This book really sets the unsettling tone right away, it felt like there was no escape from the horrors of its reality. I didn't want to stop reading it but it left me with such an 'off' feeling I had to take a break to just think about the things happening, wonder why they might be happening and where it's leading to, and then just getting engrossed in reading it again because I had to know what happens.

It's not my favorite kind of book to read, and some of the paragraphs dragged on a little too long. But it wasn't bad, and the ending sure did leave an impression on me.

What a fun book - I enjoy horror, and I enjoy Paul Tremblay. The story of Horror Movie is told in a way that kept me engaged, with both the past and the present moving ever forward. The unreliable narrator, the questions that slowly get answered - it’s fantastic.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review! I was excited to be approved for this; the premise and cover drew me in. I wanted to like this but ended up disappointed.

Horror Movie alternates timelines between the 90s when a young group of filmmakers are making the cult classic Horror Movie and the present following the lone survivor of the cast, “The Thin Kid” who is narrating an audiobook about his experiences and his involvement in a reboot of the film. Also, interspersed are portions of the original screenplay.

While I’ve heard of this author, I haven’t read anything by him before. This was well written but incredibly slow paced. The characters are all pretentious and unlikeable. The synopsis promises a “mind-bending conclusion,” but after most of the book where not much happens the ending was just meh.

3 Star
I started this and I wasn't sure what to expect. I liked the Cabin at the End of the World and I was excited to see his new book. The issue for me is the jumping back and forth and getting lost in the film script and narration was a bit to much for me. As well there is a lot of big fancy words used in this novel
The novel does pick up once filming starts on the original and I was hooked wanting to know more about the tall thin kid and the horrors of the novel. I felt during reading confused at times as we jumped and get jumbled into the world of on screen and off, which I think was what was wanting by the author. Over all the book is a quick read and entertaining but for me was jumbled and confusing at times. I did like the wrap up and everything coming together and if you have ever read a paul Trembly book the ending and how he does things. It didn't disappoint but I feel fried after finishing it haha.
I want to thank netgallary for letting me read ARC of this novel and as well as William Morrow publishing. Thank you so much for the adventure and the mind scramble

“My heart weeps at the thought that we were ever that young.”

okay i get it, i do, what was, what could have been, the small things we don’t appreciate, the moments we miss between us and another

i feel like Paul is becoming more experimental with his writing
i almost don’t even know what i just read but i also like to think i get it
i understood Cleo’s character.

I was a bit hesitant about this one because my only other experience reading Paul Tremblay was a short story that I did not like, but the premise of this was interesting enough for me to want to pick this up. This isn’t one that hits the ground running because it took me a while to get into it, and I found myself having trouble picking it back up. It takes a while for it to get scary, and I wasn’t sure where this was going. I kind of was just….waiting for it to get scary lol.

I prefer my horror novels to be scary from the start, and this wasn’t one of those. I guess I’m just not a fan of a slow burn type book because I’m too impatient. A good chunk of the beginning is just showing him on the set of the film and the day to day of that, and what it’s like being on the set of a reboot of Horror Movie. Aside from the flashbacks, not much else happens aside from that. The only remotely interesting parts are the parts with the thin man in the screenplays. Things did start picking up around the 40% mark though, but it was a struggle getting through it before that.

Its not badly written at all. It’s just….not much happens. It’s one of those books where pretty much the main plot and details can be summed up in a paragraph. I also feel like most of this book was just the screenplay and flashbacks and hardly any took place in present day, and the parts that did take place in present day, nothing really happened until the end.

Overall, this book was just ok. Slow burn just wasn’t my thing I guess. Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

As soon as I laid eyes on the cover, I knew I had to at least try to get an ARC! As an avid horror film lover, former film student (don’t @ me), and former for-exposure production designer, this book is like my holy grail. Before I really get into this, a very sincere thank you for approving me for this ARC!
 
By far my favorite book that I’ve read this year. Tremblay expertly drops a breadcrumb trail for us to follow through the past, the present, and the screenplay that links the two together. Is the horror man-made: a killer born of method acting and isolation? Is it supernatural: an evil born of spell and tortured set? The slow degradation of the boundary between the screenplay and reality was perfectly timed. The ending is exhilaratingly mysterious. Like a toad in a hot pot, we slowly realize that the Thin Kid's aloof awkwardness might actually be resentment that his best years, his best weeks, are behind him while others are only just beginning theirs.
 
