making Horror Movie, a notorious, disturbing, art-house horror flick. Only three scenes are released and they are iconic and well-known to horror lovers across the globe. But what happened to the entire film?

Welcome to a slow burn and very disturbing story of a movie in the making. You will meet Cleo and the crew and an acquaintance they hire for the role as the “The Thin Kid.” Many years later, Thin Kid is a man and the only surviving cast member. There's a movement to refilm the movie and TK begins to reminisce on being on the set and what transpired. Tremblay plays with format and throws us directly into the film at times.

It's creepy, scary, upsetting and brilliant.

It's safe to say that you will not forget this story, the characters and the Horror Movie, you may in fact, sleep with the light on for the rest of your life. #williammorrow #paultremblay #horrormovie

Paul Tremblay's storytelling structure in Horror Movie is stunning. He interweaves, and slowly reveals with great technique, the storyline of the film-within-the-novel, Horror Movie, at the same time that he does so with the book we are reading (also entitled Horror Movie, of course). The way Tremblay integrates the screenplay, and film technique in general, into the novel is striking, resulting in a book that tells a harrowing tale of human nature while also reflecting deeply on the theory and practice of how we tell just these sorts of tales.

Yes yes yes. This was weird and fun and creepy with just a bit of gore. As an avid horror movie fan, this really hit it for me.

This book is the story of a cursed film, telling snippets of how 3 college kids got a crew together to make their weird little movie. But the only one left to tell the story is our narrator, The Thin Kid.

Interspersed between past and present are scenes from the film, screenplay formatting and all. As we start to piece together what’s going on, we just want to know, what really happened?

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for a chance to read this novel in exchange for an honest review!

Oh my god!!! I don't even know where to start. This is the first Tremblay novel I've ever read, and it absolutely blew it out of the water for me.

The concept is something so up my alley, following an almost cryptic, cursed, and internet fueled horror film that never fully saw the light of day and the one man remaining from any of the cast and crew. We follow our narrator through his own novel, an audio book set to be released, of his time during the original filming in the 90s, called in by an old college friend to step up into the role, and then in the present day where he's set to help produce the reboot film. As someone who's ingrained themselves in the internet's horror sphere, I found this to be SO fun.

Tremblay is incredibly masterful in the balance of high emotion, humor, and horror. There were times when I was laughing out loud, and others where all I could feel was dread (I'm looking at you chapter 16...) There are also so many little nods to the horror movie genre that just feel so fun.

Our narrator is another part that I really enjoyed. Tremblay pulls off the unreliable narrator trope with ease, throwing in a scrambled timeline as well, just for some extra confusion that I really enjoyed. I know that's probably something that might not be everyone's thing, but it really worked for me. The inclusion of the films screenplay as the one sequential through-line was a really nice touch as well. The blurring of reality and film was just perfect.

I honestly won't be able to stop gushing about this book, and I'm so excited to get my hands on a physical, and audio copy when it comes out. Overall, just amazing. I'm so excited to dive into all of Tremblay's works now!

Ahhhhhh I loved this book! So so good! Super creepy atmosphere, loved the vibe! Will be thinking about this one for a long time.

3.5 stars

Deeply disturbing and terrifying in all the good ways. But OH MY! My mind is completely blown. I will be thinking about this one for a long time. The misdirection is ON POINT. This was quite an entertaining read in a very weird way.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this advanced reader copy!

I was so excited to be approved for this arc! I absolutely love Paul Tremblay and this book did not disappoint!! So so good! Absolutely recommend!!

This is it, this is the one. The Paul Tremblay book I have been waiting and hoping for. If you’ve read my reviews of his other books, you know I always felt like his books were missing something. This one is the complete package.

In June 1993, a daring band of young guerrilla filmmakers embarked on a project to create "Horror Movie," a film that would become notorious for its disturbing content and art-house horror aesthetic. Remarkably, only three scenes from the film were ever publicly released, yet it managed to cultivate a fervent and dedicated fanbase. Now, three decades later, the industry clamors for a high-budget reboot, with the original's "Thin Kid," the sole survivor among the cast, at the heart of the resurgence. Haunted by the secrets of the original screenplay, the eerie circumstances of the shoot, and the catastrophic events that ensued—where artistic ambition crossed into realms of real-world horror—he is drawn back into the fold.

Horror Movie weaves an intricate and unsettling tapestry that challenges conventional horror storytelling, melding an unusual narrative format with deeply psychological and visceral elements. It deftly plays with the reader's expectations, starting off with an anticipation of a haunted movie set tale, only to veer off into a much darker, more complex exploration of human psyche and the macabre. The novel's structure—oscillating between past and present, interspersed with screenplay sections and an audiobook narrative—creates a unique reading experience that, despite initial complexity, captivates and engrosses.

The underlying horror of the story, is less about overt scares or ghostly apparitions and more about the disturbing depths of the human condition and the haunting aftermath of trauma. It is a reflection on the creation and consumption of horror itself, pondering whether the true terror lies not within the supernatural but within the very real capacity for human depravity. This thematic depth, coupled with a story that hooks readers early on and refuses to let go, marks the book as a compelling read for those who dare to delve into its darkness.

