Horror Movie: A Novel by Paul Tremblay
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Web ID: 20312076Wow!
I…think I liked this? I know I didn’t hate it. I just don’t know how I feel about the ending I guess. But you know what I give props where they’re due, I liked the past and present narratives, I like the screenplay interspersed between chapters and I do love an unreliable narrator.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Confused??
I'm very confused by all the positive reviews, as I thought this was one of the worst books I've read in a long time! Ridiculous plot and story line. Returned it to the library without finishing it.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fun build up, predictable ending
I enjoyed the book and the combination of narration and screenplay, but the book is going exactly where you think it will. It’s a quick and enjoyable read for horror fans nonetheless!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Loved this!
I felt such camaraderie with Tremblay while reading this. This novel is so naughty and tense and FUN. Short and sweet, like a 90-minute horror flick.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A Horror That Leans Into the Slow, Creepiness Vibe
“The mask is ugly and grotesque and familiar, and we cannot stop staring at it because all monsters are mirrors.” I already know that this will not be everyone’s cup of tea, but man on man did I love it. This is my second Paul Tremblay book and I have really enjoyed them both, but this one is my favorite thus far. Horror Movie follows this man who was in an indie horror film called Horror Movie when he was younger. The film never officially got released due to the grotesque nature of the film; however, some disturbing clips have popped up online and it has developed a solid fanbase despite the whole thing never being released. Now it has been years and one of the actors, “The Thin Kid”, is the only surviving actor and he has been asked to be involved in the remake. However, his involvement brings up disturbing memories of the past and the line between past and present begins to blur. I want to go on and say that this will not be for everyone. I think you have to be a Horror reader who likes a very specific kind of Horror, and more specifically the kind of Horror that Tremblay writes. Just like one of his previous books, The Pallbearers Club, this is a slow, creepy, unsettling horror. It is not going to have jumpscares or slasher like villains. However, I would still call it Horror because the events that happen in this book are horrifying and disturbing. It is a slower moving story, but once it takes it there, it doesn’t let up. The Thin Kid is the main character and what’s interesting about him is that we never find out his real name. I do think that was for a reason that I can’t get into without getting into spoilers, but I thought it was very clever. I found The Thin Kid to be a very easy character to follow. He was interesting and you kind of rooted for him, especially because you feel bad for him and all he’s had to endure. As the story progresses, you kind of see how he is not mentally healthy. That is when we find out about how terrible the set was and how it affected him and still does to this day. The other characters we meet through The Thin Kid’s flashbacks and those include Cleo, Valentina, and Carson. We mostly see Cleo and Valentina, and I will go on record saying that Cleo was insane and had her own set of issues. We don’t get to really meet the other three as fully grown adults since they all died, but I feel this was effective because this was his story and it allowed us to experience through his eyes only. The ending was wild and just really confirmed that this was a 5 star for me. This had everything I love in Horror and while I know it won’t be for everyone, it was my first win in Horror this year, a genre that I love, but was struggling with lately. I’m very happy that I read it and that it worked for me so well. CW for violence, blood, suicidal ideation, cancer, and abuse.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Hypnotic
This one threw me for a loop, I was teetering between finishing or bailing halfway. But there’s a weird captivating quality to reading this story. Nearly the entire book, there is absolutely zero context as to what the hell is happening. But it’s kinda fun and hypnotic to just go along with the chaos.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
This Book Made Me Uncomfortable in the Best Way
Not going to lie, that last chapter made my skin crawl. 😨 I think my favorite thing about this book is the realization of how the screenplay is tightly woven with reality. Not only does said screenplay show us who each of the characters truly are, but it also delves into a deep seeded anxiety of never truly knowing ourselves or the people around us. Until the ending, I wasn't really sure that I cared about the present-day aspect. I see now that the ending through the present-day offers both a confirmation of the reality of the Thin Kid's nature and existence, but also an uncomfortable uncertainty of what's yet to happen. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and Paul Tremblay absolutely delivered.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Unsettling and disturbing
A Horror Movie has almost wrapped up filming when a tragedy strikes. Years later after three scenes from the movie are released, horror fans create enough buzz that the studios think it is time to remake this movie. The man who played “The Thin Kid” in the original has been appearing at conventions and keeping the fans clamoring for more. As the last surviving cast member he has been asked to help with the remake by giving insight to the secrets behind the screenplay as well as reprising his original role in a few scenes. Memories resurface as filming begins making for a tense, unsettling and jaw dropping finale. This is a tough one for me to review. First of all I loved the writing style. Switching between the past and present helped build a lot of tension and dread. Sprinkled throughout the past and present storyline were sections of the original movie script giving insight and details which also added to the tension. This unconventional style really worked although it was a slow build. Gradually, Tremblay just kept chipping away at my psyche making me feel more uncomfortable, and uneasy as the story progressed. The ending was an unexpected shock and left me with more questions than answers. I want to know more about the origin of the mask, the motivation for the original script and the original characters back stories. This was well written, a good premise but left me wanting more. 3 ⭐️
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com