One of my favorite reveals is that what we’re reading is the Thin Kid’s audiobook. Particularly because when paired with the final chapter it leaves us wondering. Was it just a well-written and scary final chapter for him too? Did he write it before he truly killed the reboot-Thin Kid and take his place? I also didn’t notice that the Thin Kid’s name was never mentioned for an embarrassingly long time. Kudos.
 
I have absolutely no criticism. Tremblay captured the exhausting and youthful transgressions of an indie horror set immaculately. I can’t wait to see the hardcover of Horror Movie on my bookshelf in June!

Thanks to #netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for an ARC of this book! I went into this one pretty blind and it did not let me down. It started off a little slow but once the plot started picking up, I couldn’t put it down. This is such a unique concept and I really enjoyed the meta moments that reflected on the real world. This book had a very cinematic feel to it and it’s definitely a new cult classic. Because the book centers around a fictional movie, I can easily picture it getting a film adaptation, which I would also really enjoy. I really recommend reading this one when it comes out!
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@paperbackdanny on instagram

I had such a great time reading this one! It was hard to put down. I would definitely watch this horror movie

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book!

This is my second Paul Tremblay read (the other being The Pallbearers Club), and I enjoyed this one just as much as the first one. This is the story of the making of a "cursed" horror movie as told by the actor who played the big bad. It flips between the 90's during the making of the movie and the present where the actor is making the rounds on the horror convention circuit and participating in the movie's reboot. It also sprinkles in lots of pages from the script, which is a neat touch because you essentially get to see the horror movie play out.

Why the movie is cursed is the big reveal of the book and it doesn't fully play out until the final pages. If you've read a million horror novels/movies you can probably see the ending coming but it was still satisfying. This book will also appeal to movie nerds as it gets into a lot of the nitty gritty that takes place when making a movie, especially on a shoestring budget.

I wasn't completely blown away by this one, but it was an entertaining read and I will continue to check out Mr. Tremblay's works as the 2 I have read have both been a great time.

𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒍𝒚......🔪🔪🔪

Special thanks to @williammorrowbooks @paulgtremblay and @netgalley for this #gifted eARC.

➡️ swipe for synopsis 👉🏼

MY REVIEW:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This book was WILD!
(It's also my first by Mr. Tremblay)

The pent-up suspense for the ending had me shook til the very last page.

Picture this, some teens get a wild hair to make a movie, a horror movie of all things, and it's based around this creepy mask and one kid. So they cast themselves and an aquintance to be "the thin kid". (That's LITERALLY the character's name) Then, as filming goes along, the thin kid gets .... a little "too" into character. Weird stuff starts happening and eventually by the end of the movie a very large "work place accident" happens and shuts doen filming completely.
Done.
Finito.
The movie never gets to be fully edited or shown like they wanted, but some of the clips are leaked and years later it's getting a second chance and The Thin Kid is the only cast member left alive to make sure the original story is kept intact.

I mean, if that doesn't intrigue you....you may be on the wrong bookstagram page 😆😆😆

I will say, I was hoping for a bigger ending, but either way I really enjoyed this book. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time!

QOTD ❓️⁉️❓️ Did you ever watch the Blair Witch Project? Would you ever participate in something like that or this book?

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#mysteryandthrills #thrillerlover #booklover #bookbuzz #horrormovie #paultremblay #netgalley #williammorrow #tbr #bookcommunity

Oh my! I have so many conflicting emotions swirling in my heart! I felt terrified, rattled, and deeply disturbed while reading this book. There were parts that I found distasteful and irritating, but the creativity and uniqueness also left me in awe. If this horror movie script were adapted for the big screen, it would undoubtedly be one of the most soul-crushingly terrifying experiences for viewers, leaving them talking about it for days, sleeping with the lights on, and hiding under their blankets at every creaking sound, fearing that Thin Kid might be lurking in their room.

This slow-burn book, which could be considered a short novel or novella, defied my expectations as an avid reader. I anticipated finishing it in a few hours, but the dense material required more time to absorb fully. After reading a few chapters, I found myself allowing the themes to percolate in my mind like a complex coffee blend, taking days to fully appreciate. The scenes from the movie played over and over in my mind, creating a hellishly scary experience. Despite its slow pace, the narrative structure, shifting between different timelines to reflect Thin Kid's perspective—now a middle-aged man revisiting his past—added depth to the eerie atmosphere. The fragments of the original script and present-day production process were like scattered puzzle pieces, gradually revealing the bloody history of the cursed movie.