I was really excited to read this book, as I am a huge fan of horror books and movies. This book is a very slow burn, which I almost DNF'd multiple times. I continued to read hoping that it would pick up or something would happen. Unfortunately it didn't get interesting until about the last 5%. I did like the back and forth between timelines and script. Sometimes switching timelines can be hard to follow, but I thought the author executed it well. Adding in the script made for a different twist, which I liked. Overall I just wasn't impressed, and probably should have just DNF'd it.

I wanted to rate this book higher - it had so much potential and many chapters that were really great. The last 40% dragged on and lost the momentum setup in the first 60%. It made it so the ending was easily overlooked since I was bored by that point. Editing out some of the narrator’s introspection in the last 40% would help it wrap up better.

I did not finish this book. I think it reminded me too much of House of Leaves and I wasn’t the biggest fan.

The books starts out interesting and you are led to believe something shocking will happen based on the make protagonist, who comes across the final guy of sorts, but nothing shocking happens and the ending falls flat.

Yes, yes, yes! IF you could only pick up one Paul Tremblay book, this is the one. Honestly, you should read them all!

This one is super horror. Super terrifying and totally worth it. If you’re a fan definitely dive into this one!!

Paul Tremblay has become known for his complex, meta horror novels like A Head Full of Ghosts and The Pallbearer's Club - books that deliver a horror tale while also constantly questioning the limits and expectations of the genre, and often moving away from reliable narrators into realms of ambiguity and uncertainty. His newest book, the upcoming Horror Movie, doesn't go quite as far into meta games as Ghosts or Club, but it's a similarly complex tale that interrogates the "cursed film" genre, all while also thinking about the undercurrents of slasher and horror films, the complexities of art, and people's desire for the forbidden and the unknown. In its broadest terms, Horror Movie is the story of a remake of a cult horror film that was never released in full; instead, based off of three leaked scenes, a screenplay, and the lore around the filming, a remake that seeks to fully recreate the film has been launched, and the film's one surviving cast member narrates both the story of the remake and the original film, all intercut with that original screenplay. In some ways, it's less heady and complex than Tremblay's densest work (probably Ghosts), but that in no way makes it less heady and stimulating; rather than play with the standard slasher narrative (ground that's been tread a lot lately, even in good ways), Tremblay plunges into horror as an expression of inner pain and trauma, thinking about how it reflects the unease of the outcast or the violence that all of us are capable of. The end result is a strange little book, one that's hard to pin down; one moment, you're getting what feels like pretty thinly veiled satire of Tremblay's own Hollywood experience, and the next, you're dealing with an angry conversation between a demanding fan and a horror "icon." Sometimes, the screenplay is pure and utter horror; other times, it becomes painfully honest and devastating, revealing a broken soul whose art is an expression of her own turmoil. It all builds up to one of the more nightmarish endings that Tremblay has ever put on the page; whereas a lot of his books are constant unease and horror throughout, Horror Movie takes its time, slowly getting under your skin and unraveling things bit by bit until...well, you'll see. Tremblay's last couple of books - Survivor Song and Pallbearer - have been enjoyable but lesser, in my mind, than his earlier work, but Horror Movie feels like a return to form: a smart, insightful dive into horror that toys with the audience, asks them to question the genre they're in, but still delivers the goods and then some.

Paul Tremblay's latest novel, "Horror Movie" is every horror movie fans cup of scary, chilling, thrilling tea! All the goodness rolled into one book.

This was a book that really absorbs you from the very beginning. As it progresses, it became quite unsettling. For me, the vast majority of horror movies and books have fairly disposable characters and scenes that don’t really stick with you much after the conclusion. But the special ones in this genre can leave you with moments that will absolutely stick in your memory just from the sheer creativity of the mood that is established. Paul Tremblay’s “Horror Movie,” has several such scenes that have left me not only unsettled, but probing a central question of horror that is often ignored. This would be what the role of the reader and the viewer plays in the construction of such films and books. What responsibility the consumer of horror should have for pushing our artistic creators into these dark and unsettling places? This was a book where I had to pace myself and take it slowly just because it wasn’t a very fun or pleasing read, but at the same time, it seems like an essential book for fans of the genre.

I have read several books by Paul Tremblay and they are usually some of my favorites. A couple are hit or miss. This one is so very different yet similar to some of his other works. It is similar in the fact that he doesn't always give you all the details and leaves some things vague. I know this shouldn't bother me but it does. I want to know what happens. This is definitely a slow build tension book. All of the characters were really interesting and complex. However, my least favorite character is the main one. I am not sure why he does what he does. I know he deals with trauma, but then adds his own. I certainly didn't see the ending coming and that was a nice surprise, but I still don't quite understand why. No spoilers here. I am still not sure if I loved this book or just tolerated it. It may take a reread. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the free arc.