The main storyline revolves around the remake of the infamous "Horror Movie," originally filmed in 1993, featuring four main characters: Valentina (also the director), Cleo (the screenwriter), Karson (the male lead), and Thin Kid (a mysterious, masked figure experimented on to become a monstrous creature). Traumatic incidents on the set hinted at throughout the reading, with only three scenes from the cursed movie resurfacing online years later, leading to the idea of a remake 30 years later, involving the sole survivor, the actor who played Thin Kid, and a new generation of cast and crew. As the narrative unfolds, we piece together the clues surrounding the old movie set, becoming increasingly disturbed and unsettled by the events.

Without revealing too much, I can honestly say that this book offers a profound analysis of the monsters hidden within human beings. It's raw, bleak, dark, and terrifyingly sinister, with the most horrifying aspect being the realistic portrayal of evil incarnate in the human mind. It's certainly not for everyone, and if you're not prepared to confront your deepest fears and endure sleepless nights, this book may not be suited to you.

I award this book four disturbing, insomnia-inducing stars and bid farewell, ready to embrace more sleepless nights.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with this digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

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.

It took everything I had not to DNF this book. Wow, where do I start? I literally did not care about our main character, or any of the characters at all. He was so pretentious and self-indulgent, it felt like the book was using his musings on life to add padding, since there was nothing else going on. It felt very much like “putting a cigarette in your mouth but not lighting it because it’s a metaphor” kind of cringe. I am not someone who needs a super intense plot, but nothing really happens during this book at all. It felt like these little things that were happening were supposed to be impactful and keep us on our toes, but they fell flat big time. It was also extremely obvious where things were going, so you never got the shock. For being a horror novel, there was nothing unsettling or haunting like I was hoping. I truly felt nothing except annoyance at how bad this was. I just couldn’t believe this was written by such a successful, well-liked author. This was my first time reading Paul Tremblay and honestly will probably be my last.

ARC provided by NetGalley

In June 1993 two young filmmakers, their cast and crew spent four weeks making “Horror Movie,” an art-house, well, horror movie. Only three scenes were ever publicly released but they garnered a great deal of attention and now, thirty years later, there’s talk of a big budget reboot.

There is only one surviving member of the original cast and key crew, the actor who played “The Thin Kid,” and as he prepares for his part in the new movie his memories of the first come flooding back. What demons lie within “Horror Movie?”

My favorite subgenre is probably horror and movies so I was so excited for this and I loved it….til the very end, and others may love that too, I don’t know. The main character is done so well. I love that he has no name, just “The Thin Kid” or weird guy is enough, because that is really who he becomes in his life.

Valentina and Cleo are well-rounded, well-drawn characters, filled with life. Loved the “Fire Walk With Me” shout out. There’s so much deliciousness about this that I can’t share for fear of giving too much away. For me a five star read, but for the end, and either way a must read for horror fans.

Cursed movie very creepy and weird!! Time lines jump a lot which to be honest I got along the way. Definitely a bit of a wild ride this book!

This is my first time reading anything by Paul Tremblay and, though the book was well written, it was a miss for me. I was not a big fan of the MC or his narrative and I didn't find the story to be scary, at all.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for the chance to read this ARC.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars rounded up to 5

Horror Movie is Paul Tremblay's best work to date. Visceral and emotionally haunting, Tremblay showcases his knowledge of the genre in a story about human monsters. The exploration of each person's darker side is nuanced and relatable. This book was a terror and delight to read.

I have not read anything by Paul Tremblay prior to this novel, though I have heard much buzz about his works previous. It took a minute for me to get into the conversational tone of the main character in this story, but once I did I was hooked into the story. I loved the slow burn plot line as we hopped back and forth between the two filming shoots of Horror Movie. Ultimately though, the ending fell flat for me. It's not that it was confusing, but just not exactly the ending I was hoping for I guess. I'm sure Tremblay fans are going to love this story as it was the perfect blend of gory horror, suspense, and nods to the old school slasher films of the 80's and 90's.

This one had a great concept but the dragging out of the original films story had me lost in parts. I feel like if this were shorter it would have made for a more gripping tale.